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{{Short description|High Duke of Poland intermittently between 1194 and 1227}}{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}{{more footnotes|date=April 2016}}

factoids

) it lasted until 1206 or even 1210. In any case, some time after the death of Mikołaj Gryfita (also in 1202), the Kraków nobility invited Leszek to reassume the government without any conditions.In 1207, Leszek placed his domains under the vassalage of the pope, at that time Innocent III. This put Poland clearly in the camp of pro-Papal territories in opposition to the power of the Holy Roman Emperor.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=PJA9AAAAIAAJ&q=Leszek+I+the+White&pg=PA28, Oskar, Halecki, Antony, Polonsky, A History of Poland, 1977, 28, Routledge and Kegan-Paul, 9780710086471, After that, Leszek cooperated closely with Archbishop Henry Kietlicz in implementing the reforms of Innocent III.Halecki and Polonsky. Poland. p. 29

Intervention in Kievan Rus’

In the early years of his rule, Leszek’s policy focused mainly in Kievan Rus’.WEB,artyzm.com/matejko/poczet/e_bialy.htm, Leszek the White, artyzm.com, In 1199 he helped Prince Roman of Vladimir-in-Volhynia with troops to reconquer the Principality of Halych, probably in gratitude for Roman’s assistance against Mieszko III at Mozgawa in 1195. This alliance ended unexpectedly in 1205, however, when Roman decided to support WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III Spindleshanks’ effort to recover the Seniorate Province (which supports the theory that WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III was expelled in 1202). Roman then invaded the domains of Leszek and Konrad for unknown reasons (although historians believe that this was due to the intrigues of WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III), venturing deep into their territory. Both forces clashed in the Battle of Zawichost (14 October 1205), where Roman was defeated and killed.Leszek and Konrad then became involved in the conflict associated with the succession of Roman’s domains, which was further complicated by the intervention of King Andrew II of Hungary, who supported the rights of Roman’s widow and children. Leszek and his brother initially led a coalition of Rurikid princes who wanted to remove Roman’s children from Vladimir-in-Volhynia and Halych. However, after some time, and in order to avoid a war with Hungary, they decided to sign a treaty. In 1206 Leszek met with Andrew II in Volhynia, and afterwards the influence of the Hungarian rulers over Vladimir-in-Volhynia and Halych was exclusive.Despite the agreement with the Hungarian King, the conflict continued. Shortly after, Roman’s widow and her younger son Vasilko, displeased with the Hungarian rule, decided to escape to Poland, where they found refuge at Leszek’s court; her eldest, Daniel had already been sent to the court of Andrew II. During their exile in Poland, they received the land of Belz.A further confirmation of an active policy in Kievan Rus’ were the marriages of Leszek and Konrad with Rurikid princesses. Leszek first married a daughter (name unknown) of Ingvar Yaroslavich, Prince of Lutsk, and then GrzymisÅ‚awa, perhaps a daughter of Yaroslav III Vladimirovich, Prince of Novgorod. Meanwhile, Konrad married Agafia, daughter of Svyatoslav III Igorevich, Prince of Peremyshl.In 1210 Andrew II decided to replace the reigning prince of Vladimir-in-Volhynia with Roman’s eldest son Daniel. However, not wanting to lose his political influence, he decided to send his troops there. The expected Polish-Hungarian confrontation did not occur in the end, because Leszek was forced to have his army return after Mieszko Tanglefoot captured Kraków.Once the situation in the Seniorate Province was pacified, Leszek returned to Vladimir-in-Volhynia and Halych in 1212. As a result of his military actions, he took several border towns. However, in 1213 he failed to prevent the capture of Halych by the Hungarian boyar WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw. Although a year later he {{who|date=January 2019}} was defeated at the Bobrka river, the danger of the zone forced the Hungarian troops to retreat. In the same year, wanting to break the difficult relations with Hungary, Leszek, under the pressure of the Kraków aristocracy gathered around the voivode PakosÅ‚aw, decided to conclude a peace treaty at SpiÅ¡. According to this treaty the government of the Halych-Volhynia was given to Andrew II’s second son Coloman, who was to marry Leszek’s oldest daughter Salomea. This treaty also gave Leszek territorial acquisitions in Kievan Rus’ (the districts of PrzemyÅ›l and Lubaczów).Unfortunately, this alliance with Hungary did not last, because before the end of the year Leszek decided to support the restoration of Daniel Romanovich in Halych when it was clear that the local nobility did not accept the rule of Prince Coloman. The ambiguous policy of the Duke of Kraków cost him in 1215 when the Hungarians, impatient with the lack of help in securing the rule of Coloman, broke the alliance. Once the situation in Kievan Rus’ seemed to be calm, the Hungarians sent an army against Leszek, using his support of Daniel as the rationale. During this campaign, Leszek lost the lands of PrzemyÅ›l and Lubaczów.After this defeat, Leszek wanted to make an alliance with Mstislav Mstislavich, Prince of Novgorod. This new political approach failed to bring Leszek any positive results, because it prompted an alliance between Daniel Romanovich and Mstislav against him. As a result, the Duke of Kraków lost a small area between the Narew and Bug rivers in 1218.These successive failures forced Leszek to reconsider his previous alliance with Andrew II of Hungary. This time, the treaty between them was sealed with the formal marriage between their children Coloman and Salomea. In return for his resignation over Halych, Leszek received Volhynia in compensation, after Prince Daniel was expelled.The expedition under the command of Andrew II and Leszek was finally organized at the end of 1219. The combination of the Polish-Hungarian forces was a success, as Coloman and Salomea were formally proclaimed rulers of Halych. In that year, Leszek also organized an unsuccessful expedition to Vladimir-in-Volhynia. Another expedition in 1221, this time with the help of Hungary, also ended in failure. Moreover, these invasions prompted Daniel, recently reconciled with Mstislav of Novgorod, to make a retaliatory expedition that ended with the imprisonment of Coloman and Salomea and the proclamation of Mstislav as Prince of Halych.However, in 1223 an unexpected alliance developed between Mstislav and Andrew II regarding the succession of Halych. It was agreed that after Mstislav’s death Halych would be inherited by Andrew II’s youngest son Andrew. This caused a further change in the political situation, as Leszek and Daniel allied against them. Mstislav conducted an expedition against Leszek in 1225 with the help of the Cuman khan Köten. This war, just like the previous ones, ended without a clear outcome despite temporary successes. Moreover, it resulted in another change of alliances in 1227 when Leszek joined with Hungary against Daniel. This was to be Leszek’s last intervention in the long-running conflict with Kievan Rus’.

