Mieszko IV Tanglefoot
| Mieszko I Tanglefoot | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| High Duke of Poland | |
| Reign | 1210–1211 |
| Predecessor | Leszek I the White |
| Successor | Leszek I the White |
| Duke of Silesia | |
| Reign | 1163–1173 |
| Predecessor | Bolesław IV the Curly |
| Successor | Bolesław I the Tall |
| Born | c. 1130 |
| Died | 16 May 1211 |
| Spouse | Ludmila |
| Issue | Casimir I of Opole |
| House | Silesian Piasts |
| Father | Władysław II the Exile |
| Mother | Agnes of Babenberg |
Mieszko I Tanglefoot (Polish: Mieszko I Plątonogi) (ca. 1130 – 16 May 1211) was a Duke of Silesia from 1163 to 1173 (with his brother as co-ruler), Duke of Racibórz from 1173, Duke of Opole from 1202 and from 9 June 1210 until his death, Duke of Kraków and High Duke of Poland.
He was the second son of Władysław II the Exile by his wife Agnes of Babenberg, daughter of Margrave Leopold III of Austria and half-sister of King Conrad III of Germany.
His nickname "Tanglefoot" (Plątonogi) appeared in the early chronicles of the 14th and 15th centuries. By the year 1192 the following was written: "Cracovia civitas est devastate a Mescone loripede dicto Platonogi nepote ducis Kazimiriensis Filio Wladislai exulis" ("Monumenta Poloniae Historica," edd. Bielowski August, t.II, Lviv 1872, p. 876). This is the oldest preserved record of the Mieszko's nickname in the form of "Plątonogi".
From 1146, after the deposition of his father, Mieszko and his family mainly lived in the town of Altenburg in Saxony, which was granted as a temporary possession to Władysław II by his brother-in-law, King Conrad III of Germany. During his time in exile, Mieszko studied in Michaelsberg and Bamberg.
However, the supposed temporary exile was, for the deposed High Duke, for good; he died in Altenburg in 1159. His sons continued the fight to recover their inheritance, and finally three years later, in 1163, and thanks to the intervention of the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, Mieszko and his older brother Bolesław I the Tall returned to Silesia.
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