Następcy *Mieszko* - *Piasts* Polski : The Heirs of Mieszko : The Piasts of Poland

[Velasco]

This is my second AAR, it will be a stab at world conquest in CK (I have yet to purchase EU), playing as Poland.

Enjoy!

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Boleslaw II, the Great, or the Bold (ruled 1058-1092)
The Colonna Regency (1093-1100)
Mieszko III (in name 1093-1100, 1100-)

[Velasco]

Introduction

In 1058, King Kazimierz (Casimir) Karol, called 'the Restorer', of Poland, died, and was succeeded by his eldest son Boleslaw II, then aged 16. Boleslaw's early years were dominated by his mother, Dobronega Maria, a Russian princess, who instructed her son in the art of kingship.

King Kazimierz had two sisters. The elder, Ryksa (1016-1052) married the Hungarian prince Bela Arpad, who for some years lived in exile in Poland, and sat on the Hungarian throne briefly. One of their sons, Geza, styled "duke of Slovakia", ruled much of northern Hungary in 1066, and his brother Laszlo also held much sway in Bihar. A daughter, Ilona, was the wife of Zvonimir Dmitar Trpimirovic, who ruled much of northern and eastern Croatia, whilst another Zsofia was the consort of Ulrich, ruler of Krain and Istria.

King Kazimierz's second sister Gertruda, who was still alive in 1066, and kept a close correspondence with her young nephew, married Izyaslav, prince of Kiev, a nephew of Queen Dobronega Maria. Gertruda proved a loyal ally to Boleslaw, as she held much influence, not only over her husband, but also over her son, Mstislav, prince of Novgorod.

King Boleslaw himself had one brother, the troublesome Wladyslaw Herman, duke of Mazovia. He also had a sister, Swietoslawa, consort of Wratislaw,duke of Bohemia, a vassal of the german emperor Heinrich.

By this complicated web of marriage, Boleslaw was related to all the leading eastern European royal dynasties; furthermore, through Kazimierz's mother Richenza (Ryksa) of Lotharingia, he was descended from the Emperor Otto II of Germany. Through his mother, he was also connected to four of the foremost monarchies of christendom, for his mother was the sister of the mighty St Yaroslav of Kiev, who ruled his lands with an iron fist, and was the father of four daugthers: Anastasia, who married Andras Arpad (a brother of Bela, husband of Boleslaw's aunt Ryksa), and was mother of King Salamon of Hungary, Anna, who married Henri I of France and was the mother of King Philippe, Agatha, who married Edward Atheling, de jure king of England, and Elisaveta, who married Harald Sigurdarson Yngling (called 'Hardrada' or 'Hardraade'), King of Norway.

CHAPTER ONE: 1066-1076

In 1066, Boleslaw was aged 24, and had finally asserted his independence from his mother, although she still held much influence over him. Despite her constant interference in his rule, she was a useful ally against his two chief enemies, his younger brother Wladyslaw Herman, and Stanislaw, the Archbishop of Krakow.

In January 1067 Boleslaw signed the "Potrójna ententa", the Triple Entente, between him and his two new-found allies, King Svend of Denmark, and his own cousin King Olaf of Norway (son of his maternal aunt Elisaveta). The triple alliance was sealed by two marriages: that of King Olaf with Gro, a daughter of King Svend, and of Boleslaw and Ragnhild Maria, a sister of King Olaf.

In 1067 Boleslaw campaigned against the tribe of Pommerania, a pagan people to the north of his lands. The campaign resulted in the complete subjugation of Pommerania by Boleslaw, although the peasantry remained staunchly pagan. Boleslaw then marched east, against the tribe of Yatviags, to the north-est of his kingdom, which had begun to harass the borders of his brother's lands during the campaign in Pommerania. This second campaign was even quicker than the first one, ending in 1070.

In 1071 Boleslaw joined the war against the Pechenegs, one of the pagan steppe peoples, who had settled to the south-east of Hungary. Driving deep into Pecheneg territory, he was assisted by troops from Kiev and Galich, and even a few soldiers sent by his allies, Olaf and Svend, and conquered almost all of the tribe's lands by November 1074, except Pereschen, which was seized by a Russian prince.

December 1074 brought the infamous "Dary Boleslaw" - "the gifts of Boleslaw", a generous distribution of the newly conquered lands by Boleslaw. The queen Mother Dobronega Maria was made Duchess of Wallachia. Boleslaw added Yatvyagi and Scalovia to his brother's lands, and Galindia and Danzig went to Stanislaw of Krakow. Boleslaw's leading general, Jacek Poraje, now an old and sick man, was made count in Wolgast. Lastly, Boleslaw made his two-year old bastard son Prendota Duke of Pommerania.

Around this time, the succession became a major issue. Having won the support of the Polish nobility against the claims of his brother, Boleslaw now had no legitimate male heir, and so it stood that should he die the throne would pass to his hated brother. However, the King and Queen were still young, and the union had herewith produced a child (all daughters), annually: Rycheza (born 1070), Smiechna (1071-1072), Aldona (1072-1074), Gertuda (born 1073), Pechna (born 1074, days after the Dary Boleslaw), and Krystyna (born 1076). In addition, Boleslaw had one acknowledged bastard, Prendota, whom he made titular Duke of Pommerania, born in 1072, who neverthelesss was refused as a viable heir by the majority of Polish nobles.

In order to counteract his lack of a male heir, Boleslaw, already called 'the Bold' and 'the Generous', decided to further enhance his military reputation and make further territorial conquests; the nobles were much less likely to support his brother if he remained a strong and powerful warrior king. Therefore, he attacked the chiefdom of Podlasie in July 1075, and was able to safely return home a year later. To further enhance himself in the eyes of his nobles, Podlasie was given to his brother Wladyslaw, who was also made Duke of Podlasia. Boleslaw returned home to rapturous worship from the serfs, and held a great royal feast for his nobles to celebrate his victory. The feast's splendour was spoken of throughout Europe, and remembered for many years to come. It was financed wholely by Boleslaw, whose personal income now amounted to over 18(C), more than most of Europe's rulers.

[anonymous4401]

You mean Europe Conquest, don't you?

Good luck with that.

[Andrzej I]

Excellent AAR so far.
Ironically, my AAR takes the opposite view of yours, mine is from the view of Stanislaw's secular sucessor who hates Boleslaw II .
Well, either way, excellent AAR and good luck, it seems like you'll need it unless if you want Wladyslaw Herman on the throne (which happened in my AAR)

[Velasco]

Yes by 'World' i meant Europe and the Middle East, who knows maybe a great crusading king will rise up and force the Polish language on all the heathens, from Iberia to north Africa to the steppe peoples. Just a thought

Chief goals now are to further expand kingdom and to avoid at all costs letting Wladyslaw suceed, so i will either change the succession laws to elective, allowing Prendota to inherit, or to semisalic, so the throne passes to the eldest son of my daughter Rycheza.

Ok will be up as soon as i've written it.
Enjoy!

