Bolesław II Rogatka

Bolesław II Rogatka
Bolesław II the Horned
Spouse(s)	Hedwig of Anhalt Euphemia of Pomerania Sophia of Dyhrn
Noble family	Piast
Father	Henry II the Pious
Mother	Anna of Bohemia
Born	c. 1220-1225
Died	Between 26 and 31 December 1278

Bolesław II the Rogatka or Bolesław II the Horned (Polish: Bolesław II Rogatka, known also as Bolesław II the Bald, Polish: Bolesław II Łysy; c. 1220/5 – 26/31 December 1278) was a Duke of Kraków briefly in 1241, of Southern Greater Poland during 1241–1247, and Duke of all Silesia–Wrocław 1241-1248, when it was divided between him and his brothers. He was Duke of Środa Śląska in Silesia from 1277 onward. The second Mongol raid against Poland, led by Nogai Khan, occurred during his reign.

He was the eldest son of Henry II the Pious, Duke of Wrocław, by his wife Anna, daughter of King Ottokar I of Bohemia. His grandparents were Henry II and (later Saint) Hedwig of Andechs.

Bolesław's succeeded his father, Duke Henry II, who was killed on 9 April 1241 during the Battle of Legnica against the Mongols. At the time Bolesław and his immediate younger brother Mieszko were the only sons in their majority. Their mother Anna helped them during the transition. Some sources even call this period a regency. The Mongols conquered most of Silesia, but then withdrew to Hungary. Bolesław's inheritance included Southern Greater Poland and Kraków was threatened by neighboring Piast Dukes. In Lesser Poland, by July 1241 Konrad I of Masovia tried to take over Kraków. The Masovians, led by the Governor of Kraków, Clement of Ruszczy, resisted. The nobility were disappointed by Bolesław's lack of action, and they supported Bolesław V the Chaste for the Kraków throne. There was a similar situation in Greater Poland. After hearing the news of the defeat of Henry II in Legnica, Przemysł I and Bolesław the Pious retook the district that had once belonged to their father, Władysław Odonic. The nobility of Greater Poland supported them as the true heirs to those lands. Bolesław decided to avoid a fight and renounced all his Greater Poland lands. He tried to retain some districts, such as Santok and Międzyrzecz, but in 1247 the Dukes of Greater Poland ultimately forced Bolesław to resign all his rights to lands in Greater Poland.