Casimir II of Łęczyca (pl: ''Kazimierz II łęczycki''; c. 1261/62 – 10 June 1294), was a Polish prince member of the

House of Piast The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great. Branch ...

, Duke of

Brześć Kujawski Brześć Kujawski (Polish pronunciation: ; or ''Kujawisch Brest''; often anglicized to Kuyavian Brest) is a town in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland. Once a royal seat of Kuyavia, the town has been the seat of one of two small duchie ...

during 1267–1288, Duke of Dobrzyń during 1275–1288 and Duke of

Łęczyca Łęczyca (; in full the Royal Town of Łęczyca, pl, Królewskie Miasto Łęczyca; german: Lentschitza; he, לונטשיץ) is a town of 13,786 inhabitants () in central Poland. Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the county seat of the ...

since 1288 until his death. He was the fourth son of

Casimir I of Kuyavia Casimir I of Kuyavia ( pl, Kazimierz I kujawski) (c. 1211 – 14 December 1267) was a Polish prince and a member of the House of Piast. He was Duke of Kujawy after 1233, ruler over Ląd from 1239-1261, ruler over Wyszogród after 1242, Duke of Si ...

, but the second born from his third marriage with

Euphrosyne Euphrosyne (; grc, Εὐφροσύνη), in ancient Greek religion and mythology, was one of the Charites, known in ancient Rome as the ''Gratiae'' (Graces). She was sometimes called Euthymia (Εὐθυμία) or Eutychia (Εὐτυχία). Fa ...

, daughter of

Casimir I of Opole Casimir I of Opole ( pl, Kazimierz I opolski; – 13 May 1230), a member of the Piast dynasty, was a Silesian duke of Opole and Racibórz from 1211 until his death. Early life Casimir was the eldest child and only son of Duke Mieszko I Tangle ...

. He was probably named after both his father and maternal grandfather.

Life

Beginning of his government (1267–1288)

After the death of his father in 1267, Casimir II, together with his full-brothers, inherited their share of his lands under the regency of their mother until 1275, when they jointly ruled. Casimir II inherited his own domain in 1288, when after the death of his childless half-brother Leszek II the Black he received the Duchy of

, situated in the centre of Poland.

Cooperation with Władysław I the Elbow-high during his struggle for Lesser Poland (1289–1292)

In 1289 Caismir II, together with his brother

Władysław I the Elbow-high Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to: Famous people Mononym * W ...

, supported the campaign of

Bolesław II of Płock Boleslav or Bolesław may refer to: In people: * Boleslaw (given name) In geography: *Bolesław, Dąbrowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland *Bolesław, Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland *Bolesław, Silesian Voivodeship, Pol ...

for the throne of

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 ...

. The joint Płock-Brześć-Łęczyca forces defeated on 26 February the Silesian troops commanded by

Henry III of Głogów Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

Bolko I of Opole Bolko I of Opole ( pl, Bolko I opolski; before 21 October 1258 – 14 May 1313), was a Duke of Opole from 1282 (until 1284 with his brother as co-ruler), Niemodlin and Strzelce Opolskie until his death. He was the third son of Władysław, Duke o ...

and

Przemko of Ścinawa Przemko of Ścinawa ( pl, Przemko ścinawski) (1255/65 – 26 February 1289) was Duke of Żagań from 1278 to 1284 and Duke of Ścinawa from 1284 until his death. He was the third and youngest son of Konrad I, Duke of Silesia-Glogau, Konrad I, Duk ...

at the

Battle of Siewierz A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. For unknown reasons, shortly after Bolesław II renounced to his claims over the Seniorate, an event who was used by Władysław I to conquer Lesser Poland for himself. With the close cooperation of Casimir II, Władysław I began a war against King

Wenceslaus II of Bohemia 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 (1291–13 ...

. This policy suffered a defeat in the fall of 1292, when as a result of a Bohemian expedition Casimir II and his brother were captured by Wenceslaus II. In the subsequent peace treaty signed on 9 October of that year, both brothers were forced to pay homage to the Bohemian King.

