Bolesław the Pious (1224/27 – 14 April 1279) was a Duke of Greater Poland during 1239–1247 (according to some historians during 1239–1241 sole Duke of Ujście), Duke of Kalisz during 1247–1249, Duke of Gniezno during 1249–1250, Duke of Gniezno-Kalisz during 1253–1257, Duke of whole Greater Poland and

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

during 1257–1273, in 1261 ruler over Ląd, regent of the Duchies of Mazovia, Płock and Czersk during 1262–1264, ruler over Bydgoszcz during 1268–1273, Duke of Inowrocław during 1271–1273, and Duke of Gniezno-Kalisz from 1273 until his death. He was the second son of

Władysław Odonic Władysław Odonic, nicknamed Plwacz or the Spitter, ( – 5 June 1239) was a duke of Kalisz 1207–1217, duke of Poznań 1216–1217, ruler of Ujście in 1223, ruler of Nakło from 1225, and duke of all Greater Poland 1229–1234; from 1234 un ...

, Duke of Greater Poland by his wife

Jadwiga Jadwiga (; diminutives: ''Jadzia'' , ''Iga'') is a Polish feminine given name. It originated from the old German feminine given name ''Hedwig'' (variants of which include ''Hedwiga''), which is compounded from ''hadu'', "battle", and ''wig'', "figh ...

, who was probably the daughter of Mestwin I, Duke of Pomerania, or a member of the

Přemyslid dynasty The Přemyslid dynasty or House of Přemyslid ( cs, Přemyslovci, german: Premysliden, pl, Przemyślidzi) was a Bohemian royal dynasty that reigned in the Duchy of Bohemia and later Kingdom of Bohemia and Margraviate of Moravia (9th century–1 ...

. His name was very popular in the Piast dynasty, so it's unknown exactly after whom he was named. Very soon Bolesław received the nickname of "the Pious" (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

: ''Pius''), given to him during his lifetime by the ''Chronicle of the Chapter of Poznań''. In 1264, Bolesław granted the first written privilege to the Jews of Greater Poland.

Early years

The first years of Bolesław saw him share the fierce dispute of his father against

Władysław III Spindleshanks : ''This article refers to the 12th-century Polish monarch. For the 15th-century Jagiellon monarch, see Władysław III of Poland, and for other monarchs with similar names see Ladislaus III (disambiguation)''. Władysław III Spindleshanks ( pl, W ...

(his own uncle) for his inheritance. However,

took care properly for the upbringing of his offspring, evidenced by the fact that Bolesław, like his older brother Przemysł I, was able to read and write Latin.

Guardianship of Przemysł I

Because Bolesław was a minor when Władysław Odonic died on 5 June 1239, his elder brother Przemysł I ruled alone at first. Historians agree the territory the brothers inherited started out small, but disagree as to whether it extended beyond Ujście and Nakło in northern Poland. In 1241, Przemysł and Boleslaw began reclaiming the lands their father had lost. By 1243 the brothers regained most of the Duchies of

and Gniezno, in 1244 Kalisz, in 1247

Santok Santok (german: Zantoch) is a village in Gorzów County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Santok. Geography It is located at the confluence of the Noteć and Warta rive ...

, and in 1249 Wieluń. In 1244, Bolesław supported his brother in a conflict between the local nobility and the clergy led by the Bishop of Poznań

Bogufał II Bogufał II also known as Boguchwał II was a thirteenth century Bishop of Poznań in Poland. The date of his birth is unknown, but according to the medieval chronicler Jan Długosz, he was a member of the Poraj Polish noble family. He was a cur ...

for the privileges their father had granted shortly before his death. On 24 April 1245 Przemysł I acknowledged Boleslaw's coming of age by knighting him during a solemn Mass in honor of

St. Adalbert of Prague Adalbert of Prague ( la, Sanctus Adalbertus, cs, svatý Vojtěch, sk, svätý Vojtech, pl, święty Wojciech, hu, Szent Adalbert (Béla); 95623 April 997), known in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia by his birth name Vojtěch ( la, ...

in Gniezno, celebrated by Archbishop Pełka Liz. The indivisibility of the Duchy was not to Bolesław's liking, and in 1247 he persuaded his brother Przemysł I to provide territory for his sole leadership: the land between the

