Peace of Bautzen
Encyclopedia
The Peace of Bautzen or the Peace of Budziszyn was a treaty concluded on January 30, 1018 between the Ottonian
Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II
and the Piast
ruler of Poland Boleslaw I
which ended a series of Polish-German wars over the control of Lusatia
and Upper Lusatia
(Milzenerland or Milsko, the eastern part of the margraviate of Meissen (Misnia)) as well as Bohemia
, Moravia
and Slovakia
.
Boleslaw had enjoyed the close friendship of the emperor Otto III and after his death supported one of Otto's followers, Eckard I, Margrave of Meissen
for the position of Holy Roman Emperor, against the claims of Henry II. After Eckard's death in 1002 Boleslaw took over Eckard's domain of Meissen as well as the march of Lusatia. Once Henry secured his position within Germany an agreement was reached which left Boleslaw with Lusatia and Upper Lusatia while Boleslaw in turn recognized Henry as Holy Roman Emperor.
Fighting soon resumed however, after an unsuccessful assassination attempt against Boleslaw, which he believed had been ordered by Henry (who denied the charge) occurred soon after the peace was concluded. Boleslaw took control of Bohemia (having previously acquired Moravia and Slovakia). In the ensuing struggle Boleslaw allied himself with the Holy Roman Empire
's noble opposition to Henry, while the emperor sought support among the Lutici
, a Slavic
pagan Polabian
tribe. An intermediate peace was concluded in Merseburg
in 1013 which preserved the territorial status quo, with Boleslaw holding on to Moravia and Slovakia, while Jaromir was made the ruler of Bohemia (though he was soon deposed by his brother Oldrich). Boleslaw however agreed to support the Emperor's Italian campaign. Open warfare continued when Boleslaw I did not comply with this condition, and instead supported Henry II's Italian adversaries. Henry II was however unable to defeat Boleslaw I, and agreed on a peace in Bautzen
(1018) which left Boleslaw I in charge of the Lusatian march and Upper Lusatia. The two rulers also strengthened the dynastic bonds between them through Boleslaw's marriage with Oda, first daughter of Margrave Eckard. The emperor also promised to aid Boleslaw in his expedition against Ruthenia
in the summer of 1018 with contingents of German and Hungarian troops which enabled the Polish ruler to capture Kiev
and annex a part of Red Ruthenia
.
Henry IV and Meissen margrave Eckard (Ekkehard) I competed for succession. When Eckard I was murdered on 30 April 1002 in Pöhlde
, Polish duke Boleslaw I, who had supported Eckard's candidature, took over the Margraviate of Meissen and March Lusatia (Lower Lusatia), lands only recently conquered by Germans and still inhabited mostly by Slavs, probably with approval from Eckard's family. He took control of both Bautzen and Meissen, after the inhabitants themselves had forced the German troops to leave the city, while other German knights voluntarily recognized Boleslaw's rule in the region. Meanwhile, Henry IV had consolidated his rule against rival candidates, and, as Henry II, was crowned king of Germany in June.
On 25 July 1002 at a Hoftag (imperial meeting) held in Merseburg
, the dispute was settled as follows:
When Boleslaw I left Merseburg, he was ambushed, but due to the aid of Henry of Schweinfurt
and Saxon duke
Bernard (Bernhard) I
, he was able to repulse the attack. Henry II did neither protect him, nor punish the assailants.
