''This is the 1028-1031 German-Polish War. For a list of all Polish-German Wars, see

Polish-German Wars Poland and Germany have been in many armed conflicts against each other. These include conflicts such as Polish–Teutonic Wars, Silesian Uprisings and World War II. This does include Polish and German intervention in wars such as the Lithuanian ...

.'' The German–Polish War was a conflict fought between 1028 and 1031. It was fought by the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

led by

Conrad II Conrad II (, – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdom ...

, the

Duchy of Bohemia The Duchy of Bohemia, also later referred to in English as the Czech Duchy, (Old Czech: ) was a monarchy and a Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, principality of the Holy Roman Empire in Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages, Early and High M ...

led by

Bretislav I Bretislav I (; 1002/1005 – 10 January 1055), known as the "Bohemian Achilles", of the Přemyslid dynasty, was Duke of Bohemia from 1034 until his death in 1055. Youth Bretislav was the son of Duke Oldřich and his low-born concubine Božena. ...

, the

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rus', also known as Kyivan Rus,. * was the first East Slavs, East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical At ...

led by

Yaroslav the Wise Yaroslav I Vladimirovich ( 978 – 20 February 1054), better known as Yaroslav the Wise, was Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death in 1054. He was also earlier Prince of Novgorod from 1010 to 1034 and Prince of Rostov from 987 to 1010, ...

and, from 1031, the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

led by

Stephen I Stephen I may refer to: *Pope Stephen I, Bishop of Rome from 254 to 257 *Stephen I of Antioch, Patriarch of Antioch from 342 to 344 *Stephen I of Iberia (died 627), of the Guaramid Dynasty, presiding prince of Iberia from c. 590 to 627 *Ecumenical ...

, against 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 ...

led by

Mieszko II Lambert Mieszko II Lambert (; c. 990 – 10/11 May 1034) was List of Polish monarchs, King of Kingdom of Poland (1025–1031), Poland from 1025 to 1031 and Duchy of Poland (c. 960–1025), Duke from 1032 until his death. He was the second son of Boles� ...

and, until 1031, the

led by Stephen I. The war had begun with Polish attacks on

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

within the

. Following that, the Empire and the Kievan Rus' had attacked Poland, winning the war in 1031. Following the German victory,

was forced to abdicate, losing the title of the King of Poland, and his country being reformed into the

Duchy of Poland Civitas Schinesghe (; ), also known as the Duchy of Poland or the Principality of Poland, is the historiographical name given to a polity in Central Europe, which existed during the medieval period and was the predecessor state of the Kingdom of ...

, with

Bezprym Bezprym (Old �bɛspʂɨm �vɛspreːm 986–1032) was the duke of Poland from 1031 until his death. He was the eldest son of the Polish king Bolesław the Brave, but was deprived of the succession by his father, who around 1001 sent him t ...

as a duke.

The conflict

In 1026, King

Conrad II of Germany Conrad II (, – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdom ...

went to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

for his coronation as the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

. His absence increased the activity of the opposition in the

centered around Dukes Ernest II of Swabia and Frederick II of Upper Lorraine. Conrad II's opponents conspired to acquire Mieszko's favor. Historical evidence of these efforts is in the prayer book sent to Mieszko by Frederick's wife,

Matilda of Swabia Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * ''Mathilda'' (gastropod), a genus of gastropods in the family Mathildidae * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thorou ...

, around 1027. The volume is entitled: ''officiorum Liber quem ordinem Romanum apellant''. In it, a miniature showed the Duchess presenting the Book to Mieszko II while sitting on a throne. The gift was accompanied by a letter, wherein Matilda named him a distinguished king and a model for the spread of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. Also written was praise of the merits of Mieszko II in the building of new churches, as well his knowledge of

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, very unusual in those times when Greek was more widely used. In this book are found the earliest records of the Kingdom of Poland:

neume A neume (; sometimes spelled neum) is the basic element of Western and some Eastern systems of musical notation prior to the invention of five-line staff (music), staff notation. The earliest neumes were inflective marks that indicated the gener ...

s at the margins of the sequence ''Ad célèbres rex celica''. The gift caused the expected effect, and Mieszko II promised to take military action. The preparations for the war began in the autumn of 1027. In the middle of that year, Conrad II returned to Germany and began to fight the rebels. Soon, he defeated Duke Ernest II, depriving him of his lands. Only when the rebel fight was nearly lost did Mieszko II arrive to their aid. In 1028, Polish troops invaded

and took a number of prisoners. The devastation was so great that, according to Saxon sources, "where Mieszko II's troops put their feet grass never thence grew". The Emperor accused the Polish ruler of an illegal coronation as King and declared him a usurper. This invasion involved the lands of the

Lutici The Lutici or Liutizi (known by various spelling variants) were a federation of West Slavic Polabian tribes, who between the 10th and 12th centuries lived in what is now northeastern Germany. Four tribes made up the core of the federation: t ...

tribe. In October 1028, the Emperor's opportunity came as the Lutici district of Pöhlde asked the Emperor to defend against the attacks of Mieszko II, promising support in the fight against the Polish ruler. Despite the treaty which secured peace between Poland and Germany, the Emperor soon armed a retaliatory expedition against Mieszko II. Conrad II's army arrived to Lusatia in the autumn of 1029 and began the siege of Bautzen, but the German troops did not receive the promised support of the

tribe and the expedition failed. Threatened by the Hungarians, the Emperor was forced to retreat. Probably in this same year, the son of Oldřich,

Bretislaus I Bretislav I (; 1002/1005 – 10 January 1055), known as the "Bohemian Achilles", of the Přemyslid dynasty, was Duke of Bohemia from 1034 until his death in 1055. Youth Bretislav was the son of Duke Oldřich and his low-born concubine Božena. ...

