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Wladyslaw IPolish prince (1079-1102), representative of the Piast dynasty.
Date of Birth: 01.01.1043
Country:  Poland |
Content:
- Wladyslaw I Herman: The Submissive Ruler
- Reign: A Period of Weakness
- Foreign Policy Failures
- Rise of Separatism
- Division of Poland
- Renewed Conflict
- Family and Children
- Boleslaw III the Wrymouth (1086-1138), Duke of Poland (from 1102)
- Agnes (1090-1126), Abbess of Quedlinburg Abbey
Wladyslaw I Herman: The Submissive Ruler
Early Life and AccessionWladyslaw I Herman (1043-1102), a member of the Piast dynasty, was the son of Casimir I the Restorer, Duke of Poland, and Dobronega Maria, daughter of Vladimir I, Grand Prince of Kiev. In 1079, he led a revolt of the powerful aristocracy against his elder brother, King Boleslaw II the Bold, overthrowing him and seizing the Polish throne.
Reign: A Period of Weakness
Unlike his predecessors, Wladyslaw I proved to be a weak and submissive ruler, bowing to the dictates of the aristocracy. Seeking peaceful relations with the Holy Roman Empire, he renounced the royal title, content to be known as Duke of Poland.
Foreign Policy Failures
Wladyslaw's foreign policy was marked by failures. Polish campaigns into Western Pomerania ended in catastrophe, while the country's independence, hard-won by his predecessors, was compromised by his willingness to cede authority to the empire.
Rise of Separatism
The reign of Wladyslaw I also saw a sharp increase in feudal fragmentation. Provincial aristocrats defied the duke's authority, and wars were waged with militias from adjacent lands. The duke himself fell under the influence of the powerful воеvod Sieciech.
Division of Poland
In 1092, separatist tendencies intensified in Silesia, led by Wladyslaw's eldest son, Zbigniew. With military support from Bohemia, Zbigniew captured Wroclaw and established a semi-independent principality. Voevoid Sieciech, representing the central authority, reconciled with Bohemia and defeated Zbigniew in 1096. However, Wladyslaw was compelled to divide Poland in 1097, granting Zbigniew parts of Greater Poland and his younger son, Boleslaw, Silesia.
Renewed Conflict
In 1098, war broke out between the duke and his sons. Zbigniew and Boleslaw defeated Wladyslaw's forces, forcing him to cede yet more territory in 1099. Zbigniew received the remaining parts of Greater Poland, Kujawy, and Sieradzko-Leczycka, while Boleslaw gained Lesser Poland, including Krakow. Wladyslaw was left with only Masovia. The victorious brothers also deposed Voevoid Sieciech, the leader of the centralist party.
Family and Children
Marriages and Issue:By Christina Prawdzic (m. 1070):
Zbigniew (1070-1112), Duke of Poland (from 1092)
By Judith of Bohemia (m. 1080), daughter of Vratislav II, King of Bohemia:
Boleslaw III the Wrymouth (1086-1138), Duke of Poland (from 1102)
By Judith of Germany (m. 1089), daughter of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor:
Judith-Maria (1089-1122), married to Yaropolk Sviatopolchich, Prince of Volhynia
Agnes (1090-1126), Abbess of Quedlinburg Abbey
Adelaide (1091-1127), married to Diepold III, Margrave of the Northern March
