Casimir I of Oświęcim ( pl, Kazimierz I Oświęcimski) (1396 – 7 April 1434) was a Duke of

Oświęcim Oświęcim (; german: Auschwitz ; yi, אָשפּיצין, Oshpitzin) is a city in the Lesser Poland ( pl, Małopolska) province of southern Poland, situated southeast of Katowice, near the confluence of the Vistula (''Wisła'') and Soła rive ...

since 1406 (under regency until 1414), ruler over Toszek (from 1414) and

Strzelin Strzelin (german: Strehlen, cz, Střelín) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is located on the Oława river, a tributary of the Oder, about south of the region's capital Wrocław. It is part of the Wrocław me ...

(during 1416–1427). He was the only child of Duke Przemysław of Oświęcim by his unknown wife.

Life

After his father's death on 1 January 1406, Casimir I was placed under the care of his paternal grandfather, Duke Przemysław I Noszak of

Cieszyn Cieszyn ( , ; cs, Těšín ; german: Teschen; la, Tessin; szl, Ćeszyn) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitan ...

, and, after his death in 1410, his guardianship was taken by his uncle Bolesław I. On 19 December 1414 Casimir I took formal possession of his Duchy of

, along with the towns of Toszek and

Gliwice Gliwice (; german: Gleiwitz) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capi ...

. However, the ambitions of the young Duke erupted then and claimed more lands from his uncle. The conflict ended only two years later, on 11 November 1416 when (following the mediation of Duke Henry IX of Lubin), the Duke of Cieszyn give the town of

and 300 fines as payment to Casimir I. Bolesław I retained the rest of his lands. In 1424 Casimir I took part in the coronation of Sophia of Halshany as

Queen of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16th ...

. However, this doesn't mean that the Duke of Oświęcim maintain a pro-Polish politics; in fact, he began at the same time his contacts to with the Bohemian King Sigismund of Luxembourg, and even spend some time in his court (there are information that Casimir I, for unknown reasons, received from the King a pension for 3,000 pieces of gold, perhaps as a payment for his mediation with the

Teutonic Order The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...

, which, had good relations with the Duke of Oświęcim). In 1428 Casimir I land's were plundered by the

Hussites The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation. The Huss ...

. During their incursions over

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

, were burned the towns of

Kęty Kęty is a town in Oświęcim County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland with 18,955 inhabitants (2012). The town located in Silesian Foothills dates its earliest document from 1277 when Polish prince of Opole Władysław Opolski, Władysław c ...

, Toszek and

Pyskowice Pyskowice (german: Peiskretscham) is a town in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – metropolis with the population of 2 million. Located in the Silesian Highlands. It is situated in t ...

. Another of town who belonged to the Duke of Oświęcim,

, become in a major Hussite base on

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, locate ...

. The struggles with the hussites in the region lasted until 1433, when Casimir I was able to recover Gliwice (who was replaced as a Hussite base by the nearby Bytom) thanks to the unexpected help of Duke

Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V ( la, Nicholaus V; it, Niccolò V; 13 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene made ...

of Karniów (son of Jan II of Iron, who years before ordered the assassination of Casimir I's father). Casimir I died in 1434 and was buried in the Dominican church in

Marriages and Issue

Before 28 May 1417 Casimir I married firstly with Anna (c. 1397–1426/33), daughter of Duke Henry VIII of Żagań. They had three sons: # Wenceslaus I (c. 1418 – before 29 July 1468). # Przemysław (1425 – December 1484). # Jan IV (1426/30 – by 21 February 1497). By 1433, Casimir I married secondly with Margareta (1410 – 5 July 1459), daughter of Jan II of Iron, Duke of

Racibórz Racibórz (german: Ratibor, cz, Ratiboř, szl, Racibōrz) is a city in Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the administrative seat of Racibórz County. With Opole, Racibórz is one of the historic capitals of Upper Silesia, being ...

. They had no children.

References

Genealogical database by Herbert Stoyan
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Casimir 01 of Oswiecim 1396 births 1434 deaths Piast dynasty