, attacked and took Moravia.In the historical literature, different dates for this conquest appear: 1017 (Norman Davies, Boże igrzysko, t. I, Wydawnictwo ZNAK, Kraków 1987, ), 1019 (this date is supported by virtually all of Czech historiography; as '' partes pro toto'' can be named: or ), 1020 (Tadeusz Manteuffel, ''Trudności wzrostu w Zarys historii Polski pod redakcją Janusza Tazbira, Polski Instytut Wydawniczy'', Warszaw 1980, p. 24), 1021, 1029 (G. Labuda, ''Korona i infuła'', Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, Kraków 1996, , p.1) and 1030. In 1030, Mieszko II secured an alliance with Hungary and once again invaded

. In the meanwhile, his southern ally attacked

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

and temporarily occupied

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. In response, the Emperor organized another expedition against the Polish king, this time by organizing a coalition against Mieszko II. Already in 1030,

Yaroslav I the Wise Yaroslav I Vladimirovich ( 978 – 20 February 1054), better known as Yaroslav the Wise, was Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death in 1054. He was also earlier Prince of Novgorod from 1010 to 1034 and Prince of Rostov from 987 to 1010, ...

began the offensive and conquered Red Ruthenia and some

Bełz Belz (, ; ; ) is a small city in Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine, located near the Poland–Ukraine border, border with Poland between the Solokiya River (a tributary of the Bug River) and the Richytsia stream. Belz hosts the administration of Belz ...

castles. In 1031, the Emperor concluded peace with the

. Probably in exchange for

's support, Conrad II ceded to Hungary the territories between the

Leitha The Leitha (; , formerly ; ; Czech language, Czech and ) is a river in Austria and Hungary, a right tributary of the Danube. It is long ( including its source river Schwarza (Leitha), Schwarza). Its basin area is . Etymology The ''Lithaha'' Riv ...

and Fischa Rivers. Now that the Emperor was less concerned about an attack from the south, in the autumn of 1031, he went on the offensive against Poland and besieged Milsko. The offensive ended with complete success, and Mieszko II was forced to surrender some lands. As a result, the Polish King lost portions of the lands taken by his father, who warred often against Emperor Henry II. When Mieszko II was busy defending Lusatia from the troops of Conrad II, the Kievan expedition came from the east with

as the leader. In 1031, Poland was invaded and then

was settled on the throne. Mieszko II and his family were forced to flee the country. Queen Richeza and her children found refuge in Germany. The King could not escape to Hungary because, during his travel, he was stopped by Rus' troops. King Stephen I of Hungary was not favorable to accepting him in his country. Without alternatives, Mieszko II went to

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 ...

. Duke Oldřich once again imprisoned him. This time, the King could not count on Imperial support. Mieszko II was not only imprisoned but also castrated, which was to be a punishment to Bolesław I the Brave, who blinded Duke Boleslaus III the Red (Oldřich's brother) thirty years before. Mieszko II and his wife never reunited again; according to some sources, they were either officially divorced, or only separated.

Notable battles

* Siege of Bautzen

Notes

References

Bibliography

*Gall Anonim. ''Kronika polska''. Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich. 2003. ISBN 83-04-04610-5. *Oswald Balzer. ''Genealogia Piastów''. Kraków. 1895. *Roman Grodecki, S. Zachorowski, J. Dąbrowski. ''Dzieje Polski średniowiecznej'', vol. 1. Kraków. 1995. ISBN 83-7052-230-0. *Kazimierz Jasiński. ''Rodowód pierwszych Piastów''. Wrocław–Warsaw. 1992. ISBN 83-85218-32-7. *Feliks Koneczny. Dzieje Polski za Piastów. Kraków. 1902. *Gerard Labuda. ''Mieszko II król Polski (1025–1034)'' in ''Rozprawy Akademii Umiejętności'', vol. 73. Kraków. Wydział Historyczno-Filozoficzny. 1992. ISBN 83-85483-46-2. *Gerard Labuda. ''Pierwsze państwo polskie''. Kraków. Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza. 1989. ISBN 83-03-02969-X. *Anatol Lewicki. ''Mieszko II'' in ''Rozprawy Akademii Umiejętności'', vol. 5. Kraków. Wydział Historyczno-Filozoficzny. 1876. *Ludwik Stomma. ''Królów polskich i francuskich przypadki''. Warsaw. 2000. ISBN 83-87988-69-3. *Stanisław Szczur. ''Historia Polski średniowiecze. Państwo Bolesława Chrobrego''. Kraków. Wydawnictwo Literackie. 2002. ISBN 83-08-03272-9. *Jerzy Lesław Wyrozumski. ''Dzieje Polski piastowskiej (VIII w.–1370)''. Kraków. 1999. ISBN 83-85719-38-5. *Benedykt Zientara. ''Poczet Królów i Książąt Polski''. Warsaw. Czytelnik. 1988. ISBN 83-07-01822-6. Conflicts in 1028 Conflicts in 1029 Conflicts in 1030 Conflicts in 1031 1020s in the Holy Roman Empire 1030s in the Holy Roman Empire Wars involving Poland Wars involving Bohemia Wars involving Hungary Wars involving Saxony Wars of the Middle Ages Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor Wars involving the Holy Roman Empire {{Polish wars and conflicts