[Velasco]

In September 1076 Boleslaw was visited by his brother-in-law Wratislaw, Duke of Bohemia, and entertained the entire Bohemian court, before rifing with them to Masovia, where the marriage of Boleslaw's brother Wladyslaw and Wratislaw's daughter Judith took place. Boleslaw, originally fearful that Wladyslaw might be attempting to secure foreign assistance against him, took the marriage as an opportunity to strengthen his own ties with Wratislaw, who brought with him the support of the German Emperor. Judith was the daughter of Wratislaw and his first wife Adelhaid, sister of King Salamon of Hungary, and a daughter of Anastasia of Kiev, a niece of the Queen Mother Dobronega Maria.

Wladyslaw was already famed throughout christendom for his matrimonial tangles. His first marriage was to Lucja Gozdawa, a young Polish noblewoman, who bore him a son, Pawl, and two daughters, Dobronega and Danuta. Wladyslaw then decided to put her away and marry his Hungarian mistress, Maria Pallfly; Lucja was forcibly held at a monastery, where she died of a broken heart. Eager to father more sons, in order to show Boleslaw up even more, Wladyslaw then attempted to divorce Maria when she bore him only two daughters, Pechna and Rozsa, but Boleslaw blocked all his attempts to end the union, and Wladyslaw therefore took Maria back, and once more impregnated her, only to have her die in childbirth. Wladyslaw then married Gertrud Guthkeled, a Hungarian lady of distinguished birth (she was the sister of Ipoly, count of Pecs), who was 16 years his junior. Desperate to please her new husband, Gertrud died of exhaustion shortly after bearing a daughter, Ludmila. And so it fell to the unlucky Judith, who had already lost one husband (Miklos Guthkeled, an older brother of Gerturd), to marry Wladyslaw, who was much angered to discover she was pregnant with the posthumous child of her first husband, which turned out to be a girl, Kamilla, born in 1077.

In October 1076 Boleslaw rode against Tortogul of Lower Dniepr, a cuman chief. Having conquered Lower Dniepr by May 1077, he then moved against the tribe of Pereyaslavl. In the heart of pagan territory, news reached him of the death of his mother, Dobronega Maria, on Deceber 29th 1077, which returned to the crown her dower lands of Wallachia. With renewed vigour, Boleslaw vented his sorrow against the pagans, taking Lukomorie in July 1078.

Boleslaw then returned briefly to Poland, where he appointed the nobleman Bolko Dolwa to the newly created episcopal see of Wallachia. In August Pope Anselm died, and the College of Cardinals elected Stanislaw as his successor, giving Boleslaw unprecedented control of the papacy. Furthermore, this removed Stanislaw as an effective ally for his brother Wladyslaw.

Stanislaw's election preceded his renouncal of his Polish holdings, which returned to the crown. Galindia was given to Wladyslaw, Kujawy to Maciej Lodzia, Bishop of Kaliskie, and Sieradzko-Leczyckie to the boy Prendota, who was also made Duke of Krakow (a title many took as further indication that Boleslaw wished the child to suceed him).

In October 1078 Boleslaw attacked the Prince of Galich Merksy, the independent ruler of a small principality bordering Poland to the east. Polish troops took Peremyshl (January 1079) and Galich (March 1079), but a agreeable peace treaty was not found, and Boleslaw was unable to fully annex the occupied lands as the prince continued to maraud the surrounding countryside with his small army, which he used mainly against his rebellious vassals.

Sensing no real danger could come from the impoverished, landless prince, Boleslaw and his men marched against Sircan, chief of Sarpa, another of the Cuman prince, who succumbed in July 1079. Boleslaw then marched far north, to Nizhny Novogorod, the final bastion of the tribe of Pereyaslavl, which he had previously thought fully defeated. Nizhny Novgorod fell in November 1079, arousing much fear and distrust of Boleslaw from amongst the Russian princes.

Returning to the south, Boleslaw then invaded the lands of Uzluk, High Chief of the tribe of Don, taking Azov in May.

On June 1st, Boleslaw's nobles signed the Treaty of Sandomerskie with the young prince Iosif of Galich Merksy, who they had captured: Iosif agreed to cede to Boleslaw all his lands, in return for his life and that of his family, and for permission to leave Poland and seek their fortune elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Boleslaw had attacked Pulad, King of Abkhazia, and soundly defeated him, taking Abkhazia in October.

In August Pope Stanislaw, who was attempting to secure that the throne of St. Peter would pass to another Polishman, admitted Boleslaw's steward Kazimierz Rogala to the College of Cardinals, and made him Bishop of Hamburg and Bremen. Stanislaw actions, and his denial to support Wladyslaw against Boleslaw, clearly demonstrated to all that Boleslaw's rule was supported by the church, so that his hold on the throne was further consolidated. Another Pole, by the name of Dobromir, was also admitted to the college in October, and became bishop of Sticht, Holland, and Westfriesland.

Boleslaw continued his agressive and ruthless expansion, wresting Kuban from the chief Uzur in January 1081. Returning to Abkhazia, he issued charters granting generous gifts of lands to his chief supporters. His mistress Zwinislawa Lis was made countess of Torki, whilst her brother Wojcieh was given Nizhny Novogord and Sarkel. Boleslaw did not foget the church, and added Lukomeria and Lower Dniepr to the see of Weilkopolska, and Olvia and Belgorod to that of Wallachia. Three other royal mistresses, Ludmila Racwicz, Zwinislawa Sulima, and Anna Radwan, recevied Azov, Kuban, and Sarpa. Lastly, Danzig was granted to the distinguished warrior Bozydar Odrowaz; and for the first time "Duke of Sandomiersk" was added to the long list of Boleslaw's titles at the end of the charters.

That January, as Boleslaw attacked the tribe of Alania, the Emir of Volga attacked Anna Radwan of Sarpa, and Boleslaw was forced to have his former lover assasinated so that he might seize his lands, and prevent the Emir from taking them.

In February, another of Boleslaw's mistresses, Beata Racwicz (sister of Ludmila, countess of Azov) married Boleslaw's nephew Bretislaw, who had succeeded his father Wratislaw as duke of Bohemia in 1078. Beata and Bretislaw first fell in love in 1079, when Bretislaw visited his brother-in-law Wladyslaw Herman, following the death of his sister Judith, who nevertheless had given Wladyslaw one child, a son (his second), Przeclaw, in 1078. Wladyslaw did not scruple to at once marry his mistress Katarzyna of Danzig, who was pregnant with his child, who turned out to be his third son Stefan in 1080; a second son, Krzeslaw followed in 1081 (although he died young in 1082), and a daughter, Kunegunda, in 1082.

The war with Alania, unlike Boleslaw's other campaigns, was not an immediate victory, and the Alans were only fully defeated two years alter, in April 1083. Boleslaw's permanent territorial conquests were Kasogs, Alania, Guria, and also Mozhaysk in Russia, even further north than Nizhny Novgorod.

