Kazimierz the Restorer, graphics by Aleksander Lesser.

Casimir I the Restorer

Polish prince from the Piast dynasty. He was the son of King Mieszko II Lambert and the German aristocrat of Richeza of Lorraine. He was educated in writing in his youth, but there is no indication (contrary to a late and confusing tradition) that he was brought up as a monk. As the only child, he took power after his father's death in 1034, but initially his mother probably played a decisive role in the country.

He reigned in conditions of a deep crisis resulting from the collapse of Bolesław the Brave's power and the devastating war between his father and uncles. He did not enjoy the support of the elites, which were most likely largely made up of new families, recently brought from Russia by prince Bezprym. His position was shaky and he was gradually losing control of the country. In 1037 he was forced to abandon the throne and leave the country. He stayed as a prisoner in Hungary, and after the death of the ruler there, he made his way to Germany. He lived in the estates of his mother or uncle, the Archbishop of Cologne. He probably returned to the country in 1039, reclaiming its ruined territory with the help of the army provided to him by Riches and German relatives.

He devoted his reign to the difficult struggle to reunify the devastated country. It was he who, in view of the destruction of Gniezno and Poznań, moved the prince's main seat to Kraków. In 1047, he achieved a decisive military victory over his former advisor and self-proclaimed prince Miecław. He stabilized the position of Poland, normalized relations with the Czechs, who made a powerful invasion of Poland in his absence, and made a surprising alliance with one of his grandfather's greatest enemies - Jarosław the Wise, Prince of Kievan Rus.

His wife was the Russian princess Maria Dobroniega. Due to his relationship with her, he had two sons:the future rulers Bolesław the Bold and Władysław Herman. According to historians, he was one of the most distinguished Polish princes.