Bolesław III the Generous
| Bolesław III the Generous | |
|---|---|
Bolesław III's tomb in Lubiąż
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| Spouse(s) |
Margaret of Bohemia Katharina Šubić of Croatia |
| Noble family | Piast |
| Father | Henry V the Fat |
| Mother | Elisabeth of Greater Poland |
| Born | 23 September 1291 |
| Died | 21 April 1352 (aged 60) Brieg |
Bolesław III the Generous (Polish: Bolesław III Rozrzutny; 23 September 1291 – Brieg, 21 April 1352), was a Duke of Legnica, Brzeg (Brieg) from 1296 until 1342, and Duke of Wrocław from 1296 until 1311.
He was the eldest son of Henry V the Fat, Duke of Legnica and Wrocław, by his wife Elisabeth, daughter of Bolesław the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland.
Bolesław's father died in 1296, when he was only five-years-old. His mother, the Duchess Elisabeth and his paternal uncle Bolko I became Regents. Both soon died, Bolko in 1301 and Elisabeth in 1304. Between 1301-02 the official guardianship of Henry V's sons was taken by Henry of Würben, Bishop of Wrocław, but after almost a year he was removed from this post for his alleged prodigality. By that time, King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia was determined to take advantage over the rich and strategically Duchy of Wrocław. In 1302 the young Bolesław was sent to the court of Prague, and was betrothed to the seven-year-old Princess Margareta (cs: Markéta; pl: Małgorzata), the King's youngest daughter, one year later(13 January 1303). The wedding took place five years later, in 1308.
Bolesław was clearly favored by the King, threatening the closest male relatives of the King, who saw the young Duke of Legnica (Liegnitz) as a potential rival for the throne. When King Wenceslaus II died suddenly in 1305, his son Wenceslaus III succeeded him. When Wenceslaus III was murdered one year later, in Olomouc, Bolesław began his fight for the Bohemian throne taking the title of "haeres Regni Poloniae" (heir of the Polish Kingdom).
Bolesław's forces, as Duke of Legnica-Wrocław (Liegnitz-Breslau) were inadequate to effectively compete with the other candidates for the Přemyslid throne: Rudolph III of Austria, Henry of Carinthia and John of Luxemburg. Bolesław lost his attempt to rule the Polish Kingdom after he failed to control Kalisz during 1306–1307, finally losing Kalisz to Duke Henry III of Głogów. Bolesław's only substantial gain was Opava (Troppau) in 1308, after Duke Nikolaus I surrendered to him. Bolesław then renounced his claim two years later (11 June 1311) after a treaty in Olomouc, paying 8,000 pieces of silver. Opava was then merged with the Bohemian crown and restored to Nikolaus I's son and heir, Nikolaus II, in 1318.
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