Piotr Włostowic
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Herb ŁabędźPiotr Włostowic ( 1080 – 1153), also known as Peter Wlast or ''Włost'') was a Polish
noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Great B ...
, castellan of
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 ...
, and a ruler (''możnowładca'') of part of
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 ...
. From 1117 he was
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 ...
(''palatyn'') of the Duke of Poland
Bolesław III Wrymouth Bolesław III Wrymouth ( pl, Bolesław III Krzywousty; 20 August 1086 – 28 October 1138), also known as Boleslaus the Wry-mouthed, was the duke of Lesser Poland, Silesia and Sandomierz between 1102 and 1107 and over the whole of Poland between ...
. Part of the Łabędzie family, and son of Włost, he is likely to have been related to older princes of Silesia. His lands included the territories near
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and Piasek Island near
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 ...
. The Dunin clan of
noble families Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characterist ...
claims descent from him. His most famous deed is the capture of Volodar (Wołodar) of Peremyshl (Przemyśl). Later he married Maria, a daughter of
Sviatopolk II of Kiev Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich ( orv, Свѧтополкъ Изѧславичь; rus, Святополк Изяславич, Svyatopolk Izyaslavich; uk, Святополк Ізяславич; November 8, 1050 – April 16, 1113) was supreme ruler of ...
. For this marriage and his adventure in Rus', he was ordered by the Church to reconcile. He was ordered to construct seventy churches. Włostowic, a loyal subject of Bolesław III, had much more negative relations with Bolesław's son,
Władysław II the Exile : ''This article refers to the 12th century Polish monarch. For the 14th century founder of the Jagiellon dynasty, see Jogaila, and for other monarchs with similar names, see Ladislaus II (disambiguation).'' Vladislaus II the Exile ( pl, Władys ...
, and especially his wife,
Agnes of Babenberg Agnes of Babenberg ( pl, Agnieszka austriacka; 1108/13 – 24/25 January 1163) was a scion of the Franconian House of Babenberg and by marriage High Duchess of Poland and Duchess of Silesia. Family and personality Agnes was a daughter of Leo ...
, who considered Włostowic a traitor. In 1146, Włostowic was captured by Władysław, blinded and muted. This mutilation of the popular Włostowic was one of the reasons for a civil war between Władysław and his brothers, as the blinded Włostowic went to Rus', which had so far supported Władysław, and convinced them to break their alliance. Eventually Władysław lost the war and went into exile in 1146. Włostowic regained his position and estates, but his disability and worsening health prevented him from taking further active part in politics, and he died in 1153.


Biography


Youth

Relatively little is known about Włostowic's youth, other than he was a
scion Scion may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities *Scion, a playable class in the game ''Path of Exile'' (2013) *Atlantean Scion, a device in the ''Tomb Raider'' video game series *Scions, an alien race in the video game ''Ba ...
of a relatively wealthy and powerful Silesian family, and became a trusted retainer of the duke of Poland,
Bolesław III Wrymouth Bolesław III Wrymouth ( pl, Bolesław III Krzywousty; 20 August 1086 – 28 October 1138), also known as Boleslaus the Wry-mouthed, was the duke of Lesser Poland, Silesia and Sandomierz between 1102 and 1107 and over the whole of Poland between ...
. Twentieth-century German medieval researchers saw Włostowic as a grandson of a Magnus, Count of Wrocław, who was described by the chronicler
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 ...
as a royal who arrived in the 1070s from a land that had just fallen under the yoke of foreign rule. Some historians, most notably Tomasz Jurek, have postulated that Magnus, Count of Wrocław was in fact Magnus Haroldson, the son of the
Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
king
Harold II Harold Godwinson ( – 14 October 1066), also called Harold II, was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon English king. Harold reigned from 6 January 1066 until his death at the Battle of Hastings, fighting the Normans, Norman invaders led by Willi ...
, who had fled England along with his siblings following the defeat of their father by
William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...
, thereby tracing Włostowic's ancestry to
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.


The capture of prince Wołodar

When Bolesław was engaged in hostilities with Wołodar, prince of
Przemyśl Przemyśl (; yi, פשעמישל, Pshemishl; uk, Перемишль, Peremyshl; german: Premissel) is a city in southeastern Poland with 58,721 inhabitants, as of December 2021. In 1999, it became part of the Subcarpathian Voivodeship; it was pr ...
, Włostowic used subterfuge to gain Wołodar's trust, staging a pretended revolt against Bolesław, and joining Wołodar's court. Some time later, when he found himself alone with Wołodar during a hunt, he captured him and led Wołodar before Bolesław, who released him only after Wołodar paid a large ransom and a promised to ally himself with the Duke.


Marriage

When
Zbysława of Kiev Zbyslava of Kiev (russian: Сбыслава Святополковна, pl, Zbysława kijowska; 1085/90 – c. 1114), was a Kievan Rus' princess member of the Rurikid dynasty and by marriage Duchess of Poland. She was the daughter of Sviatopo ...
, daughter of
Sviatopolk II of Kiev Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich ( orv, Свѧтополкъ Изѧславичь; rus, Святополк Изяславич, Svyatopolk Izyaslavich; uk, Святополк Ізяславич; November 8, 1050 – April 16, 1113) was supreme ruler of ...
and wife of Bolesław died, Włostowic was sent by Bolesław to Sviatopolk to negotiate a marriage to another daughter. However, before the negotiations were completed, Bolesław married
Salome von Berg-Schelklingen Salomea of Berg (german: Salome von Berg, pl, Salomea z Bergu; – 27 July 1144) was a German noblewoman and, by marriage with Prince Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1115, High Duchess of Poland until her husband's death in 1138. Life Salomea was th ...
, and Włostowic himself married another daughter of Sviatopolk, Maria.