The war brought Boleslaw hugely into debt, and so he was forced to take church money when papal indlugences arrived in June 1082. Further papal indulgences trickled Boleslaw's way in early 1083, helping him finance his wars of expansion. Boleslaw also payed off much of his debt by selling the conquered lands, to the wealthiest of the polish nobility. Wojcieh Lis was given Mozhaysk, whilst his second sister Lucja (another of Boleslaw's mistresses) (the first sister was Zwinislawa, countess of Torki) bought Peremyshl. The Archbishop Bolko agreed to overlook Boleslaw's theft of church money after receiving Oleshye, and after his favourite (and rumoured bastard son) Zbyzko Bodzeta was made count of Sarpa. Danzig, whose count had rebelled, went to yet another prominent courtier, the 16 year old Wiaczeslawa Racwicz (a daughter of Ludmila Racwicz, countess of Azov, many said by Boleslaw himself). The child Prendota, already duke of Pommerania and Krakow, was recognised as a prince of the royal blood, with precedence over all the other polish nobles (even Wladyslaw Herman) and given Krakowskie.

With this, the problem of the sucession once more reared its ugly head. The nobles, and the powerful Archbishop Bolko, were adamant that polish law forbade the inheritance of bastard children, and refused to accept Prendota as heir, as things stood. The Queen Ragnhilde, now in her early thirties, had borne a seventh daughter, Thorborg, in October 1082, who joined the four surving princesses Rycheza (aged 12), Gertruda (aged 9), Pechna (aged 8), and Krystyna (aged 6) as the pride and joy, the blossoming apple orchard in Boleslaw's eyes; yet the male heir, necessary for political purposes, remained elusive.

Upon his return to Poland, Boleslaw held a meeting, with his wife Ragnhild, and leading advisors to learn of the goings on during his absence. He was greatly pleased with the outcme of the treaty of Sandomerskie, but was disturbed to hear that the friendly King Erik of Sweden had died, and been shortly followed to the grave by his successor, the ill Sven Kolsson, and so the throne passed to Samund of Oland, a young pagan chief.

[Lurken]

A pagan ruled Sweden? Can anyone spell to paganbashing?

[Velasco]

In June 1083 Boleslaw launched another attack against the cumin pagans, expelling the local chiefs from Manych (November 1083) and Kuma (March 1084). Following these victories, he held a splendid ceremony before the pagan inhabitants of those lands, during which he was crowned King of the Cumans, and his son Prendota Duke of the Alans, or of Alania.

Before his departure, the King Boleslaw had lain with his wife, and he had left her in the knowledge she was carry their eight child. On the eve of September 12th she went into labour, and by noon the next day she was delivered, of a healthy baby boy, who Boleslaw had christened Mieszko, in honour of two previous Kings of the Polish people. The boy was called Augustus, and Duke of Ceiszyn, which titles were henceforth traditionally held by the heir to the Polish throne. The birth of a male heir solved years of dynastic conflict, between Boleslaw and his brother Wladyslaw Herman, and between the those courtiers which upheld the dynastic claim of Boleslaw’s eldest daughter Rycheza, and those which pressed the claims of his bastard Prendota.

In November, invigorated by the birth of a legitimate son, Boleslaw attacked his nephew Bretislaw, who had proclaimed himself King of Bohemia. Bretislaw was rumoured to be a firm believer in heretic beliefs, and had been excommunicated by the Pope; furthermore, he had no sons, and his only two daughters had both been struck down in their youth, a sure sign of God’s displeasure with him, and so Boleslaw was even supported by his sister Swietoslawa, mother of Bretislaw, who wished for the land of Bohemia (traditionally a duchy under German jurisdiction, but now an independent kingdom under Bretislaw) to pass to her favourite son Bedrich. Liberec was taken in April, 1085, followed by Praha (June 23rd) Plzen (August 19th) and Cheb (November 26th), in the mean time, Cieszyn was lot (June 17th). During this campaign, Boleslaw installed his consort Ragnhild in the city of Praha, where she bore their ninth child, Gudrid, on October 24th.

The resulting Peace of Praha forced Bretislaw to recognise Boleslaw as the perpetual, hereditary King, and overlord, of all Bohemia (by right of his own descent from a Bohemian princess) and his own mother Swietoslawa as duchess – Bretislaw was left in possession of the south-west of the country, the counties of Cheb and Plzen. Bretislaw also had to accept Duke Dytryk of Silesia and Moravia, gaining considerably holdings in eastern Bohemia, the western part of Moravia, which nevertheless remained in the direct possession of Konrad Przemysl.

In 1085 Boleslaw’s aunt Gertruda, Princess of Kiev, died, ending a period of considerable cooperation between the Poles and the Russian principalities, and ushering in a new period of increased interaction between Poland and Germany.

Early in 1086 Bedrich, count of Usti nad Labem, brother of Bretislaw died, leaving behind a young pregnant widow, his first cousin Dobronega, a daughter of Wladyslaw Herman. The girl at once returned to Poland, to Boleslaw’s court, where she, aged 19, married his excited 14 year old bastard, Prendota; this marriage was intended to strengthen Prendota’s claim to the throne, which was further demonstrated by the addition of the royal name of Kazimierz, so that he became Kazimierz Prendota, Duke of Pommerania, Krakow, and Alania. Dobronega bore Bedrich’s child, who was given the name Tobias, on July 24th. Kazimierz Prendota, not wishing to let his father down, especially exerted himself, daily, until it was found that the lady Dobronega was with child, yet even then, overcome with his duty to his dynasty, he continued to exert himself unto her sixth month of pregnancy.

On February 12th, 1087, the princess Rycheza, was married to Stefan Pawel, the eldest son of her uncle Wladyslaw Herman. This was to ensure the succession; as the children of Rycheza and Stefan Pawel would be the undoubted heirs, failing the line of Mieszko. Soon after, in agreement with the marriage contract, Wladyslaw made Stefan duke of Podlasia, giving him extensive lands to rule in his own right.

In March 1087 Wladyslaw Herman married for the sixth time, to Clare of Zaringen, the eldest surviving child of the sonless Herman, Margrave of Verona, Veneto, and Karnten. This marriage would bring to him her father’s extensive lands in north-eastern Italy and Karnten (Carinthia), making him one of the most powerful princes of Germany. At the same time, Wladyslaw’s daughter Danuta, the remaining child (the other two were Stefan Pawel and Dobronega) by his marriage with Lucja Gozdawa, was married to Pimen of Varazdin, eldest son of Zvonimir Dmitar Trpimirovic, duke of Slavonia, and Ilona Arpad, a daughter of King Bela of Hungary and Ryksa Piast, an aunt of King Boleslaw.

In January 1088 Boleslaw attacked the tribe of Prussia, and easily overcoming them, adding Chelminskie (May 23rd) and Marienburg (August) to his domains. Once again, the Queen Ragnhild had fallen pregnant before the campaign, and so she it was that she bore her tenth child on May 28th, five days after the fall of Chelminskie, a girl, who unfortunately was clubfooted. The girl was christened Danuta, and was called Danuta of Chelminskie, or Danuta the Prussian.