duke, Boleslaus III, and denied Henry II the oath of allegiance for the duchy. Henry II did not accept this, and was determined to contest the Polish claims to the Bohemian duchy. Boleslaw I had further allied with the noble German opposition to Henry II. This alliance included Henry of Schweinfurt, his cousin Ernst as well as Henry II's brother Brun (Bruno), bishop of Augsburg
, all of which fled to Boleslaw's court when their rebellion against Henry II failed. While Boleslaw I could draw upon the support of many secular Saxon nobles, Henry II could rely on the Saxon clergy. Also in 1003, Henry II allied with the pagan Lutici
against Boleslaw I, and in 1004 launched a campaign against the latter. In the course of this campaign, Henry II evicted Boleslaw I from Bohemia and granted it to the Přemyslid duke Jaromir in 1004, before he besieged and took Bautzen from Boleslaw I's forces and incorporated it into the Duchy of Saxony
. A few months later, together with Veleti
and Czech allies, Henry II mounted another campaign. He crossed the Oder
near Krosno
and advanced into Greater Poland. Boleslaw however avoided an open battle, harried the emperor's troops with guerrilla tactics and caused "great losses", according to contemporary German chroniclers. The fighting was concluded in 1005 when Tagino, Archbishop of Magdeburg
mediated a peace near Poznań
, as a result of which Poland had to give up Lusatia and Meissen but kept Slovakia and Moravia for the time being.
The peace was temporary, as neither was Henry II ready to grant Boleslaw I a more elevated status than the one of an ordinary vassal, nor did the latter abandon his desire for such a position or accept Henry II's power as immediate to God
, as his self-perception was similar in this respect.
, Henry II was struck by an illness at Jarina castle
and returned with some of his bishops, while the remaining armies devastated the surrounding area. A Saxon campaign in 1012 was also unsuccessful. Henry II had mobilized the Saxon nobility to mount campaigns in his name, since he needed a peace agreement before 1013, when his coronation in Rome
was scheduled.
Thus, in 1013, Boleslaw I and Henry II agreed on a peace in Merseburg:
The treaty was confirmed by the marriage of Richeza, a niece of Otto III, to Mieszko II, a son of Boleslaw I. During the ceremony Boleslaw I carried the sword for Henry II.
Boleslaw I however did not aid Henry II in his Italian campaign, and refused to recognize that Lusatia and Upper Lusatia were his only as fiefs. Instead, he supported Crescentian antipope Gregory VI
and intrigued against Henry II in Italy, who had denied Gregory his support in Pöhlde
. Henry II started his Italian campaign in the fall of 1013, defeated the allies of the Crescentians and had pope Benedict VIII
crown him Holy Roman Emperor
in Rome on 14 February 1014. Bohemian duke Oldrich (Udalrich) meanwhile captured Boleslaw I's son, Mieszko, and turned him over to Henry II, who however released him.
an allies renewed the war against Boleslaw I on the basis of the latter's failure to support him in Italy. The campaign started in Magdeburg
, from where Henry II's army crossed through Lusatia
to Krosno, where two other armies commanded by Bernard II of Saxony
and Olrich (Udalrich) of Bohemia were supposed to join him. The plan failed however, as Boleslaw's maneuvers prevented the two armies from joining up. During the fighting Margrave Gero, as well as two hundred other German knights were killed by Polish bowmen and Boleslaw allowed the Bishop of Meissen, Eido to recover the bodies for burial. As a result of these setbacks Henry II withdrew. Subsequent negotiations with Boleslaw I failed. In 1017, Henry II marched an army from Leitzkau
to Głogów (Glogau), where Boleslaw I awaited him, but chose not to besiege the city as it was too strongly fortified. Instead Henry besieged
nearby Niemcza
(Nemzi, Nimptsch), however, Polish reinforcements managed to enter the city on two occasions and the siege was without success. The contemporary German chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg
, generally ill disposed towards Poles, on this occasion commented on the bravery and skill of the defenders, noting that they neither cheered when they were successful, nor lamented when they suffered a setback. The inhabitants of the city also erected a cross on the wall which faced the pagan Lutician allies of the emperor. Eventually, due to an illness of part of his army Henry aborted the siege and withdrew, taking the route to Bohemia because the way back into Germany was blocked by Boleslaw's main forces, stationed at Wroclaw
.
During these campaigns, Henry II was confronted with the opposition of part of the Saxon
nobility, including the House of Billung, who maintained good relations and were in part relatives of Boleslaw I. In 1017, Henry II therefore addressed Boleslaw I as "public enemy" (hostis publicus) and forbade further contacts with him. At the end of 1017, Boleslaw's troops invaded German land between the Mulde
and Elbe
rivers.
