Władysław II the Exile facts for kids
- This article refers to the 12th century Polish monarch. For the 14th century founder of the Jagiellon dynasty, see Jogaila, and for other monarchs with similar names, see Ladislaus II (disambiguation).
Quick facts for kids Władysław II the Exile |
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| High Duke of Poland | |
| Tenure | 1138–1146 |
| Predecessor | Bolesław III Wrymouth |
| Successor | Bolesław IV the Curly |
| Duke of Silesia | |
| Tenure | 1138–1146 |
| Successor | Bolesław IV the Curly |
| Born | 1105 Kraków, Kingdom of Poland |
| Died | 30 May 1159 (aged 54) Altenburg, Holy Roman Empire |
| Burial | Pegau monastery |
| Spouse | Agnes of Babenberg |
| Issue | Bolesław I the Tall Mieszko IV Tanglefoot Richeza Konrad Spindleshanks |
| House | Piast dynasty |
| Father | Bolesław III Wrymouth |
| Mother | Zbyslava of Kiev |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Vladislaus II the Exile (Władysław II Wygnaniec) was a powerful Polish ruler. He was the High Duke of Poland and Duke of Silesia from 1138 to 1146. He was called "the Exile" because he was forced to leave his country. Vladislaus is also the ancestor of the Silesian Piasts, a very important family line.
Contents
Early Life and Rule in Silesia
Vladislaus was born in 1105. He was the oldest son of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth, who ruled all of Poland. His mother was Zbyslava of Kiev. Because he was the firstborn, his father wanted him to be active in governing the country. Some historians think Bolesław III gave Vladislaus the region of Silesia to rule. This might have been a way to make sure his oldest son's family would always have land.
Around 1125, Vladislaus married Agnes of Babenberg. She was the daughter of Leopold III of Austria. This marriage was very important because it connected Vladislaus to the powerful Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Germany. Agnes was related to Emperor Henry IV and was the half-sister of Conrad III of Germany, who later became King of Germany. Thanks to Vladislaus, Silesia was protected during wars with Bohemia between 1133 and 1135. He stopped the Bohemian army from destroying parts of his land.
In 1137, Vladislaus met with Duke Soběslav I of Bohemia. They settled some disagreements. Vladislaus even became the godfather to Soběslav's youngest son, Wenceslaus II.
Becoming High Duke of Poland
Duke Bolesław III died on October 28, 1138. In his will, he tried to keep Poland united. He also wanted to prevent his sons from fighting over who would rule. So, he created a special system. As the oldest son, Vladislaus became the main ruler with the title of High Duke (Princeps).
Besides Silesia, Vladislaus also received the central Seniorate Province. This area included Lesser Poland (with Kraków), eastern Greater Poland, and western Kuyavia. He also gained control over the Pomerelian lands near Gdańsk on the Baltic Sea. His younger half-brothers, Bolesław IV the Curly and Mieszko III, received their own regions. Bolesław IV got the eastern Duchy of Masovia, and Mieszko III received the western Duchy of Greater Poland. These lands were given to them to keep in their families.
When Bolesław's widow, Salomea of Berg, died, Vladislaus was supposed to get her lands at Łęczyca. He also had to give his youngest half-brother, Henry, the lands of Sandomierz when Henry grew up. However, Sandomierz was not separated from the Seniorate until 1146. The youngest half-brother, Casimir II the Just, did not get any land. Some people think he was born after Bolesław III died.
Vladislaus was already an adult when his father died. He had been married for years and had at least one son, Bolesław I the Tall, born in 1127. Like earlier Polish rulers, Vladislaus wanted to unite the country. People expected him to succeed because of his experience and military skills.
First Fights with His Brothers
Vladislaus's problems with his stepmother Salomea and his half-brothers started in 1141. Salomea tried to divide her Łęczyca lands among her sons without Vladislaus's permission. She also tried to arrange a marriage for her youngest daughter, Agnes of Poland, to gain an ally for her sons. She wanted one of the sons of Grand Prince Vsevolod II of Kiev to marry Agnes.
When Vladislaus heard about this, he acted quickly. The Grand Prince of Kiev not only broke his agreements with Vladislaus's brothers but also arranged for his own daughter, Zvenislava, to marry Vladislaus's oldest son, Bolesław. This wedding happened in 1142.
His connections with the Kievan Rus' helped him in 1142-1143. Vladislaus decided to fight against his brothers' lands. Vladislaus won easily because he had strong allies: the Rus', Bohemia, and the Holy Roman Empire.
The Piotr Włostowic Problem
During Vladislaus's rule, a man named Piotr Włostowic was very important. He was a high-ranking official, like a count palatine or a governor. Piotr was loyal to Vladislaus's father, Bolesław III. He became very powerful and held important positions in the court. As governor, he could appoint officials across Poland, even in the lands of Vladislaus's brothers. This made him very influential.
Bolesław's wife, Salomea of Berg, disliked Piotr Włostowic. She tried to get him removed from his position. When Vladislaus became High Duke, he brought Piotr back. However, Piotr's growing power caused problems, especially with Vladislaus's wife, Agnes. She thought Piotr was a traitor.
On July 27, 1144, Salomea of Berg died. According to Bolesław's will, her Łęczyca province should have gone back to Vladislaus's Seniorate Province. But Piotr Włostowic, working with Vladislaus's younger brothers, planned to take control of Łęczyca. Perhaps they wanted to give it to the youngest brother, Henry.