Around this time, Wladyslaw disinherited his sons from his previous marriages, and declared his intention that his lands should pass to his sons by Clare of Zaringen. Boleslaw then went to his brother, and made Wladyslaw’s second son Przeclaw duke of Prussia. He also took with him Wladyslaw’s third son Mateusz Stefan, so that he might be able to provide for him also, either by entering him into the church, or by marrying him to one of his daughters.

Boleslaw was deeply enraged by his brother’s treatment of his children, and at once sought to betroth his infant son Mieszko to Gisela of Zaringen, sister of Clare of Zaringen, in order to secure for his son at least a portion of her father’s lands – lands which might one day be used to exchange for lands nearer to the Polish border.

In February 1089 Boleslaw’s ally King Svend died. Svend was succeeded by his eldest son, Harald, who at once expressed his desire to continue his father’s alliance with Boleslaw. However, the Danish succession had not always passed from father to eldest son, using the rule of primogeniture, and so Harald’s younger brother, Bjorn, ruler of Slesvig, who long ago had been nominated by their own father as his heir, pressed his own claim to the throne, although he refused to take to the battle field. Furthermore, Bjorn’s eldest son, Gotfred, who had married Harald’s daughter Gunhild, pressured Harald to send his son Peder to a monastery, so that the two rival branches of the dynasty might be reconciled. Boleslaw, who could sympathise with Harald’s fratric problems, supported Harald against Bjorn, and convinced him to keep Peder as his heir.

Boleslaw also signed an alliance with his cousin, King Philippe of France, establishing a reliable trade route from Byzantium and Abkhazia to Belgorod, to Krakow, through Germany, to Paris.

In April 1089 news filtered to Boleslaw that Voitto, high chief of Soumi, had also become high chief of Tavasts, uniting two of the most powerful pagan tribes of Finland. Nevertheless, Voitto remained distant from Boleslaw, and so it was not deemed necessary to check his growing power.

In May the princess Rycheza died, in labour, leaving behind two children, Helena (born in 1087) and Wladyslaw (born in 1088). Her husband, Stefan Pawel, Duke of Podlasia, remarried after a suitable period of mourning, to a Hungarian lady, by the name of Edit Poth, the widow of a mad Flemish knight, Gauchier de Flandre.

In August the Pope Stanislaw died, and was succeeded by Erlend, the brother of Paul, ruler of Orkney, a prince of the Norsemen. Many disputed this succession, as Erlend was married, and had one daughter, Gudrun, who had married Bjarne of Oppland, a son of King Olaf of Norway (who had financed Erlend’s election). Thankfully the church was saved from schism when Erlend died less than a month later, and Erlend was succeeded by a Pole, Wojcieh, Archbishop of Wielkopolska. Wojcieh, whose election was financed and fully supported by Boleslaw, at once admitted Boleslaw’s nephew, Mateusz Stefan, aged nine, to the College of Cardinals, and made him Archbishop of Wielkopolska (Greater Poland).

Earlier that year, the Queen Ragnhild, aged 38, had once more fallen pregnant, and on October 23rd gave birth to her second son, and eleventh child, who was christened Mikolaj, securing the succession.

In November, the princess Gertruda travelled to Denmark, where she married Peder, heir to King Harald. This was followed soon after by the departure of her sister Pechna to Paris; she arrived days after the death of King Philippe, who was succeeded by his son Alphonse, who was just as eager as his father for the marriage to take place.

In September 1091 news filtered back to Poland that the Fatimids, with the help of the Zirids (rulers of Sicily and parts of northern Africa) had launched a full scale invasion of Iberia.

Meanwhile, Boleslaw gathered his men in Danzig, and set sail for Sweden, which he hoped to liberate from the rule of the pagan king there. In quick succession, his army captured Vastergotland (February 20th) Ostergotland (June 26th) and Sodermanland (August 21st). And so, whilst walking amongst his men, nine days after the fall of Sodermanland, that King Boleslaw, the Second of that name to rule over the Polish people, called “the Bold”, “the Generous” and even by some, “the Great”, died, aged 50, of old age. During his reign, the Polish kingdom was stretched to the north, to the east, to the south, and to the west, forging a powerful feudatory running from the Baltic to the Black Sea. He left a strong and stable kingdom to his eight year old heir, Mieszko III.

[Velasco]

The new king, Mieszko III Augustus, was aged eight in August 1092, at the time of his ascension. In his name, his father’s invasion of Sweden continued, under the leadership of Dytryk, Duke of Silesia, who took for himself Uppland (October 26th) Aland (December) and Oland (in March of the next year, 1093).

With an income of 26©, the Queen Mother was able to stage a lavish coronation for her young son. Following the coronation, various charters were passed by her in the name of the new king, elevating the prince Kazimierz Prendota, the king’s bastard brother, to the succession, and also Wladyslaw Herman; by these, and other actions, Ragnhild hoped to obtain support for her own regency and the loyalty of the polish princes. However, there existed no real threat of rebellion from either of those two; Wladyslaw Herman was now an old man, and had been much shaken by the deaths of his brother and daughter, whilst Kazimierz was also much subdued by the death of his wife Dobronega earlier that year.

The coronation was presided over by Wladyslaw’s son Mateusz Stefan, Archbishop of Wielkopolska, who at the age of thirteen was already taller and stronger than all the other men of the other court, and whose broad muscular shoulders and cultured handsomeness had already aroused the interest of both sexes.

A few days before the coronation, there was a notable arrival at Mieszko’s court: the young Cardinal Giacinto Orsini, of a distinguished noble family of Rome, descended from a certain Ursus de Paro. Giacinto, much beloved by the Roman people, was much envied by the new Pope Urban II (Wojcieh Traba), who excommunicated him, on the grounds of his alleged pursuit of heretical beliefs, and his bigamous marriage to a Muslim woman from Sicily. Giacinto brought with him his Muslim concubine, Jamelia (also called Fatima) of Siracusa, and his legal Roman wife Margherita (Margareta) Tusculani. He was joined by his thirteen year old sister, Byzantia Orsini, and her husband, Renaud de Villeneuve, a French knight in his early forties. Also with him was his mother Maria Colonna, and her second husband Matteo di Palestrina, who had also taken the name of Colonna, and their four children: Teofilato, Beatrice, Isabella, and Adelaide, all Colonna. The Colonna were a cadet branch of the Tusculani, the counts of Tusculum, which house had produced the popes Benedict VIII, John XIX, and Benedict IX. Maria’s own father, Piero Colonna, a loyal supporter of Pope Urban II, soon after succeeded to the bishopric of Osnabruck in Saxony; consequently he married Judith Billung, the fifteen year old daughter of Duke Magnus of Saxony, and set about trying to marry his two sons Oddone and Umberto into other noble Saxon houses.