Conflict with Władysław III Spindleshanks

(File:Pieczęć Leszka I BiaÅ‚ego.jpg|250px|thumbnail|right|Seal of Leszek BiaÅ‚y (Leszek I, “the White“), Front side.)(File:Pieczęć Leszka BiaÅ‚ego.jpg|250px|thumbnail|right|Seal of Leszek BiaÅ‚y (Leszek I, “the White“), Back side.)The quiet government of Leszek over Kraków after the deposition of WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III Spindleshanks was interrupted in 1210 with his excommunication through a papal bull issued by Pope Innocent III. This development was used by Mieszko Tanglefoot, who quickly conquered Kraków and took the title of High Duke for himself. The bull was issued at the request of an anonymous Duke of Silesia, which could only have been Henry I the Bearded because Mieszko used the title of a Duke of Racibórz-Opole. The situation became quite confused, as nobody was sure who held the real power. The papal bull was a complete surprise for Leszek and the local church hierarchy who supported him, especially since both parties for the first time in Poland agreed upon the choice of the new Bishop of Kraków after the death of Fulka, the chronicler Wincenty KadÅ‚ubek.Henryk Kietlicz, Archbishop of Gniezno — who had returned from exile some time before — decided to call the {{ill|Synod of Borzykowa|pl|Synod w Borzykowej}}, at which he tried to find a solution to this delicate issue. In addition to the church hierarchy, almost all of the Piast dukes participated in the convention. Leszek, wanting to regain the support of the Church and the other rulers, bestowed a Great Privilege on the clergy, which ensured the integrity of territorial possession of the bishops. This privilege was not signed by Henry I the Bearded nor WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III, but they did comply with the provisions established therein. Mieszko Tanglefoot was not present in Borzykowa; with the help of the Lesser Poland family of Gryfici, he went with his army to Kraków, where the confusion among the citizens as to who was actually in charge enabled him to take the capital without a fight. This was the zenith of the success of Mieszko, as he died in May of the following year. Only then did Archbishop Kietlicz manage to make an appeal to Rome in order to obtain the reversal of the Bull. Henry I, although he was now the oldest Junior Duke, directed his attention to the German invasions, to Lubusz. Leszek returned to Kraków without any major difficulties.Another result of the close cooperation between the Piasts and the Church was the synod of Wolbórz, where Archbishop Kietlicz obtained additional privileges for the Church. The good political relationship between Leszek and Archbishop Ketlicz ended in 1216, when the Archbishop lost the favor of Rome after the death of Pope Innocent III and was forced to end his political influence.

