Bolesław IV of Legnica ( pl, Bolesław IV legnicki) (ca. 1349 – 3/4 March 1394) was a Duke of

Legnica Legnica (Polish: ; german: Liegnitz, szl, Lignica, cz, Lehnice, la, Lignitium) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River (left tributary of the Oder) and the Czarna Woda (Kaczawa), Czarna Woda ...

since 1364 (nominally; together with his brothers). He was the third son of Wenceslaus I, Duke of

by his wife Anna, daughter of Casimir I, Duke of Cieszyn.

Life

After the death of his father in 1364 Bolesław and his siblings (three brothers: Rupert I,

Wenceslaus II Wenceslaus II Přemyslid ( cs, Václav II.; pl, Wacław II Czeski; 27 SeptemberK. Charvátová, ''Václav II. Král český a polský'', Prague 2007, p. 18. 1271 – 21 June 1305) was King of Bohemia (1278–1305), Duke of Cracow (1291–1 ...

, and

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

and one sister, Hedwig) were placed under the guardianship of their uncle Louis I the Fair. Like his brothers Wenceslaus II and Henry VIII, Bolesław IV was destined to the Church since his early years, in order to prevent further divisions of the already small Duchy of Legnica. In addition, on 2 December 1372 the brothers signed an agreement which declared the indivisibility of the duchy for the next ten years. This agreement, who was gradually extended in the subsequent years, left Bolesław IV and his brothers (who were all co-rulers of Legnica) without any real power or decision in the government, who was taken totally by the elder brother Rupert I. In 1365 and at the request of Pope Urban V, the Emperor Charles IV granted Bolesław IV with the rich Prebendary of the Dioceses of Krakow and

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

. However, by 1373 Bolesław IV decided to leave his clergy career and also made his resignation over the actively government of Legnica. Released from his dynastic obligations, Bolesław IV took a greater interest in the political affairs of that time, notoriously on 6 July 1376, when he participated in the coronation of

King Wenceslaus IV Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; cs, Václav; german: Wenzel, nicknamed "the Idle"; 26 February 136116 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he w ...

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...

. The formal and absolut resignation of Bolesław IV and his brothers from the government of the Duchy of Legnica over their older brother Rupert I was officially confirmed on 6 January 1383 during the renewal of the homage to King Wenceslaus IV. Bolesław IV died without issue between 3 and 4 March 1394, as a result of a fatal wound during a tournament.

References

Sources

* * *''This article was translated from the Polish Wikipedia version''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Boleslaw 04 of Legnica 1349 births 1394 deaths Dukes of Legnica