In March 1093 the Colonna-Orsini staged a coup d'état in Sandomierski, seizing the regency for themselves, and forcing the Queen Mother Ragnhild to depart to Mazovia. Not long after, in May, the peasants of Sandomierski revolted, but Giacinto greatly enhanced his reputation, and gained widespread approval for his regency, by showing much heroism in the fight against the rebels, and later pardoning all the survivors.

It was not a surprise that soon after the Colonna-Orsini family began to appoint themselves to the highest offices of government. The lady Maria was made the royal chancellor, one of the first female in Europe to hold such a post, whilst her husband Matteo was put in charge of the royal bodyguard. Her son-in-law Renaud was made grand seneschal of Poland, and put in charge of the royal exchequer, whilst Giacinto himself refused to take for himself any determined royal position.

[Velasco]

In 1094 the prince Kazimierz Prendota, having been elevated to the royal succession, went to Alania, and stayed for some time amongst the Alans and Cumans. It did not take long for him to become enchanted with the exotic beauty of the Cuman women, and especially enamoured with one of their princesses. She was the daughter of Isaak the Khazar, a prince of the Khazar people, born under the rule of the Cumans. The princes of the Khazars had long ago accepted Judaism, and so it was that the lady was raised as a Jew, amongst the pagan Cumans. The Polish scribe Wanko, in his Life of the children of King Boleslaw, tells us that Isaak was born in Ithil, around 1040, and married a woman of that city, by the name of Miriam, who bore him two daughters, and died shortly afterward. He then went to the court of the Cuman King, where he rose to prominence as the leader of the surviving Jewish Khazar princes, and gained popularity amongst the Cumans by marrying one of their princesses, a certain Sarica. This Sarica, who after her conversion to Judaism was also known as Sarai, bore Isaak three children: Abel (in c1087), Ibrahim (in c1090) and Yochebed (in c1092). After the subjugation of the Cumans by the Polish King Boleslaw, Isaak became the recognised local leader of the Cuman people under Polish rule, and converted a great many Cumans to Judaism (despite this, he did not scruple to take for himself a concubine or mistress, by whom he was to have one son, Jacob, born in 1079). As such, he was the host of Kazimierz Prendota during his visit to Alania in 1094; however, when Kazimierz Prendota first proposed a union between himself and the girl Anna, then aged 14, Isaak refused to consent to the marriage between his daughter and a non-Jew, but eventually he consented, and returned with Kazimierz Prendota to Poland in early 1095, taking with him his wife Sarica (Sarai), their three children, his bastard son Jacob, and his other daughter Miriam the younger.

As news of Kazimierz’s marriage spread throughout the courts of Europe, the startled kings and princes were unsure how to react. The Jews had long been confined to a rich patrician class of wealthy merchants and bankers, recognising their own ‘nobility’ within their own communities, yet never in known history had a Jewish ‘princess’ married a Christian prince. Although the Pope refused to acknowledge the marriage, the fragility of his temporal power as ruler of the Papal states, and the increasing dependence of the Papacy on polish gold, meant he could in act do little, except condemn Kazimierz for taking a mistress, or concubine, and refuse to acknowledge the marriage and any issue it might produce as legitimate. Kazimierz, one of the few princes of his time who could read and write, had a good knowledge of scripture, and was able to use this to his advantage in his diplomatic contests with visitors from the Papacy; in the New Testament marriage to a non-Christian, so long as it did not impede the Christian spouse from fellowship with other Christians, was recognised as legitimate, and as having no grounds for annulment or separation. As rumours circulated that Kazimierz himself was (variously) either Jewish or pagan, and that his mother had also been one or the other (despite it being well-documented that she was in fact a polish noblewoman, although her mother, a princess of the Sorbs, would no doubt have been raised as a pagan), he ordered the building of a large church, and gave a great many lands to the church.

Isaak the Khazar made a favourable impression at the Polish court, and also upon Bohemian and Hungarian noblemen who came to see him, and was found to be a useful ally by the Colonna-Orsini, who made him count of Peremyshl. At the same time, Kazimierz Prendota appointed Jacob, illegitimate son of Isaak, count of Manych. The mere thought that the ‘lowly’ Jews, now connected by marriage to the royal house of Piast, should rise to noble or even royal statues, with their own royal houses, which might continue to intermarry into the royal houses of Europe, set any pious Christian prince shaking in his boots.

The young King Mieszko, at the age of 11, was likely a silent witness to these events, although one chronicle mentions he was much enamoured with the lady (or should it be princess?) Miriam, who was only a year his senior; unfortunately for the young king, and fortunately for the peace of mind of Christian Europe, she had already been married off, to the greatly talented Ituk of Azov, son of the former Cuman chief of Azov, who had converted to Judaism. Around this time, the styled of Duke of Ostergotland and Uppland first appeared amongst the long list of royal titles, in recognition of the Polish conquests in Sweden.

The Colonna and Orsini supported Isaak the Khazar, although they (much like the prince Kazimierz) were quick to distance themselves from any taint of Judaism, or any other heretical beliefs. They were also quick to ensure that no Christian prince took military against Kazimierz Prendota, and that the arrival of the Jews would not inspire some great revolutionary movement amongst the Cumans, Jews, Pechenegs, Alans, and other non-Christian people under polish domination.

[Andrzej I]

So, a Jewish princess and some Jewish counts, eh? Perhaps Poland will become Jewish as well . Either way, excellent job with the AAR so far .

Oh, and about my AAR, I'm starting a new one, and this time I'll be a bit more loyal to the Piasts (before I stab them in the back , just kidding... or am I? lol).

[Velasco]

In March 1095 a messenger arrived at the Polish court, in order to inform Maria Colonna of the marriage of her brother Oddone to Gertrude Staden, a niece of Udo, Duke of Brandenburg. Udo ruled his lands almost autonomously from the Emperor, and had a common border with Poland, and was a supporter of the Colonna regency, especially after the marriage of his niece into that house.

In May Stefan Pawel, the duke of Podlasia, attacked the tribe of Pruthenians, in order to take their lands for himself. However, his initial invasion was repelled, and the pagans advanced deep into his territory, being aided by the pagan peasantry, the remnants of the tribe of Yatviags.

On July 10th, Jamelia (also called Fatima) bore her ‘husband’, the Cardinal Giacinto Orsini, another daughter who was called Silvana. Giacinto was greatly unhappy that the child was not a male, and spent the rest of the year mourning his wives’ inability to present him with a baby boy. On May 12th, 1096 Giacinto’s Roman wife Margherita bore him also bore him a daughter, who was called Valentina. Giacinto was even further displeased this time, as he had been certain the babe would be male, and for some time he refused to see all four of his daughters (Zubayda, Silvana, Paola, and Valentina). For some time he even considered taking a Jewish wife, as he had heard they were very fertile, and it was upon hearing this that his mother urged him at once to forget his foolishness: what need had he of a male heir, when he himself had no lands to pass on? And it so it was not long before Giacinto was heard talking to a group of Polish courtiers, comparing himself to King Boleslaw, and speaking of the advantages of having many daughters.