Prosna The Prosna is a river in central Poland, a tributary of the Warta river (near Pyzdry), with a length of 227 kilometres and a basin area of 4,917 km2 (all in Poland).Przemęt, north of the Warta River and thence to the Odra River; in short it was the Duchy of Kalisz. This division, though rather unjust for Bolesław, was approved by the Church, and after he protested, he was threatened with the excommunication. Despite the fact that he now had his own district, Bolesław did not pursue a foreign policy; this would continue to be the responsibility of his brother. This was revealed during the dispute with Duke

Casimir I of Kuyavia Casimir I of Kuyavia ( pl, Kazimierz I kujawski) (c. 1211 – 14 December 1267) was a Polish prince and a member of the House of Piast. He was Duke of Kujawy after 1233, ruler over Ląd from 1239-1261, ruler over Wyszogród after 1242, Duke of Si ...

regarding the possession of Ladzka, which was given to him by Henry II the Pious as a dowry for his daughter Constance, Casimir I's second wife. This decision was not recognized by Władysław Odonic's sons, but eventually they reconciled and even signed an alliance with the Kuyavian Duke, which effectively ended any attempt to change the ownership of the disputed land. In 1249 Bolesław, dissatisfied with the tutelage of his older brother, persuaded him to make a new division of their patrimony. He received the Duchies of Kalisz and Gniezno, with the addition of Wieluń, which had recently been returned to the rule of Władysław Odonic's sons. This new division was apparently made peacefully, because later in that same year the brothers together gave support to Konrad I of Głogów against his brother

Bolesław II the Bald Boleslav or Bolesław may refer to: In people: * Boleslaw (given name) In geography: * Bolesław, Dąbrowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland * Bolesław, Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland * Bolesław, Silesian Voivodeship, ...

. However, on 19 May 1250 an unexplained event took place, which was related in the ''

Chronicle of Greater Poland The ''Wielkopolska Chronicle'' (or ''Chronicle of Greater Poland'', pl, Kronika wielkopolska) is an anonymous medieval chronicle describing supposed history of Poland from legendary times up to the year 1273. It was written in Latin at the end o ...

'': ::''Przemysł captured his brother Bolesław and took all his lands and castles.'' The conflict certainly was not trivial, since Bolesław did not regain his freedom until 20 April 1253, thanks to the pressures of the powerful Greater Poland clergy. The final reconciliation between the brothers occurred in May of that year at a meeting in Pogorzelica near Giecz, where thanks to the mediation of Pełka, the

Archbishop of Gniezno This is a list of archbishops of the Archdiocese of Gniezno, who are simultaneously primates of Poland since 1418.Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...

on the occasion of the canonization of St. Stanislaus, where they decided to form a coalition against Swantopolk II, Duke of Pomerania. Among the princes who participated were his brother Przemysł I,

Siemowit I of Masovia Siemowit I of Masovia ( pl, Siemowit (Ziemowit) I mazowiecki) (d. 23 June 1262), was a Polish prince member of the House of Piast, Duke of Czersk during 1247-1248, Duke of Masovia (except Dobrzyń) during 1248-1262, ruler over Sieradz during 1259 ...

, Władysław of Opole and Bolesław V the Chaste. In September of that year Bolesław participated in an expedition against

Henry III the White Henry III the White ( pl, Henryk III Biały) ( – 3 December 1266), a member of the Silesian Piasts, was Duke of Silesia at Wrocław from 1248 until his death, as co-ruler with his brother Władysław. Life He was the third son of the Polish hi ...

launched by his brother and Konrad I of Głogów.

Sole rulership

Foreign policy

On 4 June 1257 Przemysł I died, aged only 36. With his brother's death, new horizons opened to Bolesław. He became in the undisputed sole ruler over the whole of Greater Poland. Although the posthumous son of his brother, Przemysł II, was born on 14 October of that year, Boleslaw was his guardian until he was declared an adult. The first of Bolesław's new foreign politics was his marriage in 1258 to Princess Jolenta (Helena), daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary. This union resulted in a permanent bond between Bolesław and

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

, reflected in the assistance given in the conflict with Bohemia after the extinction of the House of Babenberg. For Bolesław, this alliance cost him the complete devastation of Greater Poland during the winter of 1267-1268 by troops of King

Ottokar II of Bohemia Ottokar II ( cs, Přemysl Otakar II.; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his dea ...

during his return from an expedition against the Prussians. One of the stages of this war was also the trip taken by Bolesław together with Bolesław V the Chaste and Leszek II the Black in the autumn of 1273 in order to visit Władysław of Opole, an ally of the

Relations with Masovia and Kuyavia

During 1258-1261 Bolesław was involved in a long and destructive war against Casimir I of Kuyavia and his ally Swantopolk II for the castellanie of Ladzka. To this end, the Greater Poland Duke allied with

Wartislaw III Wartislaw III (c. 1210 – 17 May 1264) was a Griffin duke of Pomerania-Demmin. Son of Casimir II of Pomerania-Demmin and Ingardis of Denmark, he was married to a Sophia of an unknown house. As he did not have any children, Pomerania-Demmin cease ...

