Klemens of Brzeźnica ( Polish: ''Klemens z Brzeźnicy, Klemens Klimontowic, Klemens Gryfita'') was a Polish nobleman who served as 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 ...

Opole Opole (; ; ; ) is a city located in southern Poland on the Oder River and the historical capital of Upper Silesia. With a population of approximately 127,387 as of the 2021 census, it is the capital of Opole Voivodeship (province) and the seat of ...

and later as

Castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

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 ...

. He was ultimately killed by Mongols at the

Battle of Chmielnik The Battle of Chmielnik occurred on 18 March 1241 during the Mongol invasion of Poland. It ended in the defeat of the Polish armies of Sandomierz and Kraków provinces. The Mongols were able to move unimpeded, and plunder the abandoned city of K ...

on March 18, 1241, alongside his Włodzimierz,

of Kraków.

Life

He was born to a noble family of Gryfici (Świebodzice), son of the Castellan of

Płock Płock (pronounced ), officially the Ducal Capital City of Płock, is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by Central Statistical Office (Poland), GUS on 31 December 2021, the ...

, who had 6 children. He fled

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 ...

to Opole and Racibórz following the 1225 dispute between

Henry the Bearded Henry the Bearded (, ; c. 1165/70 – 19 March 1238) was a Polish duke from the Piast dynasty. He was Duke of Silesia at Wrocław from 1201, Duke of Kraków and High Duke of all Poland – internally divided – from 1232 until his death. Li ...

and

Leszek the White Leszek the White (; c. 1184/85 – 24 November 1227) was Prince of Sandomierz and High Duke of Poland in the years 1194–1198, 1199, 1206–1210, and 1211–1227. During the early stages of his reign, his uncle Duke Mieszko III the Old and ...

over the duchy of Krakow. His father-in-law was the Opole Castellan Zbrosław, and he was appointed by

Casimir I of Opole Casimir I of Opole (; – 13 May 1230), a member of the Silesian Piasts, Piast dynasty, was a Dukes of Silesia, Silesian duke of Duchy of Opole and Racibórz, Opole and Racibórz from 1211 until his death. Early life Casimir was the eldest chi ...

to be Voivode of Opole. He was to bear half the costs associated with the expansion of the Opole castle, a decision that was made in August of 1228 in

Rybnik Rybnik (Polish pronunciation: ; ) is a city in southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, around 38 km (24 mi) southwest of Katowice, the region's capital, and around 19 km (11 mi) from the Czech Republic, Czech border. It i ...

. He returned to

and became Castellan of Kraków around 1230, during the reign of

Władysław III Spindleshanks Władysław III Spindleshanks (; b. 1161/67 – 3 November 1231), of the Piast dynasty, was Duke of Greater Poland (during 1194–1202 over all the land and during 1202–1229 only over the southern part), High Duke of Poland and Duke of Kraków d ...

. He defended Krakow,

Wawel The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established o ...

and

Skała Skała is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Kraków Voivodeship (1975–1998). On December 31, 2010, its population was 3,646. Skala is one of the oldest towns in Lesser Poland. In ...

, alongside the then

Marek of Brzeźncia, from the Masovian army of Konrad I. He continued to serve as Castellan until his death in 1241. He founded a

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monastery in Łubnice and a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery in

Staniątki Staniątki is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Niepołomice, within Wieliczka County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Niepołomice, east of Wieliczka, and east of the regional ...

, where his daughter Wyszeniega (Wizenna) was later a nun, and where Klement and his wife were buried. One of his five brothers, Andrzej Gryfita, became the Bishop

in 1239. Died on 18 March 1241 at the

References

* Małecki A.
''Studya heraldyczne'', Vol. II, Lwów 1890, pp. 54, 57
* Wójcik L. M., ''Ród Gryfitów do końca XIII wieku. Pochodzenie — genealogia — rozsiedlenie'', Wrocław 1993, pp. 44, 47-49. * Zientara B., '' Henryk Brodaty i jego czasy'', 3rd. edition, Warszawa 2006 {{ISBN, 83-7436-056-9 1190s births 1241 deaths 13th-century Polish nobility Castellans of Kraków