Bolesław IV (Poland)

Bolesław Kraushaar ( Polish: Bolesław IV Kędzierzawy ; * 1120 or 1121; † January 5, 1173 ) was Duke of Mazovia from 1138 and from 1146, as Bolesław IV. , Senior Duke of Poland , and also Duke of Kujawy , Silesia , Greater Poland in Gnesen and Kalisch , Lesser Poland in Krakow and Sandomir . As the son of Bolesław III. Wrymouth he came from the Polish noble family of the Piasts .

Life

Bolesław was born around 1120 as the second eldest son of Duke Bolesław III. and his second wife Salome von Berg . In his father's will he received Mazovia as a hereditary duchy, after his father's death Kujawien was added.

In 1141 and 1146 he headed the group of brothers who conspired against the eldest brother Władysław II . After the expulsion of Władysławs in 1146 (he fled to the Roman-German Empire and sought support from the emperor) he had to face the German king Konrad III. who wanted to intervene in Władysław's favor, paid a large contribution .

Bolesław now took power in the state and ruled over several regions - Mazovia , Kuyavia , Silesia , Lesser Poland and parts of Greater Poland . 1147 attacked Bolesław together with troops from the Kievan Rus attacked the Pruzzen , which defended themselves successfully. In 1157 Poland was invaded by Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa , who demanded the reinstatement of Władysław. Bolesław lost the war and had to undertake to return Silesia to Władysław, but hesitated for a long time. It was not until 1163, under threat of new imperial intervention, that he gave Silesia to the sons of Władysław, Bolesław I. the Long and Mieszko I. Sacrum . In 1166 he tried again to subjugate the Pruzzen, again without success.

Bolesław was married to the Kiev princess Vjerchoslawa and had a son by her, Leszek, who took over Mazovia after the death of his father, but remained childless himself. Eventually Bolesław died in 1173 without leaving any heirs in his line.

literature

• Magdalena Biniaś-Szkopek: Bolesław IV Kędzierzawy - książę Mazowsza i princeps. Poznan: Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, 2009. ISBN 978-83-7177-603-8 .
• D. von Güttner-Sporzyński: Constructing memory: holy war in the Chronicle of the Poles by Bishop Vincentius of Cracow. Journal of Medieval History 40 (3), 2014, pp. 276-291.
• Borys Paszkiewicz: O matce Lestka Bolesławica i początkach mennictwa mazowieckiego. Przegląd Historyczny, vol. 92 (2001), pp. 1-14.
• Roman Grodecki: Bolesław Kędzierzawy. In: Polski Słownik Biograficzny . Krakow: Polska Akademia Umiejętności , 1936, pp. 259–260.
• Józef Dobosz: Kazimierz II Sprawiedliwy. Poznan: Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, 2011. ISBN 978-83-7177-782-0 .
• Marek Dworsatschek: Władysław II Wygnaniec. Krakow: Universitas, 2009. ISBN 978-83-242-0814-2 .

predecessor	Office	successor
Władysław II. The expellee	Senior Duke of Poland 1146–1173	Mieszko III. the old