Władysław II the Exile | |
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![]() Portrait by Jan Matejko.
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High Duke of Poland | |
Tenure | 1138–1146 |
Predecessor | Bolesław III Wrymouth |
Successor | Bolesław IV the Curly |
Duke of Silesia | |
Tenure | 1138–1146 |
Predecessor | new creation |
Successor | Bolesław IV the Curly |
Born | 1105 Kraków, Kingdom of Poland |
Died | 30 May 1159 [aged 54] Altenburg, Holy Roman Empire |
Burial | Pegau monastery |
Spouse | Agnes of Babenberg |
Issue |
Bolesław I the Tall Mieszko IV Tanglefoot Richeza of Poland, Queen of Castile Konrad Spindleshanks |
House | Piast dynasty |
Father | Bolesław III Wrymouth |
Mother | Zbyslava of Kiev |
Vladislaus II the Exile (Polish: Władysław II Wygnaniec) (1105 – 30 May 1159) was a High Duke of Poland and Duke of Silesia from 1138 until his expulsion in 1146. He is the progenitor of the Silesian Piasts.
He was the eldest son of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth, sole ruler of Poland since 1107, by his first wife Zbyslava, a daughter of Sviatopolk II of Kiev. As the firstborn son, Władysław's father decided to involve him actively in the government of the country. Some historians believe that Bolesław III gave Władysław the district of Silesia before his own death, in order to create an hereditary fief for his eldest descendants.
Around 1125 Władysław married Agnes of Babenberg, daughter of Margrave Leopold III of Austria; this union gave him a close connection with the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Germany: Agnes by her mother was a granddaughter of Emperor Henry IV and a half-sister of the Franconian duke Conrad III of Hohenstaufen, the later King of Germany. Thanks to Władysław, Silesia was saved during the wars of 1133–1135 with Bohemia: he stopped the destruction of the major areas of his district after the Bohemian forces crossed the Oder river.
In 1137, during the whitsun meeting with Duke Soběslav I of Bohemia at Niemcza (other sources mention Kłodzko), in which several disputed matters were decided, Władysław stood as godfather in the baptism of the youngest son of Soběslav, the future Duke Wenceslaus II.