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

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 ...

Opole Opole (; german: Oppeln ; szl, Ôpole) ; * Silesian: ** Silesian PLS alphabet: ''Ôpole'' ** Steuer's Silesian alphabet: ''Uopole'' * Silesian German: ''Uppeln'' * Czech: ''Opolí'' * Latin: ''Oppelia'', ''Oppolia'', ''Opulia'' is a city loc ...

and later as

Castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

. He was ultimately killed at the Battle of Chmielnik on March 18, 1241, alongside his Włodzimierz,

of Cracow.

Life

He was born to a noble family of

Gryfici (Świebodzice) The Gryfici also Świebodzice was a medieval Polish knightly family. They occupied a dominant position among the nobles of Lesser Poland in the 12th and 13th century. History The family name comes from the emblem ''Gryf'' (a Griffin) of their ...

, son of the Castellan of

Płock Płock (pronounced ) is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by GUS on 31 December 2021, there were 116,962 inhabitants in the city. Its full ceremonial name, according to the ...

, who had 6 children. He fled

Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a s ...

to Opole and Racibórz following the 1225 dispute between

Henry the Bearded Henry the Bearded ( pl, Henryk (Jędrzych) Brodaty, german: Heinrich der Bärtige; c. 1165/70 – 19 March 1238) was a Polish duke from the Piast dynasty. He was Dukes of Silesia, Duke of Silesia at Wrocław from 1201, Seniorate Province, Duke ...

and

Leszek the White Leszek the White ( pl, Leszek Biały; 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 I ...

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 ( pl, Kazimierz I opolski; – 13 May 1230), a member of the Piast dynasty, was a Silesian duke of Opole and Racibórz from 1211 until his death. Early life Casimir was the eldest child and only son of Duke Mieszko I Tangle ...

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: ; szl, Rybńik) 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 miles) from the Czech border. It is on ...

. He returned to

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

Władysław III Spindleshanks : ''This article refers to the 12th-century Polish monarch. For the 15th-century Jagiellon monarch, see Władysław III of Poland, and for other monarchs with similar names see Ladislaus III (disambiguation)''. Władysław III Spindleshanks ( pl, W ...

. 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 on ...

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 town of 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 ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, 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 ...

monastery in Łubnice and a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

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 regiona ...

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

Andrzej Gryfita Andrzej Gryfita was the Bishop of Płock in Poland from 1239 until his death in 1244 AD. He was also known as Andrzej of Brzeźnica. Family He was brother of Klemens of Brzeźnica. Career He was elected Bishop in 1239 with the support of Bole ...

, became the Bishop

in 1239.

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