Miecław (10th/11th century – 1047) was a

cup-bearer A cup-bearer was historically an officer of high rank in royal courts, whose duty was to pour and serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues (such as poisoning), a person must have been regarded as ...

of king

Mieszko II Lambert Mieszko II Lambert (; c. 990 – 10/11 May 1034) was King of Poland from 1025 to 1031, and Duke from 1032 until his death. He was the second son of Bolesław I the Brave, but the eldest born from his third wife Emnilda of Lusatia. He was prob ...

, who in c. 1038 had proclaimed independence of the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

that he ruled, from the

Duchy of Poland Civitas Schinesghe () is the first recorded name related to Poland as a political entity (the name is a Latinization of or , "ducal gords") first attested in 991/2. The original deed is missing, but is mentioned in an 11th-century papal regest ...

, beginning the

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

that lasted until his death in 1047.

History

Following the death of

, king of Poland, in 1034, and the exile of his son,

Casimir I the Restorer Casimir I the Restorer (; 25 July 1016 – 28 November 1058), a member of the Piast dynasty, was the duke of Poland from 1040 until his death. Casimir was the son of Mieszko II Lambert and Richeza of Lotharingia. He is known as the Restorer becau ...

, to

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

, the state had fallen into a period of destabilization within the

, that led to the start of the 1038 Peasant Uprising. Seizing the opportunity, around 1038, the

Miecław had formed the state in

Masovia Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centurie ...

, declaring its independence from Poland, and started his own royal dynasty.Ł. Piernikarczyk, ''Masław i jego państwo (1037–1047)'' Casimir I the Restorer, duke of Poland, had returned to the country from his exile in 1039. He had formed an alliance with

Yaroslav the Wise Yaroslav the Wise or Yaroslav I Vladimirovich; russian: Ярослав Мудрый, ; uk, Ярослав Мудрий; non, Jarizleifr Valdamarsson; la, Iaroslaus Sapiens () was the Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death. He was als ...

, Grand Prince of Kiev, the leader of

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...

, via the marriage of

Maria Dobroniega Maria Dobroniega of Kiev (b. aft. 1012 – d. 13 December 1087), was a Kievan Rus' princess of the Rurikid dynasty and by marriage List of Polish consorts, Duchess of Poland. Life Family She was one of the younger children of Vladimir the Great ...

with Casimir. Expecting the attack from Rus', Miecław had formed an alliance with Pomeranian and

Yotvingian Sudovian (also known as Yotvingian, or Jatvingian) was a Western Baltic language of Northeastern Europe. Sudovian was closely related to Old Prussian. It was formerly spoken southwest of the Nemunas river in what is now Lithuania, east of Galindi ...

tribes. In the spring of 1041, he had begun the campaign against Polish forces.''Kazimierz Odnowiciel''. p. 112-118. Miecław's forces had fought with the army lead by Casimir and Yaroslav, in the

battle of Pobiedziska Battle of Pobiedziska was a battle fought in 1041, during the Miecław's Rebellion, between the Duchy of Poland led by Casimir I the Restorer and its ally, Kievan Rus' led by Yaroslav the Wise, against the forces of Miecław, the self-proclaimed ...

. The battle ended with a decisive Polish victory and destruction of Miecław's army and led to the signing of the

truce A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state act ...

between both sides.A. Bielowski, ''Kronika śląsko-polska'', in ''Monumenta Poloniae Historica'', vol. 3. p. 622. The fighting had begun again in 1047, as Casimir I, together with Yaroslav, had organized the attack on Masovia, which lead to the

battle 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 ...

of their forces against the forces of Miecław and Pomerelia.

Gallus Anonymus ''Gallus Anonymus'' ( Polonized variant: ''Gall '') is the name traditionally given to the anonymous author of ''Gesta principum Polonorum'' (Deeds of the Princes of the Poles), composed in Latin between 1112 and 1118. ''Gallus'' is generally rega ...

, ''

Gesta principum Polonorum The ''Gesta principum Polonorum'' (; "''Deeds of the Princes of the Poles''") is the oldest known medieval chronicle documenting the history of Poland from the legendary times until 1113. Written in Latin by an anonymous author, it was most lik ...

Nestor the Chronicler Saint Nestor the Chronicler ( orv, Несторъ Лѣтописецъ; 1056 – c. 1114, in Principality of Kiev, Kievan Rus') was the reputed author of ''Primary Chronicle'' (the earliest East Slavic letopis), ''Life of the Venerable Theodo ...

, ''

Primary Chronicle The ''Tale of Bygone Years'' ( orv, Повѣсть времѧньныхъ лѣтъ, translit=Pověstĭ vremęnĭnyxŭ lětŭ; ; ; ; ), often known in English as the ''Rus' Primary Chronicle'', the ''Russian Primary Chronicle'', or simply the ...

'' The location of the battle remains unknown in modern times, though it was known to the 11th-century historian,

, according to whom, it took place near the river, with the bluff edge. According to him, Miecław forces had 30 divisions of

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

, while Casimir, 3 divisions. It is probable that he did not account for the forces of Yaroslav the Wise, and that both sides, in fact, had a similar number of forces. The battle was probably initiated by Casimir I, who hoped to win before the arrival of the Pomerelian army. The battle itself was fierce, with numerous casualties on Miecław's side. The battle ended with Polish victory, following which, Miecław's state was reincorporated into Poland. According to Gallus Anonymus, Miecław had died in the battle. However, according to

Wincenty Kadłubek Wincenty Kadłubek ( 1150 – 8 March 1223) was a Polish Catholic prelate and professed Cistercian who served as the Bishop of Kraków from 1208 until his resignation in 1218. His episcopal mission was to reform the diocesan priests to ensure ...

in his ''

Chronica seu originale regum et principum Poloniae 200px, ''Historia Polonica'', Vincenti Kadłubkonis Episcopi Cracoviensis, 1612 ''Chronica seu originale regum et principum Poloniae'', short name ''Chronica Polonorum'', is a Latin history of Poland written by Wincenty Kadłubek between 1190 an ...

'', he had escaped to

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

, where he was murdered.

Citations

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Ł. Piernikarczyk, ''Masław i jego państwo (1037–1047)''. * Tadeusz Łepkowski, ''Słownik historii Polski''. Warsaw. 1973, p. 363. * ''Kazimierz Odnowiciel, ''Śląsk'', 1979. * A. Bielowski, ''Kronika śląsko-polska'', in ''Monumenta Poloniae Historica'', vol. 3, Warsaw, 1961. *

, ''

'', Ossolineum, 2003, ISBN 83-04-04610-5. *

, ''

'', Ossolineum, 2005, ISBN 83-04-04750-0. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mieclaw 1047 deaths Polish courtiers Polish rebels Year of birth unknown Miecław's Rebellion Early Slavs Self-proclaimed monarchy Slavic warriors Polish politicians Polish civil servants 10th-century Polish people 11th-century Polish people Medieval Polish nobility