On May 25th the lady Maria Colonna bore a daughter, Lodovica, her second child born in Poland (the first was Sesto, born January 16th 1094).

In August the Colonna regency formerly declared war on the Pruthenians, and following their examples the Polish nobles gathered in Chelminskie, under the banner of duke Przeclaw of Prussia, and marched against the pagans, who had advanced deep into Podlasia, taking Scalovia and Yatvyagi. The Colonna sent messengers to the pagans, offering peace, as long as the pagan chief agreed to return the conquered lands back to Poland. The chief, facing a full scale invasion of his tribal lands by the much larger and more organized polish forces, agreed, yet as soon as the messengers of the Colonna returned home, he succumbed to pressure from his warriors and continued his invasion of Podlasia. Consequently the Polish nobles continued their attack on the pagans.

On September 9th Jamelia (Fatima) bore another child, her third daughter, who was called Adelia. Adelia was joined in the nursery soon after by her cousin Krystyna, the first child of the young Byzantia Orsini and her husband Renaud de Villeneuve.

In January 1097 Podlasie, which had been occupied by the pagans, was taken back by the Archbishop of Wallachia, who refused to give it back to Stefan Pawel, who had been given Yatvyagi and Scalovia back by the Colonna.

On February 12th a messenger arrived at the court announcing the birth of a daughter, Sevindik, to Isaak the Khazar, count of Peremyshl, and his wife Sarica (Sarai), the previous morning. Sarica had born one other child, a son called Koza, on February 5th 1096, since her arrival in Poland, in addition to her three children born in Alania.

On March 2nd Mieszko’s beautiful sister-in-law, Anna of Cumans, bore his brother Kazimierz Prendota a daughter, who was called Wiaczeslawa. Following the successful completion of his wife’s pregnancy, Kazimierz saw it fit to reveal the birth of a bastard son to him, called Wszebor, since their marriage and return to Poland in 1095. Anna was furious, and was told by several Jewish ladies that this was what she was to expect from a gentile husband, and so when the girl Wiaczeslawa died Anna was quick to blame Kazimierz Prendota: the death of their daughter was god’s punishment for his sin(s?).

On the 8th of March, messengers were sent throughout Poland, announcing the successful defeat of the pagans by duke Przeclaw, who had now added the countship of Sambia to his duchy of Prussia.

On August 11th Jamelia (Fatima) died in labour, and her babe did not live long afterwards, and the Cardinal her husband mourned her death, although he did not neglect his other wife Margherita, who was eight months pregnant. On September 24th Margherita bore a son, who was called Martino, who was joined three days later by his aunt Byzantia’s first son, who was called Arnoul.

On December 24th 1097 the lady Maria bore her third child in Poland, and her ninth child overall, a son, who was called Pasquale.

Around this time news filtered back to Poland that Hermann of Zaringen, Duke of Karnten, Verona, and Veneto, to whose co-heiress Gisela the young Polish sovereign was betrothed, had remarried, his own niece Ermingardis, daughter of his younger brother Berhold, count of Breisgau. The Colonna were greatly worried that the duchess Ermingardis might bear her uncle a male heir, but as of yet she had only produced one daughter, Oda, earlier that year.

In early 1098 Sarica (Sarai) died in labour, leaving Isaak the Khazar, count of Peremyshl, with no wife to look after his children. However, he did not remarry immediately, and many wondered if he ever would.

On July 8th 1098 Margherita Tusculani also died a few hours after giving birth to a sickly child, after learning of her child’s death. After a suitable period of mourning, the Cardinal Giacinto attempt to arrange his own marriage with one of the daughters of Wladyslaw Herman, or even with one of the King’s sisters, yet he was met with fierce resistance from the Polish nobility.

On August 12th Byzantia, aged 18, bore her third child, a son, who was called Eudes.

That month the Queen Mother Ragnhild returned to the royal court, and came to some form of compromise with Maria Colonna, whereby the Colonna maintained their control of government, whilst Ragnhild regained control of her son. Ragnhild was very popular with the Polish nobility, and had won the respect and support of Wladyslaw Herman during her stay at his court, in addition to the support of the powerful princes Kazimierz Prendota (Duke of Pommerania-Krakow-Alania), Mateusz Stefan (Archbishop of Wielkopolska), and Przecclaw (Duke of Prussia).

In 1098 the young Tobias Przemysl, who was a possible heir to the Polish throne, by virtue of both his parents (his father, Bedrich, was the only surviving son of Swietoslawa, sister of King Boleslaw, not excommunicated, whilst his mother Dobronega was the eldest daughter of Wladyslaw Herman, brother of King Boleslaw), died, and his lands of Chuvash passed to his five year old cousin Bores, the son of his uncle Boleslav (who had been excommunicated by the Pope and disinherited by his mother).

On September 19th Kazimierz, who had won his way back into the lady Anna’s favour (Anna was called lady, not duchess, even by sympathetic chroniclers, due to her Jewish heritage), had another child by her, Anastazja. However, the child died soon after, in 1099, and Anna once again blamed his sin(s?) for the death of their child, and once more refused to admit his bastard Wszebor, who (much to her utter infuriation) had survived, to their court.

On December 11th the lady Maria Colonna bore her tenth child, who was given the Polish name of Gaudenty.

On January 12th, 1099, the lady Miriam, sister of the lady Anna, and daughter of Isaak the Khazar, bore her husband, Ituk of Azov, a daughter, who was called Yeldem.

In February 19th 1099 Mieszko’s sister Thorborg was married in the grand cathedral in Cieszyn, built during the reign of King Boleslaw, to Jørgen Knýtling, eldest son of Knud Magnus Svendsson, count of Halland, son of King Svend of Denmark, and Ingegerd Haraldsdottir Yngling, daughter of King Harald Hardrade of Norway. This marriage was intended to further strengthen Piast ties with the Knýtlings of Denmark.

On June 27th the Archbishop Sambor of Wallachia died during a visit to the royal court, and was succeeded by Mszczuj, a noble of rather obscure origins, who had risen through the ranks to gain the attention of the Colonna, who secured this election for him, despite his marriage and many children.

On July 4th the countess Eufrozyna of Opole began a private war against her liege Dytryk of Silesia-Moravia, who was at war with King Harald of Denmark. In Mieszko’s name, Matteo Colonna gathered the royal army and marched into Opole, where he defeated the countess’ men, and with the help of duke Dytryk laid siege to her stronghold there.

On August 6th the lady Anna once more went into labour, having spent nine months chastising herself to once more be seduced by her sinful husband, yet she lost much blood during labour and died soon afterward. Her child did not long outlive her.

Five days later, Gaudenty, the young son of Maria Colonna, died, having been a sickly child from the start, his death came as no surprise to all except Maria, who in his short life had loved him best above all her other children.
On September 11th 1099 the German prince, Philip of Opava, invaded Lower Silesia, renouncing his oath of allegiance to his liege, Dytryk of Silesia, some said in order to rescue his mistress Eufrozyna of Opole.

