Henry I (Poland)

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Henry the Bearded. Engraving by Bartholomäus Strachowsky, 1733
Henry the Bearded, Duke of Silesia and Princeps of Poland, with his family
The territorial development of the "Monarchy of the Heinrich Piast" in the years 1201 to 1241 within the boundaries of the Regnum Poloniae during the reigns of Henry I (1232–1238) and Henry II. (1238–1241)

Heinrich I (also: Heinrich I of Silesia ; Heinrich I of Poland ; Heinrich the Bearded , Polish: Henryk I Brodaty ; * around 1165 in Glogau ; † March 19, 1238 in Crossen an der Oder ) was Duke of from 1201 Silesia and from 1232 Princeps of Poland .

Origin and family

Heinrich came from the Silesian Piast dynasty . His parents were Bolesław I "the Tall One" of Silesia and probably Adelheid von Sulzbach, daughter of Count Palatine Berengar I von Sulzbach or Christina. Heinrich had three brothers and two sisters, including:

In 1186 Heinrich married Hedwig , daughter of Count Berthold IV of Andechs . The marriage had four sons and three daughters, among others

Life

After the death of his father in 1201, Heinrich inherited his property as the sole heir. As early as 1202 his uncle Mieszko I conquered the area of ​​Opole. With a comparison from November 22nd d. J. had to cede to him Heinrich the Opole land and at the same time agree that in future the mutual inheritance law between the two Silesian dukes should no longer apply. With that, the lines separated into that

Between 1201 and 1206 Heinrich won a part of Greater Poland with Kalisch , apparently in a peaceful way, and in the next decade he got the land of Lebus . From 1222 to 1223 he fought with Duke Konrad I of Mazovia against the pagan Pruzzen . He was on good terms with the German Order of Knights and is said to have campaigned for the award of the Kulmer Land to them. Probably because of a conflict between the noble families Grzyfita and Odrowąż, he moved with an army to Kraków in 1225.

After the death of the Polish Duke Leszek I "the White" in 1227, Heinrich succeeded in winning Krakow with Lesser Poland and Sandomir as well as Greater Poland as far as the Warta and thus uniting large parts of Poland in his hand. In the course of the battles for Wielkopolska and the dispute over the Kraków throne, Heinrich was captured by Konrad von Mazowieckie in 1229 during a church celebration in Spytkowice and kidnapped to Płock Castle in Mazovia. Through the mediation of Duchess Hedwig, he was released, but had to do without Krakow. From 1230 he led the regency in Opole, since the guardianship of the underage sons Mieszko II and Wladislaus I of Duke Casimir I was transferred to him.

After the death of Vladislav III. , who had been expelled from Krakow by Konrad I of Masovia in 1229, Heinrich inherited Greater Poland in 1231 and took over the reign of Krakow in 1232. He became Princeps of Poland, whose reunification he sought, which in turn led to a conflict with Duke Conrad I of Mazovia.

Heinrich promoted the German settlement in the east , which had already been started by his father, and which subsequently promoted the separation of Silesia from the Polish Imperial Union. He initiated extensive clearing work and founded the cities of Goldberg , Neumarkt and Löwenberg . He supported the colonizing activities of the Leubus Monastery . Existing Slavic settlements were partially relocated according to Magdeburg law .

Presumably under the influence of his wife Hedwig, who was later canonized, he founded the Cistercian monastery in Trebnitz and approved the establishment and settlement of the Heinrichau monastery with Cistercians. Though deeply religious himself, he was excommunicated in 1237 for rejecting ecclesiastical demands for immunity . With the diocese of Breslau he got into disputes because of the tithe benefits of the German new settlers.

Heinrich died on March 19, 1238 in Crossen an der Oder . His body was buried in front of the main altar of the monastery church in Trebnitz.

literature

Web links

Commons : Heinrich I.  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mother's name instead of Adelheid von Sulzbach possibly Christina
  2. ↑ Joseph Maria Mayer Das Regentenhaus Wittelsbach or: History of Bavaria p. 266 ( books.google.de )
  3. ^ History of Spytkowice
predecessor Office successor
Conrad I of Mazovia Senior Duke of Poland
1232–1238 		Henry II the Pious
personal data
SURNAME Heinrich I.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Henry the Bearded; Henryk I Brodaty (Polish)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Duke of Silesia; Duke of Poland; Princeps of Poland
DATE OF BIRTH around 1165
PLACE OF BIRTH Glogau
DATE OF DEATH March 19, 1238
Place of death Crossing the Oder