Przemysl II of Poland
| Przemysł II | |
|---|---|
19th century depiction by Jan Matejko.
|
|
| King of Poland | |
| Tenure | 1295–1296 |
| Coronation | 26 June 1295 at Gniezno Cathedral |
| Predecessor | Bolesław II the Generous |
| Successor | Wenceslaus II of Bohemia |
| High Duke of Poland | |
| Tenure | 1290–1291 |
| Predecessor | Henryk IV Probus |
| Successor | Wenceslaus II of Bohemia |
| Duke of Greater Poland | |
| Tenure | 1279–1296 |
| Predecessor | Bolesław the Pious |
| Successor | Władysław I the Elbow-high |
| Born |
14 October 1257 Poznań, Kingdom of Poland |
| Died | 8 February 1296 (aged 38) Rogoźno, Kingdom of Poland |
| Burial | at Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul, Poznań |
| Spouse |
Ludgarda of Mecklenburg Rikissa of Sweden Margaret of Brandenburg |
| Issue | Ryksa Elisabeth |
| House | Piast dynasty |
| Father | Przemysł I of Greater Poland |
| Mother | Elisabeth of Wrocław |
Przemysł II (Polish: [ˈpʂɛmɨsw] also given in English and Latin as Premyslas or Premislaus or less properly Przemysław; 14 October 1257 – 8 February 1296), was the Duke of Poznań from 1257–1279, of Greater Poland from 1279–1296, of Kraków from 1290–1291, and Gdańsk Pomerania (Pomerelia) from 1294–1296, and then King of Poland from 1295 until his death. After a long period of Polish High Dukes and two nominal kings, he was the first to obtain the hereditary title of King, and thus to return Poland to the rank of Kingdom.
A member of the Greater Poland branch of the House of Piast as the only son of Duke Przemysł I and the Silesian princess Elisabeth, he was born posthumously; for this reason he was brought up at the court of his uncle Bolesław the Pious and received his own district to rule, the Duchy of Poznań in 1273. Six years later, after the death of his uncle, he also obtained the Duchy of Kalisz.
In the first period of his government, Przemysł II was involved only in regional affairs, first in close collaboration and then competing with the Duke of Wrocław, Henryk IV Probus. This policy caused the rebellion of the prominent Zaremba family and the temporary loss of Wieluń.
Working with the Archbishop of Gniezno, Jakub Świnka, he sought the unification of the principalities of the Piast dynasty. Unexpectedly, in 1290, under the will of Henryk IV Probus, he managed to obtain the Duchy of Kraków and with this the title of High Duke of Poland; however, not having sufficient support from the local nobility (who supported another member of the Piast dynasty, Władysław I the Elbow-high) and faced with the increasing threats of King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia, Przemysł II finally decided to retreat from Lesser Poland, which was then under the rule of Přemyslid dynasty.
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Wikipedia