Casimir II of Łęczyca: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 21:41, 16 February 2015
Casimir II of Łęczyca (pl: Kazimierz II łęczycki; ca. 1261/62 - 10 June 1294[1]), was a Polish prince member of the House of Piast, Duke of Brześć Kujawski during 1267-1288, Duke of Dobrzyń during 1275-1288 and Duke of Łęczyca since 1288 until his death.
He was the fourth son of Casimir I of Kuyavia, but the second born from his third marriage with Euphrosyne, daughter of Casimir I of Opole. He was probably named after both his father and maternal grandfather.
Life
Beginning of his government (1267-1288)
After the death of his father in 1267, Casimir II, together with his full-brothers, inherited their share of his lands under the regency of their mother until 1275, when they jointly ruled. Casimir II inherited his own domain in 1288, when after the death of his childless half-brother Leszek II the Black he received the Duchy of Łęczyca, situated in the centre of Poland.
Cooperation with Władysław I the Elbow-high during his struggle for Lesser Poland (1289-1292)
In 1289 Caismir II, together with his brother Władysław I the Elbow-high, supported the campaign of Bolesław II of Płock for the throne of Kraków. The joint Płock-Brześć-Łęczyca forces defeated on 26 February the Silesian troops commanded by Henry III of Głogów, Bolko I of Opole and Przemko of Ścinawa at the Battle of Siewierz.[2] For unknown reasons, shortly after Bolesław II renounced to his claims over the Seniorate, an event who was used by Władysław I to conquer Lesser Poland for himself. With the close cooperation of Casimir II, Władysław I began a war against King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia. This policy suffered a defeat in the fall of 1292, when as a result of a Bohemian expedition Casimir II and his brother were captured by Wenceslaus II. In the subsequent peace treaty signed on 9 October of that year, both brothers are forced to to paid homage to the Bohemian King.[3]
Casimir II, heir of Kraków (1293-1294). Death
Casimir II and Władysław I didn't give up, however, to their ambitious plans to conquer Lesser Poland and on 6 January 1293 they met at Kalisz with Przemysł II of Greater Poland and Jakub Świnka, Archbishop of Gniezno and began conversations for a joint action for the recovery of Kraków. They concluded a secret agreement whose exact details are only known for the copy gave to the Archbishop; under this treaty, Casimir II, Władysław I and Przemysł II are obliged to pay annually the amount of 300 pieces of fine silver from salt mines after the recovery of the capital of Lesser Poland.[4]
Casimir II was killed in the Battle of Trojanow on 10 June 1294 on the bank of the Bzura river, while chasing a Lithuanian troops under the command of Vytenis, who escaped after an attack to Łęczyca on 4 June.[5] Jan Długosz described the event as follows:
- In the Year of our Lord of 1294 the Duke of Lithuania Vytenis invades the land of Łęczyca with an army of 1,800[6] Lithuanians, Prussians and Samogitians.[7] When of Thursday after Pentecost they stormed the city through the woods with the permission and support of the Duke of Masovia Bolesław II they attacked first the collegiate of Łęczyca and murdered there or taking into slavery a large number of people who gathered there to celebrate the holidays. Prelates, canons and priests where taken into captivity without mercy, and the vestments, vessels and jewels stolen.
The other, who had taken refuge in the church, and defended it valiantly, by setting fire to neighboring houses surrounding the church and the transfer of fire at the collegiate soul and lose. Enemies then scattered villages and settlements, and took away much spoil in the form of people and cattle hastily returned. Not abolished its own failures and his armies łęczycki Prince Casimir, but with all the knights of the earth Łęczyca chased the barbarians. When I caught up with them in the area near the town Sochaczewa on the river Bzura village Beetles (according to other near the village of Trojans ), not counting the small sample size of its army and the swarm of enemies, throws himself on the barbarians. And after a bloody battle, when many prisoners escaped in the heat of battle, defeated by a swarm of barbarians fighting very bravely in the front ranks, falls in the largest crowd of enemies and bear the glorious death. When he (the prince) died, the Poles fled in all directions. Many of the Poles, avoiding honorable death, exposing themselves to shameful. Drowned in the river Bzura for which there was a struggle, as if by rain water floods [9] . Lithuanians took and loot and victory. A booty that had gathered in the form of Polish prisoners of war, was apparently so great that the division of the barbarians each accounted for twenty Christians, Poles, [10] . Łęczycki Prince Casimir did not leave behind one [11] .
