Henry III, Duke of Głogów

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Henry III
Duke of Głogów
Born1251/60
Died11 December 1310
Konrad I, Duke of Silesia-Glogau
MotherSalome of Greater Poland

Henry III of Głogów (

Glogów from 1274 to his death and also duke of parts of Greater Poland
during 1306–1310.

He was one of the sons (probably the second)

Władysław of Greater Poland
.

Life

Early years

Little is known about his first years of life. In 1267 Henry III participated in the canonization of his great-grandmother

Hedwig of Andechs. At the time of his father's death in 1274 he and his brothers are still minors; for this, his step-mother Sophie of Landsberg (widow of his father) and the Chancellor Mikołaj took their guardianship. Shortly after, they sold the towns of Bolesławiec and Nowogrodziec nad Kwisą
to the Archbishop of Magdeburg.

Beginning of cooperation with Henry II Probus

The first participation of Henry III in the political arena was in 1277, when together with

Henry V the Fat
. It was probably here that the conflicts between him and Henry V began, which later caused great suffering to the Duke of Legnica.

Fall of King Ottokar II and Division of the Duchy of Głogów

One year later Henry III participated in the great

Henry IV Probus
took his lands in his name; with this, the ruler of Wroclaw showed his intentions to stretch his sovereignty over all the other Głogów princes and Silesian rulers.

Influence of Henry IV Probus over Silesia

In 1281 Henry III, together with Henry V the Fat and Przemysł II of Greater Poland were invited by Henry IV Probus to a meeting in Sądowel. The Duke of Wrocław broke the law of hospitality and captured the three Dukes. Henry IV released them only after they recognized his overlordship.[2] Although the agreement was concluded under duress, it has stood the test of time and in the next few years, we see Henry III, together with his brother Przemko II among the close associates of the Duke of Wroclaw in his great political ecclesiastical conflict Thomas II, bishop of Wroclaw.[3] His loyalty to Henry IV Probus caused that the ruler of Głogów would be excommunicated twice.[4] It was only after the death of Henry IV that Henry III's relations with the clergy returned to normality.

Henry IV's death and execution of his will

The close cooperation between Henry III and Henryk IV Probus was evident when in

Henry V the Fat of Legnica
to take the government. The reasons for the Wrocław revolt were unknown, but maybe the harsh rule of Henry III was a decisive factor. In any event, Henry III refused to accept this and immediately declared war on Henry V.

War against Henry V the Fat

Shortly after taking control over Wrocław, Henry V the Fat forced the Duke of Głogów to renounce all his pretensions over the disputed territories of

Boleslawiec, Gościszów, Nowogrodziec, Ścinawa, Wińsko, Syców, Uraz, Trzebnica, Milicz and Sądowel
. However, Henry III managed to recover Ścinawa soon after.

Both sides quickly began to find allies who would support them in the war. Henry III made a treaty with the

Albert I of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Matilda (March 1291). Further allies were Otto IV, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal and Przemysł II of Greater Poland. With the latter Henry III entered into an arrangement under which if Przemysł II died without male issue, the Duke of Głogów would inherit his lands. In the meanwhile, Henry V the Fat obtained the support of King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia
.

Henry V's rule over Wrocław was extremely conservative and clashed with some political opponents among the nobility. One of them, Pakosław Zdzieszyca, was sentenced to death accused of murder. The revenge of Pakosław's son Lutka, was impressive: on 11 November 1293 he captured Henry V and gave him to Henry I, who put him in an iron cage for almost six months. Henry V only obtained his freedom after surrendering the towns of Namysłów, Bierutów, Oleśnica, Kluczbork, Byczyna, Wołczyn, Olesno, Chojnów and Bolesławiec (almost 1/3 of Henry IV's lands) with their respectives fortresses to Henry III, paying of a ransom of 30,000 pieces of silver and promising to assist the Duke of Głogów for the next five years in all his wars.

Death of Przemysł II and the succession over Greater Poland

On 8 February 1296 the Duke of

Richeza
).

Henry III and Władysław I quickly concluded a settlement on 10 March 1296 in

Obra River. At the same time Władysław I designated Henry III's eldest son, Henry IV the Faithful
as his heir over Poznań, and, in case of his death without male issue, over all Greater Poland.