(Milzenerland). Thietmar, the principal German chronicler of the time, did not give precise details as to the conditions on which Boleslaw retained these lands. According to German historian Schneidmuller, he held them as an imperial fief, According to Polish historian Pawel Jasienica, the lands were held without any obligation towards the empire. The Cambridge Medieval History states that they were Boleslaw's on "purely nominal terms of vassalage".
The contemporary German chronicler Thietmar, who was generally ill disposed towards Poles, commented on the peace with the words "non ut decuit sed sicut fieri potuit", meaning "not as it should have been but as was possible in the circumstances".
Both parties also exchanged hostages. Henry II did not attend, and did not renew the campaigns against Boleslaw I thereafter. The peace was confirmed by the marriage of Oda of Meissen
, daughter of Eckard I, to Boleslaw I. It was Boleslaw I's fourth marriage; Regelind, a daughter from his previous marriage with Emnilda of Lusatia
, was already married to Oda's brother Herman (Hermann) I of Meissen
.
Henry also obliged himself to support Boleslaw with three hundred knights in the Polish ruler's expedition to Kiev in the same year.
and Yaroslav the Wise of Kiev led to the loss of Lusatia by Poland in the Treaty of Merseburg
of 1033.
Bibliography
Ottonian
The Ottonian dynasty was a dynasty of Germanic Kings , named after its first emperor but also known as the Saxon dynasty after the family's origin. The family itself is also sometimes known as the Liudolfings, after its earliest known member Liudolf and one of its primary leading-names...
Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Henry II
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...
and the Piast
Piast dynasty
The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...
ruler of Poland Boleslaw I
Boleslaw I of Poland
Bolesław I Chrobry , in the past also known as Bolesław I the Great , was a Duke of Poland from 992-1025 and the first King of Poland from 19 April 1025 until his death...
which ended a series of Polish-German wars over the control of Lusatia
Lusatia
Lusatia is a historical region in Central Europe. It stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the east to the Elbe valley in the west, today located within the German states of Saxony and Brandenburg as well as in the Lower Silesian and Lubusz voivodeships of western Poland...
and Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz...
(Milzenerland or Milsko, the eastern part of the margraviate of Meissen (Misnia)) as well as Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
.
Boleslaw had enjoyed the close friendship of the emperor Otto III and after his death supported one of Otto's followers, Eckard I, Margrave of Meissen
Eckard I, Margrave of Meissen
Eckard I was Margrave of Meissen from 985 until his death, the first margrave of the Ekkehardinger family that dominated Meissen until the extinction of the line in 1046.-Life:...
for the position of Holy Roman Emperor, against the claims of Henry II. After Eckard's death in 1002 Boleslaw took over Eckard's domain of Meissen as well as the march of Lusatia. Once Henry secured his position within Germany an agreement was reached which left Boleslaw with Lusatia and Upper Lusatia while Boleslaw in turn recognized Henry as Holy Roman Emperor.
Fighting soon resumed however, after an unsuccessful assassination attempt against Boleslaw, which he believed had been ordered by Henry (who denied the charge) occurred soon after the peace was concluded. Boleslaw took control of Bohemia (having previously acquired Moravia and Slovakia). In the ensuing struggle Boleslaw allied himself with the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
's noble opposition to Henry, while the emperor sought support among the Lutici
Lutici
The Lutici were a federation of West Slavic Polabian tribes, who between the 10th and 12th centuries lived in what is now northeastern Germany. Four tribes made up the core of the federation: the Redarians , Circipanians , Kessinians and Tollensians...