Reconciliation

After having tricked Wołodar and married to Maria, Włostowic was ordered to construct seven churches as
reconciliation Reconciliation or reconcile may refer to: Accounting * Reconciliation (accounting) Arts, entertainment, and media Sculpture * ''Reconciliation'' (Josefina de Vasconcellos sculpture), a sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellos in Coventry Cathedra ...
. But he built 70 churches and 30 convents, and that led to nicknaming a type of romanesque churches in Poland as 'Dunin's churches' (from Peter's nickname,
Dunin The Polish surname Dunin originated in the 12th century with Piotr Włost Dunin. He was Palatine of Poland and the castellan of Wroclaw (Silesia), as well as, Brother in law of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth (Boleslaw Krzywousty). The coat of arms ...
).


Voivode

His marriage to Maria, the daughter of a powerful ruler, further elevated Włostowic, and he received the rank of
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 ...
(''Palatine'' or ''comes palatinus'') from Bolesław. At that time voivode was one of the most important positions in the
Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to: Historical political entities *Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031 *Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exist ...
: he commanded the military when the king was absent, presided in courts during the king's absence, was responsible for order and security of the court, and in cases where the king was not an adult, the voivode even became the
regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
.


Death of Bolesław

Several years later, Salome, wife of Bolesław, forced him to resign as voivode, replacing him with Wszebor — a man she considered more likely to support her and her sons from her second marriage, against the first-born son of Bolesław,
Władysław II the Exile : ''This article refers to the 12th century Polish monarch. For the 14th century founder of the Jagiellon dynasty, see Jogaila, and for other monarchs with similar names, see Ladislaus II (disambiguation).'' Vladislaus II the Exile ( pl, Władys ...
. After the death of Bolesław in 1138, Władysław II became the new duke of Poland, and he reinstated Włostowic to the rank of voivode, as he did not want Wszebor, supporter of his brothers, to retain that rank. However Bolesław, who had had seven sons, in his
last will A will or testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property ( estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person (executor) is to manage the property until its final distributio ...
had attempted to significantly reform the Polish monarchy in an attempt to prevent a
civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. Unfortunately, the attempt not only proved futile, but led into the period known as the
fragmentation of Poland The period of rule by the Piast dynasty between the 10th and 14th centuries is the first major stage of the history of the Polish state. The dynasty was founded by a series of dukes listed by the chronicler Gall Anonymous in the early 12th cen ...
. Bolesław's will divided Poland into several princedoms, with one of his sons in charge of each one. The will declared that henceforth, the king of Poland was to be the oldest of the
Piast dynasty 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 ...
, and not necessarily the heir of his firstborn. Władysław II opposed his father's wish, and encouraged by his wife,
Agnes of Babenberg Agnes of Babenberg ( pl, Agnieszka austriacka; 1108/13 – 24/25 January 1163) was a scion of the Franconian House of Babenberg and by marriage High Duchess of Poland and Duchess of Silesia. Family and personality Agnes was a daughter of Leo ...
, tried to ensure his power as the king would not be weakened. As Boleslaw's chosen Voivode, a rift occurred when Włostowic argued against this. Włostowic feared a civil war, but by his opposition, he soon lost the trust of Bolesław, and especially that of his wife, who thought Wlast had sided with the younger sons of Bolesław. A civil war began in 1142, with a string of Władysław victories. For his part, Włostowic refused to clearly declare himself for any side, instead choosing to try and smooth the conflicts and conduct negotiations. In 1146, Władysław decided to finally remove Włostowic from the equation, ordering one of his
knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
s, Dobek, to capture him. Dobek succeeded in this in a manner not unlike Włostowic's own capture of Wołodar: he arrived at Włostowic's court in Ołbino, and during the night captured Włostowic's court with his men. Agnes demanded Włostowic's death, but Władysław decided instead to make an example out of him: Wlast was blinded, muted and sentenced to
exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...
. This had not proven to be Władysław's wisest move. Włostowic was respected and had many friends, and his fate caused many people to switch their allegiance to the younger brothers. Further, the blinded Włostowic went to Rus', which had so far supported Władysław, and convinced them to break their alliance. As a result, Władyslaw was soon defeated. Włostowic regained his position as a voivode, but his disability and old age prevented him from becoming an active politician. He died on April 16, 1153.


Legacy

In the coming centuries, Piotr Włostowic Dunin (or Peter Wlast) became a near-legendary figure, especially as contemporary writers-monks remembered his generous support of the Church. His story was told, among others, in the poem ''
Carmen Mauri Carmen Mauri (song of a Maur) is an anonymous Polish Middle Ages, medieval poem written in Latin. It tells the story of Polish Magnates in Poland and Lithuania, magnate Piotr Włast and his rebellion against Prince Władysław Wygnaniec. The poem ha ...
''. Among the legends, one of the most prevalent is that Peter Wlast's family originates from
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...
, explaining his later nickname, '
Dunin The Polish surname Dunin originated in the 12th century with Piotr Włost Dunin. He was Palatine of Poland and the castellan of Wroclaw (Silesia), as well as, Brother in law of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth (Boleslaw Krzywousty). The coat of arms ...
', "the Dane". The Dunin clan has survived to the modern day and has many notable members. The family crest is the Labedz, the swan.


References


External links

*Janusz Bieniak,
O Piotrze Włostowicu, Duninach i Łabędziu
'
Norman Davies BookThe Clan of Dunin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wlostowic, Piotr 1080s births 1153 deaths 12th-century Polish nobility Duninowie