Two decades after Brave's death, stories about his great war gains were still alive. About triumphant entrances to Prague and Kiev and about many years of battles with the Empire, ending with the capture of valuable border provinces. However, there is not much left for the Poles. Dreams of the new Slavic power faded almost overnight. And the very existence of the Polish state was quickly put into question.
In 1025, the dying Bolesław invariably aroused fear among his neighbors and enemies. However, no one, at least outside Poland, sobbed at the news of his death. The first Piast king was famous for his zeal and morbid ambition. He raised his sword against all neighboring peoples. He earned hatred among the Ruthenians, Teutons, Czechs, Hungarians, Prussians and Pomeranians. Even the most eminent heir would not be able to withstand so many enemies just waiting for an opportunity to take vengeance. And certainly Mieszko II Lambert was not able to do it.
Undergoing simultaneous attack from the emperor's armies from the east and the Emperor's troops attacking from the west, he was forced to abandon the throne and flee. Captured abroad, he found himself at the mercy of the local prince Ołdrzych. The host turned out to be neither forgiving nor merciful. The Polish king was thrown into a dungeon and subjected to the most shameful tortures. He was castrated by crushing his genitals with thongs. Later, although he managed to return to the country, he ruled only part of Poland, at the mercy of the emperor. He died relatively young, in 1034, under mysterious circumstances. The Krakow chronicle of Trzaska gives reason to suspect that he committed suicide.
Castrated Son, Chased Grandson
After Mieszko, the power was taken over by Kazimierz, who was barely eighteen years old. The state was already crackling at the seams, the boy was not a penny to listen to. Warriors, once fattening alongside the militant Bolesław, providing them with spoils and giving them constant opportunities to gain glory, were demoralized and incited. Lords, who guaranteed peace in the provinces, talked louder and louder about the rebellion. Also the simple population, aware that the oppression of the state had loosened, openly headed for revolt, sharpening their teeth especially on church estates and without fear returning to the pagan faith of their ancestors ...
The exact course of events cannot be recreated. We only know that a massive rebellion broke out against the prince. And that under pressure, not even from external enemies, but from his own subjects, Kazimierz was forced to flee the country. The monarch probably left his patrimony in 1037 - after a depressingly short three-year reign spent on a constant defensive to defend the diminishing bastions of his power. Abroad, in Hungary, he was imprisoned, but at least he did not share his father's fate and did not lose his most valuable ancestral jewels.
Kazimierz the Restorer, graphics by Aleksander Lesser.
After a few months he was released from prison and made his way to Germany. There he wandered from place to place, seeking military and financial support, especially from the influential relatives of his mother, Riches. He hoped he would be able to take back his country. Only that no country existed then.
Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The enemies weren't going to wait and think. Faced with an unprotected border and an open road to strongholds full of potential prey, they immediately began gathering troops. The attacks came from everywhere, but the Czechs led the most powerful.
The prince of Prague, a young Breetislav, hungry for fame and gold, gathered a huge army. He spread the summons across his principality, reportedly threatening the gallows to any warrior who did not show up at the assembly point. This procedure was probably not necessary. There was no shortage of people willing to fear the corpse of a state deprived of the ruler.
“As an immeasurable storm rages, rages, everything collapses, so Brzetysław devastated villages with massacres, robberies, fires, and conquered defensive places by force. He burned cities with fire until he destroyed them to the ground "- reported the Czech chronicler, Cosmas.
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Selected bibliography:
- Bieniak J., Mr. and Mrs. Miecław. Analytical study , PWN, Warsaw 2010.
- Dróżdż K., Kazimierz the Restorer. Poland in the period of decline and reconstruction , Templum, Wodzisław Śląski 2009.
- Kętrzyński S., Kazimierz the Restorer 1034-1058 , [in:] The same, Poland of the 10th – 11th century , PWN, Warsaw 1961.
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