, Duke of

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

- Demmin,

, Bolesław V the Chaste and Roman Danylovich, Prince of Navahradak. The war ended in a full victory and Ladzka returned to Greater Poland. The formal treaty was signed on 29 November 1259; however, Casimir I delayed in fulfilled the provisions of the agreement, which led in 1261 to a new military expedition. On 23 June 1262 Siemowit I was killed at the hands of the

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

n troops and his eldest son Konrad II was taken prisoner. Both Konrad II and his younger brother Bolesław II were minors at that time; for this reason, Bolesław became regent of their domains (Duchies of Masovia, Płock and Czersk) for the next two years, until 1264, when Konrad II obtain his freedom and return to Masovia. In 1268 Bolesław interfered again in the Kuyavian affairs. Casimir I's son, Duke Ziemomysł of Inowrocław, followed a policy of close contacts with the Teutonic Order and Duke Sambor II of Pomerania, who became in his father-in-law. This caused a deep dissatisfaction among the local nobility, who called on Bolesław for help. The Duke of Greater Poland quickly took

Radziejów Radziejów (Polish pronunciation: ; German 1943-1945: ''Rädichau'') is a town in Poland, in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, about 45 km south of Toruń. It is the capital of Radziejów County. Its population is 5,804 (2004). History ...

, Kruszwica and the castle in Bydgoszcz; however, rapid action by Ziemomysł regained temporary control of this lands. Despite this success, Ziemomysł continued with his German-Pomeranian politics, which caused a new revolt by his subjects, who called again Bolesław for help: in 1271 he invaded the Duchy of Inowrocław and forced Ziemomysł to flee. Bolesław retained the Duchy until 1273, when he gave it to Ziemomysł's brother Leszek II the Black, except for Radziejów and Kruszwica, which remained in Greater Poland.

War against Brandenburg

From the beginning of his sole rule, Bolesław established contacts with the

Margraviate of Brandenburg The Margraviate of Brandenburg (german: link=no, Markgrafschaft Brandenburg) was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe. Brandenburg developed out ...

, ruled by the

House of Ascania The House of Ascania (german: Askanier) was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Anhalt. The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ''Schlos ...

; in this, he followed the policy of his brother Przemysł I, who even betrothed his eldest daughter Constance with Conrad, son of Margrave John I. Three years after Przemysł I's death (in 1260), Constance and Conrad were formally married. As a dowry, Brandenburg received the castellany of

(but without the important main city) with the consent of a ''wiec'' reunited in Greater Poland, which took place on 1 July 1260 in

. However, the expected peace due to this marriage was short-lived. In early 1265 Brandenburg occupied the main city of Santok and broke the previous agreement. Thanks to an immediate diplomatic intervention, Bolesław soon signed a new treaty with Brandenburg, under which Greater Poland burned the fortress built in Drezdenko, and Brandenburg also burned his fortress in Santok. But in 1269 war with Brandenburg erupted again. They built a fortress in

Sulęcin Sulęcin (; german: Zielenzig) is a town in western Poland with 10,117 inhabitants (2019), the capital of Sulecin County, since 1999 in Lubusz Voivodeship. Geography Sulęcin is located in the center of Lubusz Voivodeship (Lubuskie province), b ...

, and in response Bolesław did the same thing in Międzyrzecz. The invasion of Międzyrzecz launched by the Margraves of Brandenburg was successfully repulsed by Bolesław, who in December 1269 could advance to

Lubusz Lebus ( pl, Lubusz) is a historic town in the Märkisch-Oderland District of Brandenburg, Germany. It is the administrative seat of '' Amt'' ("collective municipality") Lebus. The town, located on the west bank of the Oder river at the border wit ...

and in addition, during this expedition burned several fortresses, included the one newly built in Sulęcin. Both sides made a new agreement and were restored the fortress in Santok (from Brandenburg) and Drezdenko (from Greater Poland). The latter was captured by Brandenburg in 1270. For this reason, in the spring of 1271 Bolesław organized a major military expedition against Santok and

Neumark The Neumark (), also known as the New March ( pl, Nowa Marchia) or as East Brandenburg (), was a region of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and its successors located east of the Oder River in territory which became part of Poland in 1945. Call ...