On the 27th Byzantia bore her fourth child, and third son, who was christened Guigues.

On the 9th of January, 1100, the stronghold of Eufrozyna of Opole succumbed; and the Colonna duly seized her lands for King Mieszko, as a punishment for Duke Dytryk for not keeping his vassals in order. An extensive road network was began at once in Opole, and orders were also given to start a road network in Kasogs. The Colonna also ordered the construction of a grand palace in Galich for King Mieszko. Meanwhile, the count Philip had been successful in his invasion of Lower Silesia, aided by the Danes, but was driven back from Upper Silesia by a joint force under Dytryk and Matteo Colonna, and forced to retreat to Opava.

On the 19th the royal sawmills in Sacz, which had been built long ago by King Boleslaw, to assist in the manufacture of wood from the great many forests he had ordered planted in Sacz, were burnt down in a great fire, and the Colonna, in their benevolent mercy, at once ordered their reconstruction, as the wood made in Sacz was used (and not only in Poland) for many rulers’ extensive building projects.

On March 17th Mieszko’s education formally ended, and he was called nicknamed “amateurish pettifogger”, as he had never really excelled himself, and had only managed to learn rudimentary Latin and German, and it was said he was only barely literate. Many feared that the end of the successful Colonna regency would probably place the great Polish empire in the hands of a weak and unprepared king.

On May 1st the stronghold of Philip of Opava fell, and on the 16th he formally accepted Dytryk of Silesia as ruler of Opava.

On June 23rd Giacinto, who had been reconciled with the church since the death of his two wives, was greeted by a delegation from Rome, who brought to him news of his reinstatement into the college of Cardinals, and his election to the bishopric of Mainz. Giacinto lost no time in departing from Poland, leaving all his children behind, and went at once to Mainz. Some time after, he went to Osnabruck, to his grandfather Piero, and sent a letter to his mother, which letter’s contents are related in a chronicle by the scribe Marianos, informing her of the marriages of his uncles:

“As you know, my good lord, your father, the Bishop Piero, had taken as wife the princess Judith, daughter of Magnus, of the house of Billung, Dux Saxonorum. She has born him two of each, that is, the sons Ciro and Bruto, in 1096 and 1098 respectively, and the girls Elisa and Giuditta, in 1095 and 1097. You may remember that your brother Oddone took for himself Gertrude of Brandenburg, who has given him a daughter, Agostina, in 1097, and a son, Aleardo, in 1099, and only last night, another daughter, who he has called Adalberta. Also, Umberto has finished his education, and has married a woman of the Emperor’s court, Cristiana de Chalencon, who has given him two daughters, Berenice and Paola, in 1097 and 1099. Give my greetings to all there with you, may we soon be together again..”

On July 23rd the lady Miriam, sister of the lady Anna, bore a son, who was named Tolun.

On July 1st, the lady Byzantia died in labour, leaving behind three sons, Arnoul, Eudes, Guigues, and a daughter, Krystyna, and a grieving husband, Renaud de Villeneuve.

On September 13th, 1100, Mieszko reached 16, and finally took over the reins of government himself, in a very public ceremony in his capital of Cieszyn. Days later, his wife Gisela of Zaringen, arrived in Cieszyn, and on October 1st they were legally married and crowned King and Queen of Poland. The Polish people looked to future, although optimistically is perhaps not the right word to use: to an uncertain future, under King Mieszko, the third of that name to rule over the Polish people.

================================================== ========

Mieszko, Amateurish Pettifogger, <2,9,7,6>, Vengeful, Cruel, Generous, Modest, Wise, Coward

Gisela, Ecclesiastical Education, <5,9,5,7> Just, Deceitful

[Velasco]

The new Queen Gisela was not a great beauty, and paled in comparison to the Queen Mother Ragnhild. Although she was known to publicly plead for justice and clemency for criminals, she was also known to be deceitful, and not above manipulating others to get her own way. Gisela of Zaringen was the fifth child of Herman, Duke of Karnten and Verona, and his first wife Jutte Moneta. The only son, Herman, died soon after birth in 1071. The eldest daughter, Jutte, married Ulrich von Falkenstein, heir of Guntram, count of Ansbach, and had by him one daughter, Osterhild, in 1085, before dieing two years later. The second daughter, Clare, married Wladyslaw Herman, Duke of Mazovia, who hoped to inherit her father’s vast lands in northern Italy and Karnten (Carinthia). The third daughter, Reginsuit, died in 1088, aged eleven, before marrying and producing children. By his second marriage, to his niece Ermingardis, Herman had two more daughters, Oda (in 1097, died 1099) and Ursula (1100), but both of them died young. Therefore, the lands of Herman were to pass to the heirs male of his granddaughter Osterhild, his daughter Clare, and his daughter Gisela, in this order of succession, but it was hoped Osterhild might be convinced to enter a monastery, and not marry, leaving the way open for Mieszko to contest Wladyslaw’s succession to the Zaringer lands. As a dowry, Gisela brought more than 1060© to Mieszko, who was already by far the richest prince in Christendom, with an income in the region of 110© a month.

Less than a week after their coronation, Mieszko walked in on the Queen Gisela in a compromising embrace with another man, or should that be boy; the eleven year old Anastasii, count of Beresty. Mieszko, greatly grieved, pretended nothing had happened, and those who learnt of this acclaimed him to be a merciful and forgiving man, and not as cruel or vengeful as he had once been.

However, none were surprised when on November 1st Mieszko presented his bastard son, Dobromir, to the court. Dobromir was the son of a peasant maidservant of the royal court, who is said to have come originally from Prussia or Lusatia, although it was later claimed that she was a princess of the Sorbs, or better yet, of the Alans.

On the 14th Mieszko, following in his father’s footsteps, rallied his men, and called upon his vassals to do the same, gathering to the north of his capital city of Cieszyn.

On January 1st a papal nuncio arrived, calling for a crusade against the Infidel. Although Mieszko refused to free the Holy Land from the Muslims there, the nuncio was somewhat mollified to learn of Mieszko’s campaign to convert the Baltic pagans to the true faith, by whatever means necessary. That same day, the Queen Gisela announced she was expecting Mieszko’s child, although he himself doubted, from what he had seen of her and the count Anastasii, and of her general looseness, of morals of course, if the child was truly his.

On the 27th of April, Gisela, four months pregnant, ended her education at the hands of several German clergymen, who Mieszko sent at once back to her father’s court. Despite her failings, she was said to have become a scholarly theologian.

Werle fell on February 25th, followed by Rostock on April 1st, and Mecklemburg on May 21st. Lübeck fell on July 1st, leaving Mieszko in full control of the lands of the tribe of Mecklemburg. Still unsatisfied, he then went east, landing in Sambia, and from there launching an invasion of the lands of the tribe of Lithuanians, who were

On May 8th, Miriam bore her husband Ituk, a third child, Çiçek. Two days later Renaud de Villeneuve was elected Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Jewish Ituk was chosen by King Mieszko as the news grand seneschal (or steward) of Poland.

