Bolesław of Kuyavia (also known as Mieszkowic) ( pl, Bolesław kujawski (Mieszkowic)) (1159 – 13 September 1195) was a

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

Kuyavia Kuyavia ( pl, Kujawy; german: Kujawien; la, Cuiavia), also referred to as Cuyavia, is a historical region in north-central Poland, situated on the left bank of Vistula, as well as east from Noteć River and Lake Gopło. It is divided into three t ...

from 1186 until his death. He was the eldest child (but third-born son) of

Mieszko III the Old Mieszko III the Old (c. 1126/27 – 13 March 1202), of the Piast dynasty, was Duke of Greater Poland from 1138 and High Duke of Poland, with interruptions, from 1173 until his death. He was the fourth and second surviving son of Duke Bolesła ...

Duke of Greater Poland The Duchy of Greater Poland was a district principality in Greater Poland that was a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Poland. It was formed in 1138 from the territories of the Kingdom of Poland, following its fragmentation started by the testament of ...

and

High Duke 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 (16t ...

in 1173, by his second wife Eudoxia, daughter of Grand Prince

Iziaslav II of Kiev Iziaslav II Mstislavich ( uk, Ізяслав Мстиславич, russian: Изяслав II Мстиславич; c. 1096 Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed ...

inheritance, especially since Mieszko III had become the High Duke and overlord of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

in 1173 after the death of his brother

Bolesław IV the Curly Bolesław IV the Curly (; 1122 – 5 January 1173), a member of the Piast dynasty, was Duke of Masovia from 1138 and High Duke of Poland from 1146 until his death. Early life Bolesław was the third son of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth of Polan ...

. In 1177, the authoritarian government of Mieszko III began The Rebellion of The

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

Nobility and called upon his brother, Casimir II the Just to take the title of High Duke. At the same time was joined to the conspiracy Mieszko III's eldest son

Odon Odon may refer to: ;People * Odon Bacqué, American politician and non-fiction writer * Odon of Greater Poland, duke of Greater Poland * Odon de Pins, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller * Jorge Odón, Argentine mechanic and inventor ;Pla ...

(from his first marriage), who resented his father's favoritism for the children born to his second marriage with Eudoxia. The revolt which broke out in Greater Poland between 1177-1179 was a complete surprise to Mieszko III, who was forced to escape from Poland with Bolesław and his younger brothers

Mieszko Mieszko is a Slavic given name of uncertain origin. Onomastics There are three major theories concerning the origin and meaning of the name of Duke Mieszko I of Poland. The most popular theory, proposed by Jan Długosz, explains that Mieszko is ...

and Władysław. The deposed High Duke took refuge in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and then in the court of his son-in-law Bogislaw I, Duke of Pomerania. Mieszko III regained control over Greater Poland in 1181, thanks to the help of Pomeranian troops. Once he recovered his domains, Mieszko III didn't divide his domains between his sons (as was expected) and already trying to pull his own political plans who were centered in the recovery of Kraków and with this, the

Seniorate Province Seniorate Province, also known as the Senioral Province, , was a district principality in the Duchy of Poland that was formed in 1138, following the fragmentation of the state. Its ruler held the title of the High Duke, ruling all duchies wit ...

. In 1186,

Leszek, Duke of Masovia Leszek of Masovia ( pl, Leszek, also ''Lestek'') (b. ca. 1162 - d. 1186) was a Polish prince from the Piast dynasty, the Duke of Masovia from 1173 until his death. He was the only son of Bolesław IV the Curly, Duke of Masovia and High Prince of P ...

died without issue. In his will, he left all the Masovian-Kuyavian principality to his youngest uncle Casimir II the Just. However, Mieszko III could master Kuyavia; soon after, he passed his new acquisition to Bolesław (some historians believed that Bolesław only obtain Kuyavia in 1194 after the death of Casimir II the Just). Another important year in Bolesław could be 1191, when his father, using the absence of Casimir II the Just (who was involved in the Kievan Rus' succession disputes), seized and conquer Kraków. Then for unknown reasons, Mieszko III didn't personally take the government of the capital, but gave them to Bolesław (although some sources believed that the prince who was appointed Governor of Kraków was

Mieszko the Younger Mieszko the Younger (also known as of Kalisz) ( pl, Mieszko Młodszy (kaliski)) (between 1160 and 1165 – 2 August 1193) was a Duke of Kalisz from 1191 until his death. He was the second child (but fourth-born son) of Mieszko III the Old, Duke ...