, ravaging this land terribly, but he could not recover the lost domains. The war with the House of Ascania wasn't limited to the border areas of Greater Poland. By 1272 Bolesław entered in an alliance with Mestwin II, Duke of Pomerania- Gdańsk; one year later (in 1273), he renewed his homage to Brandenburg and promised his help to the Margraviate against all his enemies, except the Duke of Greater Poland. In the same year was launched another expedition against Brandenburg. Although nominal leadership of the troops was given by Bolesław to his young nephew Przemysł II, the expedition was actually headed by experienced commanders such as the

voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the me ...

of Poznań, Przedpełk Łodzia, and the castellan of Kalisz Janek. They successfully reconquered both Drezdenko and Strzelce. The last campaign against Brandenburg during Bolesław's lifetime took in the summer of 1278, when Greater Poland troops advanced to Myślibórz and eventually recovered Santok.

Internal policy

Bolesław continued the policy of Przemysł I and maintained in their positions the nobles appointed by him. He also developed good relations with the Church while also trying to influence the appointment of the most important religious posts. His generosity to the clergy, allowed the

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

to establish a post in 1259 in Gniezno. Also during his rule the monastery of Poor Clares in Gniezno was started, which remained unfinished even at the time of Przemysł II's death. On 16 August 1264 Bolesław granted the first written privilege to the

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

of Greater Poland (the '' Statute of Kalisz''). It regulated the judicial authority over the Jewish population, and Jewish credit and trading activity. The comparatively liberal statute served as a basis for Jewish privileges in Poland until 1795.

Last years

In 1273, after the victorious expedition against Brandenburg, Przemysł II began to claim his own separated Duchy. Unable to face the powerful pressure, Bolesław agreed to this and given his nephew the district of

. To bind Przemysł II with his politics, Bolesław arranged the marriage of his nephew with Ludgarda, daughter of Henry I the Pilgrim, Lord of Mecklenburg. In addition, Ludgarda was a granddaughter of Duke Barnim I of Pomerania, and thanks to this union the alliance with

Western Pomerania Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (german: Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, West ...

was reinforced. Dukes of Greater Poland political path, however, soon spread, as Przemysł II became involved with Henry IV Probus, and Bolesław, using the imprisonment of Henry IV in 1277, tried to force financial concessions. Bolesław supported this policy with the marriage of his firstborn daughter Elisabeth with

Henry V the Fat Henry V the Fat (german: Heinrich V der Dicke, pl, Henryk V Brzuchaty) ( – 22 February 1296) was a Duke of Jawor (Jauer) from 1273, of Legnica (Liegnitz) from 1278, and Duke of Wrocław ( Breslau) from 1290. He was the eldest son of Bol ...

, Duke of Legnica. Bolesław died on 14 April 1279 in Kalisz and was buried in the Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul in

Marriage and issue

In 1258 Bolesław married Jolenta (Helena) (b. 1244 – d. 16/17 June aft. 1304), daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary. They had three daughters:Bolesław Pobożny (Kaliski)
/ref> # Elisabeth (b. 1261/63 – d. September 1304), married in 1273 to

Henry V, Duke of Legnica Henry V the Fat (german: Heinrich V der Dicke, pl, Henryk V Brzuchaty) ( – 22 February 1296) was a Duke of Jawor (Jauer) from 1273, of Legnica (Liegnitz) from 1278, and Duke of Wrocław ( Breslau) from 1290. He was the eldest son of Bo ...

. #

(b. 1270/75 – d. 10 December 1339), married in January 1293 to Władysław I the Elbow-high, Duke of Kuyavia and after 1320 King of Poland. #Anna (b. 1276/78 – d. bef. 1300), a nun in Gniezno. After Bolesław died without male heirs, all of the Greater Poland Duchy passed to his only nephew Przemysł II, who was crowned King of Poland in 1295 but murdered the following year. With his death the Greater Poland branch of the Piast dynasty became extinct.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boleslaw The Pious Dukes of Greater Poland 1220s births 1279 deaths Burials at Poznań Cathedral bg:Болеслав I Храбри (Полша)