On September 28th the lady Maria bore her eleventh child, a son, who was named Biagio. On the 29th Queen Gisela bore a son, who was named Waclaw, who from birth was Augustus and duke of Cieszyn, the titles given to the heir of the polish throne. Despite the fall of Sudovia the following day, the people of Cieszyn and the surrounding lands gathered to celebrate the birth of the prince, and to catch a sight of the royal court to the prince’s christening. King Mieszko was one of the first rulers to realise the power of meeting his subjects, and of the use of successful propaganda, to enhance his own reputation, and to secure the loyalty of the common peasantry; although he was not present at his son’s christening, it was at his orders that the young prince was presented before the populace assembled, and also the queen and her ladies, and the King’s brothers, Kazimierz Prendota and Mikolaj, and his sisters, Thorborg and Gudrid.

By this time, Mieszko had entered pagan territory, taking Zhmud (November 5th) before turning south to take back Sudovia (December 6th).

On January 2nd 1102 Matteo di Palestrina left Poland, and returned to Rome, to claim his inheritance; once there, he refused to return to Poland, and succeeded a certain Stanislaw as Bishop in Firenze.

On January 14th the princess Gudrid also left Poland, with a great train of ladies, for far-off Iberia, to marry Martin de Barcelona, duke of Catalonia. Martin was considerably older than Gudrid, and almost twice her age; the marriage had been arranged some time before when Martin had gone to the Imperial court to seek support for a crusade against the Moors, and had there met the King Boleslaw, and his daughters, and become especially enchanted with Gudrid. Despite already being married, Martin sought to marry Gudrid, and repudiated his wife (although he then took her back, shortly before her death, which left him free to remarry), and in 1102 he, being rid of his other wife, sent word to Mieszko to send to him the princess Gudrid, who was duly dispatched.

On February 11th Aukshayts fell, ending Mieszko’s first war of expansion. Werle was granted as a reward to his brother Kazimierz Prendota (on the 13th) and on the 16th Kuddana Szeliga, son of the Archbishop Mszczuj of Wallachia (who died on the 14th) was made Archbishop of Imeretia, and Bishop of Alania, Kasogs, and Guria, all rich lands which had previously been part of the royal demesne, but where Mieszko felt Kuddana would be better received, as Kuddana himself was an Alan. The elderly Jadwiga Nalecz, who had once been a mistress of King Boleslaw, was made countess of Vastergotland, and Dytryk, Duke of Silesia and Moravia, was also made Duke of Uppland, in recognition of his own conquests of Aland and Uppland, following the death of King Boleslaw (despite the fact he had used the troops rallied by Boleslaw for his own personal gain).

On February 16th Mieszko admitted to his entire court that a petty wench had caught his eye in Mecklemburg, and born him a son, whom he had named Zbigniew. Queen Gisela was furious, and felt humiliated before her royal court, many of whom had discovered the births of the king’s bastards, Dobromir and Zbigniew, some time before her; however, she was also pleased that she had also proved herself by bearing Mieszko a healthy son, the heir to the throne of Poland.

And so all was well in Cieszyn. Mieszko began to plan an invasion of Sweden, in the hope of expanding his rule over all the pagans there, and also receiving homage, be it voluntary or forcibly, from the independent Christian princes there. He even dreamt of having himself elected King of the Swedes, as the Swedish kingship did not pass from father to son, but to the most powerful prince of the land, which he already undoubtedly was. However, he soon dispensed of his plans, and slipped silently away to Galich, with a handful of men, to inspect the palace the Colonna had ordered built there for him during their regency. However, he returned unnoticed to Cieszyn on the 3rd of March, and on the next day he decided to inspect his own palace in Cieszyn and its gardens, and see what other improvements he might wish for in another palace, which were not in Cieszyn. And so, as he was walking down one of the inner corridors, he turned right, into the Queen’s apartments. There he found that all of the Queen’s ladies had been dismissed, and that the Queen had retired, it was said, either with a heavy headache, or for private study, to her own private chamber. Gisela not being one to study, and having never complained of headaches before, Mieszko proceeded at once to her chambers, by a private passage she did not know of, and heard the Queen giggling, and also a much higher laughter, which he took to be that of a young boy…bursting open the door of the passage, he stood trembling silently with anger as he looked upon the Queen, and the eleven year old Matfei, count of Pereschen. He had been followed to the Queen’s chambers by the ladies, who had come by the usual route; upon their arrival he ordered them to look at the sight, and then to fetch the entire court, who all came to gaze upon the disgraced nakedness of the Queen and the boy Matfei. The Queen, was overtaken by shame and burst into tears, whilst the boy Matfei coloured in the presence of the older men of the court, wondering what they must be thinking of him.

This time, Mieszko would not be as forgiving as before. Writing to her father, he ordered the Queen Gisela imprisoned, and (after receiving a full dictated confession, and sizeable ransom) sent Matfei back to Pereschen. Duke Herman, greatly shamed, wrote at once to Mieszko, and gave him permission to repudiate Gisela, and even imprison her or confine her to a monastery, and so Mieszko ordered Gisela executed at once. Gisela, having read a copy of her father’s letter, and heard Mieszko’s orders, was greatly confused, and prayed fervently that Mieszko might remember more of his German studies, but to no avail. Gisela, former Queen of Poland, was executed, yet she buried in Cieszyn Cathedral, near to the grave and effigy of King Boleslaw.

Mieszko, greatly agitated, and unsure of what to do with the child Waclaw, whose legitimacy was no in great doubt, gathered with him his loyalest councillors, and went to the Imperial court. However, on the day he was warned of the impending visit of his former father-in-law, Duke Herman of Verona. It is said he met Herman in Silesia, although we do not know where in Silesia, and that they spoke for a good many hours. Herman, although angered at his daughter’s death, was forced to recognise that Mieszko had only done what was right by law, after giving Gisela a second chance. Despite Herman’s resentment, and Mieszko’s fury, the two were able to achieve some form of understanding. It was at this opportune moment that Ituk, the jewish seneschal of Poland, suggested that Mieszko marry Osterhild von Falkenstein, granddaughter of Herman, who was much the same age as Mieszko. Furthermore, Osterhild was the only child of Herman’s eldest daughter, and so it was agreed that, by right of primogeniture, it was Osterhild’s children, and not those of her aunt Clare, that should inherit Herman’s lands. This having been established, both were at once eager for the marriage to take place, and so the two went at once to Ansbach, and had Mieszko married at once to Osterhild, without having procured the consent of either her grandfather or father. When count Guntram of Ansbach complained of the marriage of HIS granddaughter, Herman told him that Osterhild was HIS heiress, and as such his to bestow in marriage, and not Guntram; furthermore, Guntram was told to rejoice at the marriage, for what hope had he by his own merit to bestow one of his women folk to a King?

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Osterhild von Falkenstein (born 1085), Martial Cleric, <10,7,5,4>