Bolesław II of Cieszyn (, , ; c. 1425/28 – 4 October 1452), was a Duke of

Cieszyn Cieszyn ( , ; ; ) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitants ( and lies opposite Český Těšín in the Czech Repu ...

since 1431 (until 1442 with his brothers as co-rulers), ruler over half of

Bielsko Bielsko (, ) was until 1950 an independent town situated in Cieszyn Silesia, Poland. In 1951 it was joined with Biała Krakowska to form the new town of Bielsko-Biała. Bielsko constitutes the western part of that town. Bielsko was founded by ...

and Frysztat (from 1442), and during 1452 sole ruler over one half of

Bytom Bytom (Polish pronunciation: ; Silesian language, Silesian: ''Bytōm, Bytōń'', ) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. Located in the Silesian Voivodeship, the city is 7 km northwest of Katowice, the regional capital. It is one ...

. He was the fourth and youngest son of Duke Bolesław I of

by his second wife

Euphemia Euphemia (; 'well-spoken f), known as Euphemia the All-praised in the Eastern Orthodox Church, was a virgin martyr, who died for her faith at Chalcedon in 303 AD. According to tradition, Euphemia was martyred for refusing to offer sacrifices t ...

, daughter of Duke

Siemowit IV of Masovia Siemowit IV (Ziemowit IV), also known as Siemowit IV the Younger (pl: ''Siemowit IV Młodszy''; ca. 1353/1356 – 21 January 1426), was a Polish prince, member of the Masovian branch of the House of Piast and from 1373 or 1374 Duke of Rawa, ...

Life

After the death of his father in 1431, Bolesław II ruled over the duchy together with his brothers as co-rulers, but under the tutelage of their mother. After the division of the duchy on 29 November 1442, he still held the title of Duke of Cieszyn, but in practice ruled only over 16 towns and villages in Cieszyn; the most important of them was Frysztat, which was obtained by Bolesław II only after his mother's death in 1447 and shortly after, received broader city rights by Bolesław II. He left most of the control over the duchy to his brother Przemyslaus II. Just like his brothers and father, also Bolesław II tried to be active in the international politics. Unlike his brother

Władysław 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: People Mononym *Włodzis� ...

, who was allied with

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

, Bolesław II maintained close ties mainly with the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

. In 1443 he supported Poland in his conflicts with

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

, and in 1449 he was appointed judge in the disputes between King Casimir IV and the Bohemian nobility. However, Bolesław II's good relations with Poland didn't prevent the sale of the

Duchy of Siewierz The Duchy of Siewierz was a duchy with its capital in Siewierz. The area was initially part of Lesser Poland, but it was incorporated into Duchy of Silesia established after the death of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1138 during the times of t ...

to Zbigniew Oleśnicki,

Bishop of Kraków A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

, which resulted in a war at

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...

, who lasted until February 1447. Bolesław II sought to obtain independent sovereignty, and therefore in 1452 he swapped with his brother Wenceslaus I the district of

for one half of

, where he planned to settle. But his plans ended with his sudden death on 4 October 1452.

Marriage and issue

On 28 January 1448 Bolesław II married with

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

(d. aft. 12 February 1490), daughter of Ivan Vladimirovich, Prince of Bielsk (in turn grandson of

Algirdas Algirdas (; , ; – May 1377) was List of Lithuanian monarchs, Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his brother Kęstutis (who defended the western border of the Duchy) he created an empire stretching from the pre ...

Grand Duke of Lithuania This is a list of Lithuanian monarchs who ruled Lithuania from its inception until the fall of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1795. The Lithuanian monarch bore the title of Grand duke, Grand Duke, with the exception of Mindaugas, who was crown ...

) by his wife Vasilisa of Halshany (sister of Sophia, fourth and last wife of King

Władysław II Jagiełło Jogaila (; 1 June 1434), later Władysław II Jagiełło (),Other names include (; ) (see also Names and titles of Władysław II Jagiełło) was Grand Duke of Lithuania beginning in 1377 and starting in 1386, becoming King of Poland as well. ...

). The union had the approval of Anna's cousin, King Casimir IV, who give to the newlyweds a magnificent wedding gift: 2,000

florin The Florentine florin was a gold coin (in Italian ''Fiorino d'oro'') struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains () of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a pu ...

s. They had three children:Genealogy of the House of Cieszyn
/ref> # Casimir II (b. ca. 1449 – d. 13 December 1528). #Sophia (b. ca. 1450/52 – d. 1479), married in 1474 to

Victor of Poděbrady The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

, Duke of Münsterberg and

Opava Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...

. #Barbara (b. ca. 1452/53 – d. bef. 12 May 1507), married firstly on 11 September 1468 to Duke

Balthasar of Żagań Balthasar, Duke of Żagań (; – Przewóz, 15 July 1472), was a Duke of Żagań- Przewóz since 1439 (with his brothers as co-rulers until 1449), from 1449 Duke of Żagań. Deposed during 1461–1468, he recovered the Duchy in this year until s ...

and secondly by 18 May 1477 to Duke

Jan V of Zator Jan V of Zator (; before 1455 – 17 September 1513), was a Duke of Zator during 1468–1474 (with his three brothers as co-rulers), ruler over the western half of Zator from 1474 to 1494 (with his brother Władysław as his co-ruler), and ruler ...

. After the death of her husband, Anna cared about their son and daughters, and resided mainly in Frysztat.

Ancestry

Footnotes

References

* , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Boleslaw 02 1420s births 1452 deaths Dukes of Teschen Piast dynasty Polish people of Lithuanian descent