Kings of Poland
1. Ryksa (Richenza, Rixa) Silesia, Princess of Poland, Queen of Castile: Born about 1131, of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland; Died after 1166/1176; Married 1152, Spain; Alfonso VII "Pierre-Raimund" King of Castile, Leon and Galicia: Born 1105, Castilla, Spain; Died 21 August 1157. (See Kings of Castile)
2. Ladislaus (Wladislav) II, "the Exile" Duke of Poland, Prince of Silesia: Born 1105, of Krakow, Poland; Died 30 May 1159; Married about 1127; Agnes, Princess of Austria: Born 1111, of Wien, Wien, Austria; Died after 25 January 1157. (See Margraves of Austria)
3. Boleslaw III, "Crooked Mouth" or "Wrymouth" King of Poland: Born 20 August 1085, of Krakow, Poland; Died 28 October 1138; Married 1103; Sbyslava Svyatopolkovna, Princess of Kiev: Born about 1087, of Kiev, Ukraine; Died 1113. The reign of Boleslaw II lasted from 1102 to 1138. It was marked by constant fighting for the control of Western Pomerania, including Kolobrzeg, which was the seat of one of the first Polish dioces, for the possession of Eastern Pomerania and defense against German expansion. The early years of his reign, up to 1113, were recorded by an anonymous chronicler from the South of France known to history as Gallus Anonymous.
Seeing that Prince Boleslaw was nearing the age of manhood and had already distinguished himself by many deeds of valor, his father, Prince Ladislaus, decided to bestow the accolade of knighthood on him. The lords and Barons of the realm were already gathered at Plock for the ceremony, when news came that Santok, a stronghold on the river Notec, was besieged by the Pomeranians. Gallus tell us us that the young prince, only fifteen years old, overrulled all protests and dashed off at the head of his army, to gain a resounding victory over the invaders. Only after he had returned from the expedition did he recieve the knight's belt at his father's hands.
The Emperor Henry V, had set his sights on Poland. In order to conquer these lands he first needed to capture the fortress along the Orda, especially Glogow. Boleslaw's heroic defense of this stronghold allowed him to make raids into Silesia, harassing the invading army. The defenders of Glogow repulsed every assault, and did not surrender even when the enemy tied to their siege-trains hostages which the stronghold had had to give for a short truce. The heroic defense and successes in the field won by Boleslaw, forced the emperor to retreat back to Germany.
Sbyslava's Parents, Grandparents and two sets of Great Grandparents--
Boleslaw's Parents--
3. Ladislaus (Wladislaw) I Herman, Prince of Poland: Born about 1043, of Krakow, Poland; Died 4 June 1102; Married about 1080; Judita I, Princess of Bohemia: Born about 1056, of Praha, Czechoslovakia; Died 25 December 1085/1086. (See Kings of Bohemia) Prince Ladislaus succeeded his brother King Boleslaw II. While he succeeded his brother he made no attempt to ever call himself King.
4. Casimir (Kazimierz) I Karol "the Restorer", King of Poland: Born 25 July 1016, of Krakow, Krakow, Poland; Died 28 November 1058; Married about 1039; Dobronegra Mariya Vladimirovna, Princess of Kiev: Born about 1011, of Kiev, Ukraine; Died 1087. (See Byzantine Emperors) Casimir eventually succeeded in winning back the territory that had been lost by Poland at the time of his father's death.
5. Mieszko II Lambert, King of Poland: Born 990, of Poznan, Poland; Died 10 May 1034; Married about 1013; Richenza, Countess of Palatinate Lorraine: Born 1000, of Lorraine, France; Died 31 March 1063, Saalfeld, Mulhausen, Thuringia. (See Holy Roman Emperors #5) Durring the reign of Mieszko II Poland's military power declined and when he died the Polish crown lost control of Silesia to the Bohemians.
5. Boleslaw I "the Brave" or "Chrobny", King of Poland: Born about 967, of Poznan, Poland; Died 17 June 1025; Married 987; Emnilde, Princess of the Western Slavs: Born about 968, of Slovenia; Died 1017. Boleslaw is responsible for expanding Poland to roughly its present boundaries. Boleslaw was the first King of the Piast dynasty to rule Poland. The Piasts ruled from circa 960 until 1370. Boleslaw I was the first King of Poland. The son of Mieszko, the first Christian prince of that Country, he began to rule on his father's death (992). In 1000 he obtained from Holy Roman Emperor Otto III abolition of the tribute that Mieszko had agreed to pay and the creation of an independent Polish church administration, with a metropolitan at Gniezno.
