Wenceslaus (Wańko) of Płock (; 1293/97 – 23 May 1336), was a Polish prince member of the

House of Piast The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented List of Polish monarchs, Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I of Poland, Mieszko I (–992). The Poland during the Piast dynasty, Piasts' royal rule in Pol ...

, Duke of Płock from 1313 and vassal of

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 ...

from 1329. He was the third son of

Bolesław II of Płock 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 ...

but the only born from his second marriage with

Kunigunde Kunigunde, Kunigunda, or Cunigunde, is a European female name of German origin derived from "kuni" (clan, family) and "gund" (war). In Polish this is sometimes Kunegunda or Kinga (disambiguation), Kinga. People with such names include: *Kunigunde of ...

, daughter of King Ottakar II of Bohemia. He was probably named after his maternal uncle, King

Wenceslaus II of Bohemia Wenceslaus II Přemyslid (; ; 27 SeptemberK. Charvátová, ''Václav II. Král český a polský'', Prague 2007, p. 18. 1271 – 21 June 1305) was King of Bohemia (1278–1305), Duke of Cracow (1291–1305), and King of Poland (1296–130 ...

Life

Unlike his older half-brothers Siemowit II and Trojden I, Wenceslaus didn't receive his own district until the death of their father in 1313, when he inherited Płock. This division didn't satisfy anybody and lead to a brief war between the three brothers in 1316. Apart from a brief mention in the ''Roczniku miechowskim'', the exact details of this conflict are unknown. Early in his reign, Wenceslaus tried to pursue a neutral policy with his two powerful neighbors, the

Teutonic Order The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...

and

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 ...

; a clear manifestation of this was his refusal to testifying during the Teutonic-Polish trial in

Inowrocław Inowrocław (; , ) is a city in central Poland with a total population of 68,101 (as of December 2022). It is situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is one of the largest and most historically significant cities within the historic re ...

or the agreement that he signed on 14 April 1321 in the city of Golub with the Teutonic Knights (represented by Frederick von Wildenberg), by which the Masovian rulers committed to refuse passage to the

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

ns troops who fight against help the Order. Despite the treaty with the Teutonic Order, initially Wenceslaus managed to maintain good relations with Lithuania, evidenced when in 1323 he allowed Lithuanian troops to cross his territory to invaded the district of Dobrzyń. In 1325, Wenceslaus was obliged to renounce his policy of neutrality when

Władysław I the Elbow-high Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to: People Mononym * Włodzis ...

launched a surprise attack against Płock. The reasons for this attack are unknown, but caused that on 2 January 1326 at

Brodnica Brodnica () is a town in northern Poland with 28,574 inhabitants . It is the seat of Brodnica County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. The nearby Brodnica Landscape Park, a protected area, gets its name from Brodnica. History The first r ...

the dukes of Masovia concluded an alliance against Wladysław I. In 1326 the Polish–Teutonic War erupted. In this fight, Wenceslaus strongly supported the Teutonic Order; in revenge, Wladysław I besieged and burned Płock; after

Gostynin Gostynin is a town in central Poland with 19,414 inhabitants (2004). It is the capital of Gostynin County in the Masovian Voivodship. History Gostynin has a long and rich history, which dates back to the early Middle Ages. In the 6th century, a ...

managed to resist the attack of the Polish forces, Wenceslaus asked the help of the Teutonic Order, and thanks to this, the Masovian rulers are able to rejected the army of Wladysław I from their domains. In 1329, Wenceslaus suddenly changed sides and allied with Wladysław I. After this betrayal, an army led by King

John of Bohemia John of Bohemia, also called the Blind or of Luxembourg (; ; ; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He is well known for having died while fighting ...

and with the help of Teutonic Knights, invaded Płock, forcing Wenceslaus to surrender. On 29 March he was forced to paid homage to the Bohemian King, who was also a candidate for the throne of Poland. Wenceslaus' last years is known very little; probably discouraged by both the Polish and Teutonic Order, he withdrew from active politics. Wenceslaus died on 23 May 1336 in

Wyszogród Wyszogród is a town in central Poland, in Masovian Voivodeship, in Płock County, by the Vistula River. The population of Wyszogród was 2,793 in 2004. History The settlement dates back to the 7th century, when there was a Slavic pagan temple ...

, and was buried at

Płock Cathedral Płock Cathedral (), or the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Masovia, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Płock, in central Poland. It is an example of 12th-century Romanesque architecture and is the oldest and most important hi ...

(according to the reports of

Jan Długosz Jan Długosz (; 1 December 1415 – 19 May 1480), also known in Latin as Johannes Longinus, was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków. He is considered Poland's first histo ...

''Wacław (Wańko) płocki'' in poczet.com
etrieved 24 January 2015).

Marriage and issue

In 1316, Wencesalus married Dannila (baptized ''Elisabeth''; ca. 1301/04 – 2 June 1364), a daughter of

Gediminas Gediminas ( – December 1341) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1315 or 1316 until his death in 1341. He is considered the founder of Lithuania's capital Vilnius (see: Iron Wolf legend). During his reign, he brought under his rule lands from t ...

Grand Duke of Lithuania This is a list of Lithuanian monarchs who ruled Lithuania from its inception until the fall of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1795. The Lithuanian monarch bore the title of Grand duke, Grand Duke, with the exception of Mindaugas, who was crown ...

.Robert Frost, ''The Oxford History of Poland-Lithuania:Vol I, The Making of the Polish-Lithuanian Union, 1385-1569'', (Oxford University Press, 2015), 28. They had two children: # Bolesław III (1322/30 – 20 August 1351). #Anna (1324 - 16 February 1363), married bef. 6 September 1337 to

Henry V of Iron Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

, Duke of

Żagań Żagań (French language, French and , ) is a town in western Poland, on the Bóbr river, with 25,731 inhabitants (2019), capital of Żagań County in the Lubusz Voivodeship, located in the historic region of Lower Silesia. Founded in the 12th ce ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wenceslaus of Plock 1290s births 1336 deaths Piast dynasty Dukes of Płock