Because Casimir II died unmarried and childless, his principality was inherited by Władysław I the Elbow-high. It's unknown where he was buried, probably in the The Collegiate church of St. Mary and St. Alexius in Tum near Łęczyca.
References
- ^ Oswald Balzer, Genealogia Piastów, Kraków 1895, pp. 342-344; Włodzimierz Dworzaczek: Genealogia, Warsaw 1959, table 3.
- ^ For more details about the Battle of Siewierz see: Jan Długosz: Roczniki czyli Kroniki Sławnego Królestwa Polskiego, book VII, p. 327 (in the year 1290, which is undoubtedly a mistake of the chronicler), Nagrobki książąt śląskich in: MPH (Monumenta Poloniæ Historica), vol. II, p. 713 and Kronika książąt polskich in: MPH, vol. II, p. 536, cf. Musiał Sławomir: Bitwa pod Siewierzem i udział w niej Wielkopolan, in: Przemysł II, odnowienie królestwa polskiego ed. Jadwiga Krzyżaniakowej, Poznań 1997, pp. 161–166.
- ^ Aleksander Swieżawski: Przemysł Król Polski, Warsaw 2006, p. 148; Jan Baszkiewicz: Powstanie zjednoczonego państwa polskiego na przełomie XIII i XIV wieku, Warsaw 1954, pp. 208-209.
- ^ Zbiór dokumentów małopolskich, ed. S. Kuraś and I. Sułkowska-Kuraś, vol. IV, Wrocław 1969, nr 886, and Kodeks Dyplomatyczny Wielkopolski, vol. II, nr 692. The document is dated on 6 January. His secret nature is evidenced by the use of the three princes of the title of heirs of Kraków; if King Wenceslaus II could find out this they would risk an inmediate war. Aleksander Swieżawski, Przemysł Król Polski, Warsaw 2006, p. 150.
- ^ The expedition was of predatory nature. This is showed in both the chronicles of Jan Długosz (see below), and also the source from which Długosz take this account, Peter of Dusburg: Chronica Terre Prussia, ed. M. Toeppen, in Scriptores rerum Prussicarum, Vol. I, Leipzig 1861, pp. 156-157, in which is clearly written that Lithuanian troops were exclusively focused on a fast attack, seizure of the booty and safe withdrawal to their country. Marzena Pollakówna: The Chronicle of Peter of Dusburg, Wroclaw 1968; Jan Szymczak: Ziemia łęczycka i sieradzka terenem działań wojennych w XII i XIII wieku, in Rocznik Łódzki, Vol. XX , general set XXIII, Lodz 1975, pp. 220-224; Kazimierz Aścik: Najazd litewski na Łęczycę w 1294 roku, in: Studia i materiały do historii wojskowości, Vol. X, Part 1, Warsaw 1964, pp. 3-11, and Vol. XV, Part. 1, Warsaw, 1969, pp. 317-319, Stanisław Zajączkowski: W sprawie najazdu litewskiego na Łęczycę 1294 roku, ibid, vol. XII, Part. 3, Warsaw 1966, p. 324; Jan Powierski: Dobra ostrowicko – golubskie biskupstwa wrocławskiego na tle stosunków polsko-krzyżackich 1235–1308, Gdańsk 1977, p. 165.
- ^ Peter of Dusburg: Chronica Terre Prussia, ed. M. Toeppen, in Scriptores rerum Prussicarum, Vol. I, Leipzig 1861, pp. 157-158, states that the Lithuanian army consisted of only 800 men.
- ^ The participation of Prussians and Samogitians in this expedition was only reported by Jan Długosz. Kazimierz Aścik: Najazd litewski na Łęczycę w 1294 roku, in: Studia i materiały do historii wojskowości, Vol. X, Part 1, Warsaw 1964, p. 5.