). Bolesław's rule as governor in Kraków wasn't too long, because soon Casimir II the Just would recover his authority over the capital and imprison his nephew. However, the victorious Casimir II acted generously and sent the prince with his father. On 5 May 1194, Casimir II the Just died unexpectedly, leaving two minor sons:

Leszek Leszek () is a Slavic Polish male given name, originally ''Lestko'', ''Leszko'' or ''Lestek'', related to ''Lech'', ''Lechosław'' and Czech ''Lstimir''. Individuals named Leszek celebrate their name day on June 3. Notable people * Lestko * ...

and Konrad. Mieszko III saw his brother's death as a new opportunity to regain the supreme power, however, this time the local nobility stood at the side of Casimir II's sons. Mieszko III's Greater Poland and Kuyavian troops and the

Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a s ...

's troops (who fight on behalf of Leszek and Konrad), led by the

voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the me ...

Mikołaj Gryfita Mikołaj is the Polish cognate of given name Nicholas, used both as a given name and a surname. It may refer to people: In Polish (or Polish-Lithuanian) nobility: * Mikołaj Firlej (died 1526), Polish nobleman, Hetman, diplomat, and expert of so ...

, faced in the bloody

Battle of Mozgawa Mieszko IV Tanglefoot ( pl, Mieszko IV Plątonogi) (c. 1130 – 16 May 1211) was Duke of Kraków and High Duke of Poland from 9 June 1210 until his death one year later. He was also Duke of Silesia from 1163 to 1173 (with his brother as co-ruler) ...

(13 September 1195); Bolesław was among the casualties. Mieszko III, seriously injured, withdraw to

Kalisz (The oldest city of Poland) , image_skyline = , image_caption = ''Top:'' Town Hall, Former "Calisia" Piano Factory''Middle:'' Courthouse, "Gołębnik" tenement''Bottom:'' Aerial view of the Kalisz Old Town , image_flag = POL Kalisz flag.svg ...

without waiting for the

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 ...

troops who came to his aid, led by

Mieszko I Tanglefoot Mieszko IV Tanglefoot ( pl, Mieszko IV Plątonogi) (c. 1130 – 16 May 1211) was Duke of Kraków and High Duke of Poland from 9 June 1210 until his death one year later. He was also Duke of Silesia from 1163 to 1173 (with his brother as co-ruler) ...

and

Jarosław of Opole Jarosław (; uk, Ярослав, Yaroslav, ; yi, יאַרעסלאָוו, Yareslov; german: Jaroslau) is a town in south-eastern Poland, with 38,970 inhabitants, as of 30 June 2014. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (since 1999), previ ...

Marriage and issue

Around 1187/89, Bolesław married with Dobroslawa (b. 1162/72 - d. 23 November 1206/after 1230?), a

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

n princess.Although sources clearly established Dobroslawa's origin, her exact parentage is disputed among historians. Some sources, e.g. place her as a daughter of Bogislaw I, Duke of Pomerania by his first wife Walburgis
Herbert Stoyan
places her as a daughter of

Wartislaw I, Duke of Pomerania Wartislaw I (''Warcisław I'') (around 1092 – August 9, 1135) was the first historical ruler of the Duchy of Pomerania and the founder of the Griffin dynasty. Most of the information about him comes from the writings on the life of Otto of Ba ...

; and finall
Michael Shuster
calls her a daughter of either Casimir I, Duke of Pomerania-

Demmin Demmin () is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district of Demmin. Geography Demmin lies on the West Pomeranian plain at the confluence of the rivers ...

Ratibor I, Duke of Pomerania Ratibor I (''Racibor'') ( 1124 – 1156) of the House of Pomerania (''Griffins'') was Duke of Pomerania. He was married to Pribislawa, and was the ancestor of the ''Ratiborides'' sideline of the Griffins. Initially he might have ruled the Land o ...

. They all certainly had only female offspring, but the exact number remains disputed. Various sources show some of the following three daughters, but no source shows all three of them: #Eudoxia (Audacia) (b. ca. 1190/95 – d. 1270), married in 1208 to

Henry I, Count of Schwerin Henry I, Count of Schwerin ( – 17 February 1228), also known as ''Henry the Black'', was a German nobleman. He was a ruling Count of Schwerin and played an important role in the ending of the Danish supremacy in the southern coast of the Ba ...

. #Wierzchosława (b. bef. 1195 – d. 2 January/11 September? ca. 1212), a nun in

Strzelno Strzelno (german: Strelno) is a town in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. The town is located south of Inowrocław. According to the June 2005 Census, the population numbered 22,486. It is located in the historic region of Kuyavia. ...

. #Daughter (Dobroslawa?) (b. posthumously? bef. 1196 – d. aft. 1249/53), married in 1210/15 to Jaczo I, Lord of Gützkow. After his death without male issue,

returned to his father Mieszko III, but in 1198 he ceded the Duchy to Casimir II's sons in exchange of his recognition as High Duke.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boleslaw of Kuyavia 1159 births 1195 deaths Piast dynasty