Christianization of Prussia

Another important direction of Leszek’s policy was management of Pomerania and the Christianization of Prussia. Already in 1212 Leszek and his brother Konrad had a meeting in MÄ…kolno with Mestwin I of Pomerelia for the purpose of arranging a Christian mission that began only four years later when a bishop was sent, but without results.However, the idea of Christianization continued. Henry I the Bearded soon became interested in helping, and with him WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III Spindleshanks. In 1217 Leszek and Henry I arranged a meeting at Danków. A year later Leszek met with Henry I and WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III at SÄ…dowel, where an alliance between the three was concluded. Moreover, a treaty of mutual inheritance between Leszek and WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III was signed, wherein Leszek, as the younger prince, had a better chance to inherit. This treaty also virtually disinherited WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw Odonic, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III’s nephew and closest male relative. The alliance agreement with Henry I and WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III enabled Leszek to adopt the title of dux Poloniae or dux totius Poloniae since 1218.In their common desire to begin the Christianization of Prussia, Leszek, Henry I, and WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III were soon joined in their efforts by Leszek’s brother Konrad I of Masovia and Swietopelk II, Duke of Pomerelia. It was soon realized, however, that Swietopelk’s participation in this project was only a cover, as his main goal was to restore the political independence of his domains.When Pope Innocent III requested of Leszek Polish participation in a Crusade, Leszek answered in a long letter that “neither he nor any self-respecting Polish knight could be induced to go to the Holy Land, where, they had been informed, there was no wine, mead, or even beer to be had”.BOOK, Richmond, Yale, From Da to Yes: Understanding the East Europeans, 1995, Intercultural Press, 9781877864308, 69,books.google.com/books?id=u_KzAAAAIAAJ&q=Leszek+beer+mead, 24 July 2020, Initially, an attempt was made to convert the Prussians by peaceful means through special trading centers in which the pagans would become acquainted with the Christians. In the end, however, after not seeing much progress, it was decided that there should be a military expedition, which took place in 1222. However, the whole enterprise soon failed, especially when Swietopelk II withdrew his support mid-crusade. Swietopelk also gave refuge at his court to WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw Odonic, who began his fight against his uncle WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III.To cope with a challenge from the Prussians, the Piast rulers decided to create a “Knight Guard” (pl: stróże rycerskie) to protect their frontiers, for which knights from all of their domains were required to participate. But the concept of the Knight Guard collapsed by 1224 as a result of the defeat of the Lesser Poland knights, who suffered a surprise attack from the Prussians. The defeat and slaughter contributed significantly to the already cowardly attitude of the command of the Guard, a member of the Gryfici family, who was punished with exile.In 1225, unhappy with this turn of events, the Gryfici conspired against Leszek and invited Henry I the Bearded to take the throne of Kraków, who for unknown reasons broke his previous alliance and, using Leszek’s involvement in Kievan Rus’ affairs, appeared near Kraków. The war between Leszek and Henry I was preempted because of an attack on Lubusz by the Landgrave Louis IV of Thuringia, which forced Henry I to retreat. Before he could leave Lesser Poland his troops had wanted a clash with the forces of Leszek and Konrad at the DÅ‚ubnia River. Such a battle did not occur, however, because the opponents were able to conclude an agreement. It was recognized, though, that a return to the previous alliance and close cooperation that lasted from 1217–1224 would no longer be possible.New complications occurred in 1227. In Greater Poland, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III Spindleshanks was unable to deal with his nephew, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw Odonic. Leszek was personally interested in this conflict, as he still hoped to inherit the domains of the childless WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III. For unknown reasons, at some point WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw Odonic lost the support of Swietopelk II, and thus he could not be sure of a victory. Therefore, it was unsurprising that both parties sought to end the conflict. Another problem that Leszek wanted to solve was the issue of the dangerous independent behavior of the Pomerelian Duke.

Assassination

File:LeszekBialy2 DSC0919.JPG|thumb|Statue of Leszek in Marcinkowo GórneMarcinkowo GórneA meeting of Polish Dukes was organized in the district of GÄ…sawa on the border of Kujawy and Greater Poland. Held in November 1227, it was attended by Leszek, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw Odonic, Henry I the Bearded, and Konrad I of Masovia - for unknown reasons, one of the most interested, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III Spindleshanks, did not attend the meeting. The content of the talks was most likely the conduct of ÅšwiÄ™topeÅ‚k II of Pomerelia.Halecki and Polonsky. Poland. p. 29. On the morning of 24 November, the princes were attacked while they were bathing. Henry I was seriously wounded, but his life was saved by his faithful knight Peregrinus of Wiesenburg, who covered him with his own body. Leszek managed to escape half-naked on his horse to the nearby village of Marcinkowo, but the assassins caught up to him and killed him. The attackers have been postulated to be men of either WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw OdonicGerard Labuda: Historia Kaszubów w dziejach Pomorza (The history of Kashubians within history of Pomerania) t.1 Czasy Å›redniowieczne (vol.1 Middle ages), GdaÅ„sk 2006, p. 517. or ÅšwiÄ™topeÅ‚k II, or some conspiracy involving both parties. Leszek’s body was transported to Kraków and buried in Wawel Cathedral on or before 6 December 1227.K. JasiÅ„ski: Rodowód Piastów maÅ‚opolskich i kujawskich, Poznań–WrocÅ‚aw 2001, pp. 26–27, footnote 74.The death of Leszek the White fundamentally changed the political situation in Poland. Despite his turbulent government, Leszek was the Duke of Kraków universally recognized by all the Polish princes. ÅšwiÄ™topeÅ‚k II declared himself independent from Polish vassalship upon Leszek’s death. Leszek’s son BolesÅ‚aw V was only one year old upon his father’s death, and so the rule over Kraków and Lesser Poland was contested between Leszek’s brother Konrad I and WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III Spindleshanks, who was his heir according to the treaty of mutual inheritance made in 1217. Eventually Duke Henry I the Bearded of Silesia prevailed as High Duke in 1232.