In the year 1000 Holy Roman Emperor Otto III visited Poland for political reasons. The German chronicler, Bishop Thiemar tells us that when Otto reached the territory of Dziadoszanie guarded by the strongholds of Szprotawa and Glogow, Prince Boleslaw, notified of his approach, set out to welcome him. The prince received the Emperor with extraordinary splendor and accompanied him to Gniezno. At the sight of the town in the distance, the Emperor approached it devoutly and at the grave of the Bishop Martyr St. Adalbert burst into tears and prayed for the saint's intercession. Later, the Emperor handed Prince Boleslaw a papal bull establishing the Polish archdiocese of Gniezno and the dioceses of Kolobrzeg, Krackow, and Wroclaw.
During the Emperor's stay in Poland, Prince Boleslaw lavished an extraordinary display of pomp and splendor on his imperial guest and his retinue by giving magnificent banquets in his honor. At one such reception the Emperor is said to have exclaimed: "By the crown of my empire, what We have seen is even greater than fame would have it. It is not fitting that so great a man should be called prince or Count as an ordinary noble, but rather he should be raised to the dignity of a kingly throne and his head girdled with a royal crown."
Boleslaw fought three wars against Otto's successor, Henry II. These wars began in 1002 and continued intermittently until 1018. The Treaty of Bautzen (1018) won Boleslaw the recognition of Lusatia, Moravia, and Misnia (Meissen) as parts of Poland. He had himself crowned King shortly before his death in 1025. The coronation of Boleslaw was an important though merely formal event that only confirmed the state of affairs that had long existed. The German imperial court, not only in the reign of the benevolent Otto III but also in the reign of the hostile Henry II, treated Boleslaw with "all the honors befitting his royal dignity" according to Bishop Thietmar.
Emnilde's Parents--
Boleslaw's Parents--
4. Mieszko I, Prince of Poland: Born about 922, of Poznan, Poland; Died 25 May 992; Married 965; Dubravka, Princess of Bohemia: Born about 931, of Praha, Czechoslovakia; Died 977. Mieszko was the first Polish ruler to accept Christianity. He made it the official religion of Poland in 966. The tenth century Spanish merchant-traveller, Ibrahim, calls Poland "Mieszko's Country." Mieszko's Country abounded in grain, meat, honey and fish. The prince levied taxes for the upkeep of his warriors. He had an army of 3,000 men in heavy armour, a hundred of whom were said, by Ibrahim, to be a force equivalent to a thousand other warriors. Mieszko provided them with clothing, arms, horses and all of their needs. When one of his soldiers was blessed with a child, Ibrahim tells us that Mieszko would provide him with an additional allowance for the upkeep of his child.
Between 1967 and 972 Mieszko subjected Western Pomerania with Szczecin, Wolin, and Kolobzeg to his rule. The Germans did their utmost to prevent this but they were routed by Mieszko at the battle of Cedynia in 972.
In 965 Mieszko married Dubracka, daughter of Duke Boleslav of Bohemia. The following year Mieszko accepted Christianity. The acceptance of Christianity by the Polish court shortly brought abundant fruit. In his role as missionary, the Prince brought all Polish inhabeted territories under his control. He established his frontiers on the Odra and Bobr in the west, on the Baltic and Lower Vistula in the north and northeast and, towards the end of his reign, on the Bug in the east and the Carpathian and Sudeten Mountains in the south.
Dubravka's Parents--
Mieszko's Parents--
5. Ziemomysl, Prince of Poland: Born about 892, of Poznan, Poland; Died before 964.
6. Leszek IV, Prince of Poland: Born about 865, of Poznan, Poznan, Poland; Died 921.
7. Ziemowit, Prince of Poland: Born about 835, of Poznan, Poznan, Poland; Died 892.
8. Piast (or Chosciszko), Prince of Poland: Born about 813; Died 25 May 992. Piast is a quasi-mythological peasant who married a Polish princess. The Polish Piast dynasty takes its name from this man. Both the Bohemian and the Polish dynasties declare their pride in being descended from Princesses who married tillers of the soil.