War against Bolko I the Strict

The reason Henry III gave large concessions to Władysław I in the treaty of 1296 was that he was already defeated by

Boleslawiec. Through the mediation of King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia, a settlement was made on Zwanowice
in March 1297; the Duke of Głogów managed to make a truce with the Duke of Jawor, but was forced to renounce the above-mentioned districts.

Relations with King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia

At the end of the 1290s Henry III could improve his relations with the King

Bishop of Poznan Andrzej Zaremba at their head) Henry III and Władysław I signed a new treaty, under which in return for confirmation of the church and the inclusion in a future "Kingdom" of the functions of Chancellor, Henry III promised assistance to Władysław I in order to complete the total subjection of Greater Poland, Gdańsk Pomerania and in this way he could obtain the Royal crown. The conflict between the Piast Dukes was used by King Wenceslaus II. In the village of Klęka
on 23 August 1299 an agreement was concluded under which Henry III was forced to abandon his pretentions over all Greater Poland for good.

Disputes with Bishop Jan Romka and Konrad II the Hunchback

Henry III accepted immediately the intervention of the Bohemian King, because he was busy in his own duchy with his disputes with the

Patriarch of Aquileia
. But when Konrad II returned to Żagań, Henryk III didn't want to return the Duchy to him, which was under his rule during his absence. Even after the intervention of the vassals and the Church, Henry III refused to give Konrad II his Duchy. Bishop Jan Romka excommunicated him and supported the requests of Konrad II. The fight with the church was resolved only on 24 April 1300 confirming the victory of the Bishop and the restitution of Żagań to Konrad II.

Increase of Henry III's power. Adoption of the title "Heir of the Kingdom of Poland"

The Duke of Glogów didn't have any intention of resigning his pretentions over the Greater Poland inheritance, as was evidenced in 1301, when he adopted the title: "Heir of the Polish Kingdom, Duke of Silesia, Głogów and Poznań" (Polish: "dziedzic Królestwa Polskiego, książę Śląska, pan Głogowa i Poznania"). This soon caused an armed conflict with the King of Bohemia and now of Poland Wenceslaus II. The danger around Henry III increased especially after 1301, when the Bohemian King took over the custody of the children of Henry V the Fat, this after the death on 9 November 1301 of their uncle Bolko I the Strict. Despite the delicate situation the war never occurred, because Wenceslaus II was busy in his attempts to obtain the Hungarian crown for his son. The death of Wenceslaus II in 1305 and the murder of his son and successor Wenceslaus III the following year favored the opportunities of Henry III over his pretentions in Greater Poland. The death of his brother Konrad II on 11 October 1304 further facilitated Henry III's situation, because he could annex his Duchy of Żagań without inconvenience and also reunified the whole Duchy of Głogów under his rule.

Claims over Greater Poland. Acquisition of parts from Przemysł II's inheritance

In the spring of 1306 Henry III was able to advance over the Greater Poland-Kuyavia borderline (

Margareta); eventually, all Greater Poland was taken by the Duke of Głogów. Soon Henry III and the new King of Bohemia Henry of Carinthia
formed an alliance against Bolesław III's ambitious plans.

Internal politics

In the internal politics, Henry III could maintain his Duchy far away from the wars where he was constantly involved, and in consequence, the economy improved and with this the prestige and wealth of Głogów increased. Henry III also introduced administrative and monetary reforms which affected not only the townspeople but also his own court and the nobility. Also, he founded more than a dozen urban centers (like

Przemęt and Kościan
).

In his relations with the Church, Henry III was a generous benefactor. During his rule several monasteries and parish churches were founded. The Duke of Głogów also patron of many artists, which is reflected in the building of the tombstones of

Henry IV Probus, Bolesław I the Tall
, his brothers and parents, in the Głogów Kolegiata and Przemysł II in Poznan Cathedral.

Death and succession

Henry III died on 11 December 1310 and was buried in the

Cistercian Church of Lubiąż
. His five sons: Henry IV, Konrad I, Jan, Boleslaw and Przemko II, soon split between them the inheritance of his father and led to the decline of the Duchy. Moreover, this political fragmentation, visible especially in the Greater Poland region, scared the local nobility, who thought that maybe they risked losing their positions. In the end, Władysław I the Elbow-high was able to conquer all Greater Poland in 1314.

