Casimir II of Poland
| Casimir II the Just | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Jan Matejko.
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| High Duke of Poland | |
| Tenure | 1177–1191 1191–1194 |
| Predecessor | Mieszko III the Old |
| Successor | Leszek I the White |
| Duke of Masovia | |
| Tenure | 1186–1194 |
| Predecessor | Leszek |
| Successor | Leszek I the White |
| Born | c. 1138 |
| Died | 5 May 1194 (aged 56) Kraków |
| Burial | Wawel Cathedral, Kraków |
| Spouse | Helen of Znojmo |
| Issue | Maria, Grand Princess of Kiev Casimir Bolesław Odon Adelaide Leszek I the White Konrad I of Masovia |
| House | Piast dynasty |
| Father | Bolesław III Wrymouth |
| Mother | Salomea of Berg |
Casimir II the Just (Polish: Kazimierz II Sprawiedliwy; 1138 – 5 May 1194) was a Lesser Polish Duke at Wiślica during 1166–1173, and at Sandomierz after 1173. He became ruler over the Polish Seniorate Province at Kraków and thereby High Duke of Poland (see Seniorate Province) in 1177; a position he held until his death, interrupted once by his elder brother and predecessor Mieszko III the Old. In 1186 Casimir also inherited the Duchy of Masovia from his nephew Leszek, becoming the progenitor of the Masovian branch of the royal Piast dynasty, great-grandfather of the later Polish king Władysław I the Elbow-high. The honorific title "the Just" was not contemporary and only appeared in the 16th century.
Casimir, the sixth but fourth surviving son of Bolesław III Wrymouth, Duke of Poland, by his second wife Salomea, daughter of Count Henry of Berg, was born in 1138, probably on the brink of his father's death. It's however also possible that he was born shortly after, and in consequence was posthumous. Maybe this was the reason that in the Bolesław III's Testament, he was omitted and left without any land.
During his first years, Casimir and his sister Agnes (born in 1137) lived with their mother Salome in her widow land of Łęczyca. There, the young prince remained far away from the struggles of his brothers Bolesław IV the Curly and Mieszko III the Old with their older half-brother High Duke Władysław II, who tried to reunite all Poland under his rule and in 1146 was finally expelled.
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