Henry V's expedition to Poland
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| Henry V's expedition to Poland | |
|---|---|
Oder River, Silesia | |
| Result | Polish victory |
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Holy Roman Empire
Duchy of Bohemia Bolesław III Henry V SvatoplukThe Henry V's expedition to Poland was a conflict between Boleslaw III Wrymouth and Henry V, the reason for the war was the exile from Poland of Bolesław's brother Zbigniew who sought support from the German Emperor to restore his power in the country. Henry V, Zbigniew and Bohemian Prince Svatopluk set out on an armed expedition into Poland, where they besieged the border town of Głogów, which they failed to conquer, but were also defeated in the Battle of Hundsfeld. The war ended with the defeat of German-Bohemian forces.
Background
After a long-term rivalry within the ruling Piast dynasty, Bolesław III, in 1107, had finally expelled his older half-brother and co-ruler Duke Zbigniew from Poland. Zbigniew fled to the Holy Roman Empire where he sought help from King Henry V. The Emperor, however, did not take action as he was stuck in an inner-Hungarian rivalry, supporting the Árpád Prince Álmos against his brother King Coloman, and had started an armed expedition to Bratislava (Pozsony).
Henry tangled with Bolesław when the Polish duke, loyal to King Coloman, took the occasion to campaign in the Bohemian lands in 1108: as soon as the Bohemian Duke Svatopluk heard of the invasion, he left the Imperial army to oust the Polish troops. Left alone, King Henry was forced to abandon his Hungarian campaign.
Angered under this defeat, Henry finally associated himself with Zbigniew and requested Bolesław to reinstate his half-brother as co-ruler, as well as to pay an annual tribute to the Empire. The Polish Duke categorically rejected both demands. The next year, the German forces gathered at Erfurt, crossed the Polish border near Krosno on the Bóbr River, and on St. Bartholomew's Day approached the fortified town of Głogów (Svatopluk's troops arrived in September). At first they defeated a Polish garrison which was stationed near the town. Bolesław fortified the Oder River strongholds and himself attacked Pomerania, inflicting defeat on the Pomeranian army at the Battle of Nakło on August 10.
Siege of Głogów (1109)
According to Gallus Anonimus' Gesta principum Polonorum, King Henry resorted to lay siege to Głogów but granted its citizens a five-day ceasefire to ask their King for permission to surrender. He allegedly even made the townsmen give up their children as hostages as a guarantee of the ceasefire, and promised to give them back alive no matter what Bolesław's answer would be.[1]
The Polish Duke, however, had no intention to hand over the city, and ordered the defense of Głogów. After the five days were up, King Henry began to barrage the town. Breaking his promise, he chained the child hostages to his siege engines, hoping that the people of Głogów would not shoot their own offspring, which would allow him to conquer the Polish settlement.[1] However, Gallus stated that his cruelty towards children only strengthened the resolve of Głogów's defenders. Several harsh attacks by the Imperial army were repulsed, while Henry suffered significant losses by Polish guerilla fighters. After many days of unsuccessful fighting, the King was forced to abandon the siege and march south.
Battle of Hundsfeld (1109)
The contemporary author
According to Wincenty Kadłubek, the Germans were ambushed by the Polish forces and the result was a complete victory of Bolesław III Wrymouth, whereafter King Henry withdrew from Poland. After the encounter, due to the many dead and dying left on the battlefield; Kadłubek remarked, that the "...dogs which, devouring so many corpses, fell into a mad ferocity, so that no one dared venture there." Hence, the site became known as "dogs' field" (Polish: Psie Pole, German: Hundsfeld).
Kadłubek's relation was questioned in the late 19th century Encyklopedia Powszechna by Samuel Orgelbrand. Present-day historians are split on the issue, with some arguing that the battle was rather an unimportant skirmish, and the Chronica, written at the court of Bolesław's son Casimir II the Just almost hundred years after the event, is not fully reliable. Though, regardless of the magnitude, the clash contributed to Henry V's retreat.[3][4]
Aftermath
King Henry's campaign turned out to be a complete failure, when it ended in Bolesław's final victory at the
After centuries-long ambivalent
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-965170-2.
- ^ Kronika księga III rozdział 15. W oryginale: 15. Caesar rediens, ac pro tributo cadavera portans. Hiis auditis Caesar urbem Wratislaviensem adivit, ubi nichil nisi de vivis mortuos acquisivit.
- ^ "S. Orgelbranda Encyklopedia Powszechna", Warsaw 1902, vol. XII, page 406
- ^ M. Kaczmarek, "Bitwa na Psim Polu", in: Encyklopedia Wrocławia, Wrocław 2000
- ISBN 978-83-223-2118-8.
Further reading
- Mała Encyklopedia Wojskowa, Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej, Warszawa 1967, Wydanie I, Tom 2
- "Obrona Głogowa". Warszawa. 11 March 2006.
- Bok, Antoni (26 August 1999). "Obrona Głogowa cz. 1". Gazeta Lubuska (199).
- Bok, Antoni (2 September 1999). "Obrona Głogowa cz. 2". Gazeta Lubuska (205).
- Bok, Antoni (9 September 1999). "Obrona Głogowa cz. 3". Gazeta Lubuska (211).