Heir of Kraków (1293–1294). Death

Casimir II and Władysław I didn't give up, however, to their ambitious plans to conquer Lesser Poland and on 6 January 1293 they met at

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 ...

with

Przemysł II Przemysł II ( also given in English and Latin as ''Premyslas'' or ''Premislaus'' or in Polish as '; 14 October 1257 – 8 February 1296) was the Duke of Poznań from 1257–1279, of Greater Poland from 1279 to 1296, of Kraków from 1290 to 1291 ...

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 ...

and

Jakub Świnka Jakub Świnka (died 4 March 1314) was a Polish Catholic priest, the Archbishop of Gniezno and a notable politician, supporter of the idea of unification of all Polish lands under the rule of Władysław I the Elbow-high ("the Short"). His coat of ...

Archbishop of Gniezno This is a list of archbishops of the Archdiocese of Gniezno, who are simultaneously primates of Poland since 1418.Bzura The Bzura is a river in central Poland, a tributary of the Vistula river (in Wyszogród), with a length of 173 kilometres and a basin area of 7,764 km2.Vytenis Vytenis ( be, Віцень, Vicień; pl, Witenes) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from c. 1295 to c. 1316. He became the first of the Gediminids, Gediminid dynasty to rule for a considerable amount of time. In the early 14th century his reputa ...

, who escaped after an attack to Łęczyca on 4 June.

Jan Długosz Jan Długosz (; 1 December 1415 – 19 May 1480), also known in Latin as Johannes Longinus, was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków. He is considered Poland's first histor ...

described the event as follows: ::''In the Year of our Lord of 1294 the Duke of Lithuania Vytenis invades the land of Łęczyca with an army of 1,800

Lithuanians Lithuanians ( lt, lietuviai) are a Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another million or two make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Uni ...

, Prussians and

Samogitians Samogitians ( Samogitian: ''žemaitē'', lt, žemaičiai, lv, žemaiši) are an ethnographic group of Lithuanians of the Samogitia region, an ethnographic region of Lithuania. Many speak the Samogitian language, which in Lithuania is mostly con ...

. When of Thursday after Pentecost they stormed the city through the woods with the permission and support of the Duke of Masovia Bolesław II they attacked first the collegiate of Łęczyca and murdered there or taking into slavery a large number of people who gathered there to celebrate the holidays. Prelates, canons and priests were taken into captivity without mercy, and the vestments, vessels and jewels stolen. Others, who had taken refuge in the church, defended it valiantly, by setting fire the neighboring houses surrounding the church and died there. The enemies then scattered villages and settlements, took away much of the people and hastily returned to their lands. Then the ruler of Łęczyca Prince Casimir and all his knights chased the barbarians. When they caught them in the village of Żuków near

Sochaczew Sochaczew () is a town in central Poland, with 38,300 inhabitants (2004). In the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), formerly in Skierniewice Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Sochaczew County. Sochaczew has a narrow-gauge railway m ...

on the Bzura river (according to others was on the village of Trojanów), not counting with their small forces and the violence of the enemies, throws himself to the fight. After a bloody battle, when many prisoners escaped in the heat of the battle, and surrounded by a group of barbarians, the prince found a glorious death. When he (the prince) died, the Polish fled in all directions. Many of them, avoiding an honorable death, exposed themselves to a shameful drowning in the Bzura river where was the struggle, and where the water floods after rain. The Lithuanians took and loot this victory. They captured Polish prisoners of war, who apparently are so great that for each barbarian were captured twenty Christians. The Prince of Łęczyca Casimir didn't leave any one of them behind before his death.Jan Długosz, ''Roczniki''..., book VII, pp. 355-356.'' Because Casimir II died unmarried and childless, his principality was inherited by Władysław I the Elbow-high. It's unknown where he was buried, probably in the Collegiate church of St. Mary and St. Alexius in Tum near Łęczyca.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Casimir 02 of Leczyca 1260s births 1294 deaths Piast dynasty Monarchs killed in action