Marriage and issue

Older historiography noted that Leszek married only once, to GrzymisÅ‚awa, daughter of Ingvar Yaroslavich, Prince of Lutsk in 1207. However, modern research now considers that he was married twice, firstly in 1207 or 1208 to a daughter of Prince Ingvar whose name is unknown, and after her repudiation, in 1210 or 1211 to GrzymisÅ‚awa, who was possibly a daughter of Yaroslav IV Vladimirovich, Prince of Novgorod.D. DÄ…browski: Dwa ruskie małżeÅ„stwa Leszka BiaÅ‚ego. Karta z dziejów Rusi halicko-wÅ‚odzimierskiej i stosunków polsko-ruskich w poczÄ…tkach XIII wieku, [in:] “Roczniki Historyczne”, t. 72, 2006, pp. 67–93. From his marriage to GrzymisÅ‚awa, Leszek had two children:

• Salomea (1211/12 – 17 November 1268Historiography also notes 10 November 1268 as a death date, but seems unlikely. K. JasiÅ„ski: Rodowód Piastów maÅ‚opolskich i kujawskich, Poznań–WrocÅ‚aw 2001, pp. 23–25.), married in 1215 to Prince Coloman,{{cn|date=October 2020}} son of King Andrew II of Hungary. They were the intended rulers of Galicia–Volhynia, but as noted above these plans failed and they never really established rule in that area. After her husband’s death (1241) she became a Poor Clare nun at Zawichost and SkaÅ‚a.
• BolesÅ‚aw V the Chaste (21 June 1226 – 7 December 1279), who assumed the throne of Poland at Kraków in 1243.

Church foundations

In 1216 Leszek founded the Church of Saint Wenceslaus (pl: Kościół św. Wacława) in the city of Radom, which was further provided for by his son Bolesław V the Chaste, and in 1440 was extended and partially rebuilt in the Gothic style.

Legacy

{{Commons category|Leszek the White}} He is rarely numbered (Leszek I), and his name is infrequently spelled Leszko or Lesco.An opera about him, Leszek Biały, was written by Józef Elsner and performed in 1809.WEB,portalmuzykipolskiej.pl/en/osoba/4349-jozef-elsner/kompozycje/3955-leszek-bialy-or-the-witch-from-lysa-gora, Józef Elsner, Jakub Chachulski, Dziedzictwo Muzyki Polskiej, The Fryderyk Chopin Institute, en,

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

Sources

• BOOK, Leszek BiaÅ‚y i jego czasy,books.google.com/books?id=ZMSmtgAACAAJ, 2002, Wydaw. DolnoÅ›lÄ…skie, 978-83-7023-935-0,
• BOOK, Nora Berend, PrzemysÅ‚aw UrbaÅ„czyk, PrzemysÅ‚aw Wiszewski, Central Europe in the High Middle Ages: Bohemia, Hungary and Poland, c.900–c.1300,books.google.com/books?id=iNgaAgAAQBAJ, 19 December 2013, Cambridge University Press, 978-0-521-78156-5,

Further reading

• JOURNAL, WÅ‚odarski, BronisÅ‚aw, Polityka ruska Leszka BiaÅ‚ego, NakÅ‚. Tow. Naukowego, 3, 1925,
• JOURNAL, WÅ‚odarski, BronisÅ‚aw, Polska i RuÅ›: 1194–1340, PaÅ„stwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1966,
• JOURNAL, UmiÅ„ski, Józef, Åšmierć Leszka BiaÅ‚ego, Nasza PrzeszÅ‚ość: Studia z dziejów KoÅ›cioÅ‚a i kultury katolickiej w Polsce, 2, 1947, 3–36,
• JOURNAL, Mitkowski, Józef, Nieznane dokumenty Leszka BiaÅ‚ego z lat 1217–1222, Kwartalnik Historyczny, 52, 4, 1938, 645–658,
• JOURNAL, Labuda, Gerard, Åšmierć Leszka BiaÅ‚ego (1227), Roczniki Historyczne, 61, 1995, 7–36,

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