Vladislaus again asked his Kievan allies for help. He sent his troops against Bolesław IV and Mieszko III. Surprisingly, Vladislaus lost the first battle. But when the Kievan soldiers arrived, the war turned in Vladislaus's favor. A peace treaty was made, allowing Vladislaus to take full control of Łęczyca. However, he had to give the Polish castle at Wizna to his Kievan allies for their help.
The tension between Vladislaus and Piotr Włostowic grew worse. Piotr clearly sided with the younger dukes in the civil war. Vladislaus wanted to rule alone, and he started thinking about taking all lands from his brothers. By 1145, it seemed like Vladislaus and Piotr might make peace. Piotr even invited Vladislaus to his son's wedding.
But in early 1146, Vladislaus decided to get rid of Piotr Włostowic for good. He ordered one of his knights, Dobek, to capture him. Dobek captured Piotr at his court. High Duchess Agnes wanted Piotr to be killed. But Vladislaus decided to make an example of him instead: Piotr was blinded and sent away from Poland.
Piotr Włostowic was respected and had many friends. His harsh punishment made many nobles switch their loyalty to the younger dukes. Also, the blinded Piotr fled to the Kievan Rus', who had been Vladislaus's allies. Piotr convinced them to break their alliance with Vladislaus.
Losing His Throne
At the beginning of 1146, Vladislaus decided to launch a final attack on his half-brothers. At first, it looked like Vladislaus would win easily. He took Masovia without trouble and forced Duke Bolesław IV to retreat to Poznań. But then, Vladislaus's luck changed.
Rebellions started in his other regions because people were unhappy with his harsh rule. These rebels quickly grew stronger with the support of Archbishop Jakub ze Żnina of Gniezno. The Archbishop even excommunicated Vladislaus, which meant he was cut off from the Church. This led to even more rebellions.
Vladislaus was defeated not only by the combined forces of his brothers but also by his own people. This was a complete surprise to him. The High Duke was forced to flee Poland. Soon after, his wife Agnes and children joined him after they failed to defend Kraków.
The younger dukes had won completely. Vladislaus was now dependent on other rulers. He and his family first stayed with his brother-in-law, Duke Vladislaus II of Bohemia, at Prague Castle. Bolesław IV became the new High Duke. Vladislaus never returned to Poland.
Life in Exile
Soon after arriving in Bohemia, Vladislaus's brother-in-law, King Conrad III of Germany, offered him a place to stay. Vladislaus moved to Germany and asked King Conrad for help to get his throne back. King Conrad had recently helped Vladislaus of Bohemia regain his power, so it seemed like Vladislaus might return to Poland soon.
An army was sent against the younger dukes in 1146. However, heavy flooding of the Oder river and pressure from German nobles like Albert the Bear and Conrad of Meissen stopped the campaign. These nobles did not want a war on Germany's eastern border. So, the plan failed.
Vladislaus did not give up hope. But he had to accept that his return would be delayed. Especially when Conrad III left to lead the Second Crusade to the Holy Land the next year. During this time, Vladislaus managed the Imperial palace at Altenburg and its surrounding lands. Without waiting for German help, Vladislaus and his wife Agnes went to the Roman Curia (the Pope's court) and asked Pope Eugene III for help. But this attempt also failed.
Death and What He Left Behind
In 1152, King Conrad III died. His nephew, Frederick Barbarossa, became the new ruler. This brought new hope for Vladislaus to return to Poland. Vladislaus and Frederick's aunt, Agnes of Babenberg, encouraged Frederick to help. So, the Holy Roman Emperor launched a new military trip to Greater Poland in 1157.
The campaign was successful. But Frederick Barbarossa did not put Vladislaus back on the Polish throne. Instead, Bolesław IV had to declare himself a loyal subject to the Emperor and pay him tribute. In return, the Emperor made Bolesław IV promise to give Silesia back to Vladislaus's sons, Bolesław the Tall and Mieszko IV Tanglefoot.
At this point, Vladislaus likely knew his fight to rule Poland was over. He stayed in exile at Altenburg and died two years later, in 1159. It was not until 1163 that Bolesław IV finally gave the Silesian province to Vladislaus's sons.
After this, Vladislaus's sons and their cousins (the other Piast dukes) had disagreements. Over the next centuries, Silesia was divided into many smaller duchies among their descendants. From the early 1300s, these dukes slowly became loyal subjects of the Imperial Kingdom of Bohemia. In 1335, the Polish king Casimir III the Great gave up all claims to the Silesian lands. The Silesian Piast family continued to rule there until the last male member, Duke George William of Legnica, died in 1675.
Family Life
In 1125, Vladislaus married Agnes of Babenberg. She was born around 1108/1113 and died at Altenburg between 1160 and 1163. Agnes was the daughter of Saint Leopold III of Austria and Agnes of Germany. Her mother, Agnes of Germany, was the daughter of Emperor Henry IV. Agnes of Babenberg was also the half-sister of King Conrad III of Germany.
Vladislaus and Agnes had several children:
- Bolesław I the Tall (born 1127 – died 1201)
- Mieszko I Tanglefoot (born around 1130 – died 1211)
- Richeza (born 1140 – died 1185). She married three times:
- In 1152, to Alfonso VII, King of Galicia, Castile, and León.
- In 1162, to Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Provence.
- By 1167, to Count Albert III of Everstein.
- Konrad Spindleshanks (born 1146/1157 – died 1190)
- Albert (died young, around 1168)
See also
In Spanish: Vladislao II el Desterrado para niños
- Silesian Piasts
- Carmen Mauri
- History of Poland (966–1385)
- Dukes of Silesia
