Bolesław of Kuyavia (also known as Mieszkowic) () (c. 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 Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

Kuyavia Kuyavia (; ), 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 traditional parts: north-western (with th ...

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

Mieszko III the Old Mieszko III ( 1122/25 – 13 March 1202), sometimes called the Old, 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 Bolesław III W ...

, Duke of Greater Poland 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 Royal elections in Poland, free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electab ...

in 1173, by his second wife Eudoxia, daughter of Grand Prince Iziaslav II of Kiev.

Life

Almost immediately after his birth, Bolesław was considered the main successor to his father in the

Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...

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 extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

in 1173 after the death of his brother Bolesław IV the Curly. In 1177, the authoritarian government of Mieszko III began The Rebellion of The

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

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 (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 a ...

and Władysław. The deposed High Duke took refuge in

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 ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

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.Kwiatkowski, Richard. The Country That Refused to Die: The Story of t ...

. In 1186, Leszek, Duke of Masovia 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). 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 bearing the ...

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'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...

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

voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

Mikołaj Gryfita, faced in the bloody Battle of Mozgawa (13 September 1195); Bolesław was among the casualties. Mieszko III, seriously injured, withdraw to

Kalisz Kalisz () is a city in central Poland, and the second-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, with 97,905 residents (December 2021). It is the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of Gr ...

without waiting for the

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

troops who came to his aid, led by Mieszko I Tanglefoot and Jarosław of Opole.

Marriage and issue

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

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

n princess.Herbert Stoyan
places her as a daughter of Wartislaw I, Duke of Pomerania; bu
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, in north-eastern Germany. It was the capital of the former district of Demmin. Geography Demmin lies on the West Pomeranian plain at the confluen ...

or Ratibor I, Duke of Pomerania. 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. #Wierzchosława (b. bef. 1195 – d. 2 January/11 September? ca. 1212), a nun in Strzelno. #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 1150s births 1195 deaths Piast dynasty