Mieszko of Lubusz (; – 1242), a member of the

Silesian Piasts The Silesian Piasts were the elder of four lines of the Polish Piast dynasty beginning with Władysław II the Exile (1105–1159), eldest son of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth, Bolesław III of Poland. By Bolesław's Testament of Bolesław III Krzy ...

, was Duke of Lubusz from 1241 until his death.

Life

Mieszko was the second son of the Silesian duke

Henry II the Pious Henry II the Pious (; 1196 – 9 April 1241) was Duke of Silesia and High Duke of Poland as well as Duke of South-Greater Poland from 1238 until his death. Between 1238 and 1239 he also served as regent of Sandomierz and Opole– Racibórz. He ...

(1196–1241), by his consort

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

(d. 1265), a daughter of the Přemyslid king

Ottokar I of Bohemia Ottokar I (; 1155 – 1230) was Duke of Bohemia periodically beginning in 1192, then acquired the title of King of Bohemia, first in 1198 from Philip of Swabia, later in 1203 from Otto IV of Brunswick and in 1212 (as hereditary) from ...

. His father succeeded as Polish high duke in 1238, ruling over Silesia and 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 ...

, as well as over large parts of

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 ...

. He had to ward off several attacks by the

Ascanian The House of Ascania () was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Anhalt. The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ''Schloss Askanien'' in ...

margraves of

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

and the Magdeburg archbishops on the westernmost Greater Polish lands, stretching around the former

Veleti The Veleti, also known as Veletians, Wilzi, Wielzians, and Wiltzes, were a group of medieval Lechitic tribes within the territory of Western Pomerania, related to Polabian Slavs. They had formed together the Confederation of the Veleti, also kn ...

castle of Lubusz on the banks of the

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

river.

When on 9 April 1241 High Duke Henry II was defeated and killed in the Mongol invasion of Poland at the

Battle of Legnica The Battle of Legnica (), also known as the Battle of Liegnitz () or Battle of Wahlstatt (), was fought between the Mongol Empire and combined European forces at the village of Legnickie Pole (''Wahlstatt''), approximately southeast of the ci ...

, Mieszko and his older brother

Bolesław II the Bald Bolesław or Boleslav may refer to: People * Bolesław (given name) (also ''Boleslav'' or ''Boleslaus''), including a list of people with this name Geography * Bolesław, Dąbrowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland * Bolesław, Olkusz Coun ...

were old enough to be considered adults according to the Piast family customs. As contemporary chroniclers called Mieszko with the surname "of Lubusz" (''lubuski''), it seems possible that his older brother Bolesław, while assuming the rule over Silesia, had to cede him the Greater Polish territories of Lubusz as a separate district, probably by the will of their late father. This agreement was only effected on a preliminary basis until the younger brothers

Henry III the White Henry III the White () ( – 3 December 1266), a member of the Silesian Piasts, was Duke of Silesia at Wrocław from 1248 until his death, as co-ruler with his brother Władysław. Life He was the third son of the Polish high duke Henry II the P ...

and Konrad I attained the age of majority. Mieszko, however, was already dead by the beginning of 1242 and was buried in St. Peter's Church below Lubusz Castle. He never married or had children. Shortly afterwards, in 1248/49, Lubusz Land was pledged to the Archbishops of Magdeburg and the Brandenburg margraves by his brother Bolesław II.

References

*''This article was translated from his original in Polish and German Wikipedia''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mieszko, Duke Of Lubusz 1220s births 1242 deaths Dukes of Silesia