Marriage and Children

In March 1291, Henry III married

Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
. They had nine children:

  1. Henry IV the Faithful (born 1291-93 – died 22 January 1342).
  2. Konrad I (born c. 1292-94 – died 22 December 1366).
  3. Bolesław (born c. 1295 – died January–March 1321).
  4. Agnes (born 1293-96 – died 25 December 1361), married firstly on 18 May 1309 to Otto III, Duke of Bavaria and secondly in 1329 to Alram, Count of Hals.
  5. Salome (born c. 1297 – died before 9 December 1309).
  6. Jan
    (born c. 1296-1300 – died 23.4.1361-19.5.1365).
  7. Katharina (born c. 1300-05 – died 5 December 1323/1326), married firstly bef. 24 March 1317 to John V, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel and secondly by September 1317 to John III, Count of Holstein-Plön.
  8. Przemko II (born 1300-08 – died 11 January 1331).
  9. Hedwig (born c. 1308 – died before December 1309).
  10. Beatrice (born 1290 - died 24 March 1322, married on 1309 Ludwig IV, Duke of Bavaria

In his will, Henry III left

Glogów to his wife as her dower
, which she ruled until her own death.

Notes

  1. ^ Traditionally is believed that Henry III was the oldest of the brothers because he inherited from his father the center of the principality - Głogów, and also appears as the oldest one in the Genealogy of St. Hedwig. However, one most reliable source, the Polish-Silesian Chronicle (pl: Kronika polsko-śląska), placed Konrad II as the oldest, and probably his physical deformity (hunchback) prevented him from taking power in the capital. K. Jasiński: Rodowód Piastów śląskich, vol. I, Wrocław 1973, p. 78; T. Jurek: Dziedzic królestwa polskiego książę głogowski Henryk, Kraków 2010, p. 17, 21.
  2. ^ T. Jurek: Henryk Probus i Henryk głogowski, stosunki wzajemne w latach 1273-1290 "Śląski Kwartalnik Historyczny Sobótka", no.42 (1978), pp. 556–558.
  3. ^ M. Maciejowski: Orientacje polityczne biskupów metropolii gnieźnieńskiej 1283-1320, Kraków 2007, pp. 115–151; T. Silnicki: Dzieje i ustrój Kościoła na Śląsku do końca w. XIV, in: Historia Śląska od najdawniejszych czasów do roku 1400, vol. II, no. 1, Kraków 1939, pp. 166–176.
  4. ^ T. Jurek: Konrad I głogowski. Studium z dziejów dzielnicowego Śląska, "Roczniki Historyczne", 54 (1988), pp. 137-138
  5. Henry V the Fat
    as the prince knighted that day; this is impossible, given the age of the later (more than 40 years old), and the hostility between him and Henry IV Probus. T. Jurek: Henryk Probus a..., pp. 556–557.
  6. ^ T. Jurek: Plany koronacyjne Henryka Probusa, in: Śląsk w czasach Henryka IV Prawego, K. Wachowski (red.), Wrocław 2005, pp. 13–29.

References

  • Tomasz Jurek, Dziedzic królestwa polskiego książę głogowski Henryk, Kraków 2010.
  • Tomasz Jurek, Henryk Probus i Henryk głogowski, stosunki wzajemne w latach 1273-1290, "Śląski Kwartalnik Historyczny Sobótka", 42 (1978), pp. 555–570.
  • Maciej Maciejowski, Orientacje polityczne biskupów metropolii gnieźnieńskiej 1283-1320, Kraków 2007.
  • Tadeusz Silnicki, Dzieje i ustrój Kościoła na Śląsku do końca w. XIV, in: Historia Śląska od najdawniejszych czasów do roku 1400, vol. II, no. 1, Kraków 1939.

External links

Henry III, Duke of Głogów
House of Piast
Born: c. 1251–1260 Died: 3 December 1309
Preceded by
Konrad I
 Duke of Glogów
1274–1309 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Henry V the Fat
 Duke of Ścinawa
1290–1309 		Succeeded by
Duke of Oleśnica
1294–1309
Duke of Namysłów
1294–1309
Preceded by Duke of Żagań
1304–1309
Preceded by Duke of Greater Poland
1305–1309 		Succeeded by
Duke of Poznań
1305–1309 		Succeeded by
Duke of Gniezno
1305–1309
Duke of Kalisz
1305–1306 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Duke of Kalisz
1307–1309 		Succeeded by
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