, a Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
pagan Polabian
Polabian
Polabian may refer to:* Polabian language, an extinct Slavic language spoken by Polabians* Polabians, an extinct Slavic tribe living in the eastern part of today's Germany...
tribe. An intermediate peace was concluded in Merseburg
Merseburg
Merseburg is a town in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on the river Saale, approx. 14 km south of Halle . It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese founded by Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg....
in 1013 which preserved the territorial status quo, with Boleslaw holding on to Moravia and Slovakia, while Jaromir was made the ruler of Bohemia (though he was soon deposed by his brother Oldrich). Boleslaw however agreed to support the Emperor's Italian campaign. Open warfare continued when Boleslaw I did not comply with this condition, and instead supported Henry II's Italian adversaries. Henry II was however unable to defeat Boleslaw I, and agreed on a peace in Bautzen
Bautzen
Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161...
(1018) which left Boleslaw I in charge of the Lusatian march and Upper Lusatia. The two rulers also strengthened the dynastic bonds between them through Boleslaw's marriage with Oda, first daughter of Margrave Eckard. The emperor also promised to aid Boleslaw in his expedition against Ruthenia
Ruthenia
Ruthenia is the Latin word used onwards from the 13th century, describing lands of the Ancient Rus in European manuscripts. Its geographic and culturo-ethnic name at that time was applied to the parts of Eastern Europe. Essentially, the word is a false Latin rendering of the ancient place name Rus...
in the summer of 1018 with contingents of German and Hungarian troops which enabled the Polish ruler to capture Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and annex a part of Red Ruthenia
Red Ruthenia
Red Ruthenia is the name used since medieval times to refer to the area known as Eastern Galicia prior to World War I; first mentioned in Polish historic chronicles in the 1321, as Ruthenia Rubra or Ruthenian Voivodeship .Ethnographers explain that the term was applied from the...
.
Merseburg (1002)
After the death of emperor Otto III, Bavarian dukeDuchy of Bavaria
The Duchy of Bavaria was the only one of the stem duchies from the earliest days of East Francia and the Kingdom of Germany to preserve both its name and most of its territorial extent....
Henry IV and Meissen margrave Eckard (Ekkehard) I competed for succession. When Eckard I was murdered on 30 April 1002 in Pöhlde
Pöhlde
Pöhlde is a village in southern Lower Saxony in Germany. It is part of the town Herzberg am Harz. It has a population of 2207 . Archaeological excavation has revealed traces of settlement dating to the 2nd through 4th centuries AD. The town is noted for its Benedictine abbey...
, Polish duke Boleslaw I, who had supported Eckard's candidature, took over the Margraviate of Meissen and March Lusatia (Lower Lusatia), lands only recently conquered by Germans and still inhabited mostly by Slavs, probably with approval from Eckard's family. He took control of both Bautzen and Meissen, after the inhabitants themselves had forced the German troops to leave the city, while other German knights voluntarily recognized Boleslaw's rule in the region. Meanwhile, Henry IV had consolidated his rule against rival candidates, and, as Henry II, was crowned king of Germany in June.
Merseburg
Merseburg is a town in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on the river Saale, approx. 14 km south of Halle . It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese founded by Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg....
, the dispute was settled as follows:
- Henry II gave the Lusatian march and the eastern part of the Meissen march (Milzenerland, Upper LusatiaUpper LusatiaUpper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz...
) to Boleslaw I as a fief, - Boleslaw I had to return the truncated Margraviate of Meissen,
- Boleslaw I pledged allegiance to Henry II together with the Saxon nobles.
When Boleslaw I left Merseburg, he was ambushed, but due to the aid of Henry of Schweinfurt
Henry of Schweinfurt
Henry of Schweinfurt was the Margrave of the Nordgau from 994 until 1004. He was called the "glory of eastern Franconia" by his own cousin, the chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg....
and Saxon duke
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
Bernard (Bernhard) I
Bernard I, Duke of Saxony
Bernard I was the duke of Saxony , the second of the Billung dynasty, a son of Duke Herman and Oda. He extended his father's power considerably....
, he was able to repulse the attack. Henry II did neither protect him, nor punish the assailants.
Poznań (1005)
In 1003, Boleslaw I conquered the Duchy of Bohemia, imprisoned its PřemyslidPremyslid dynasty
The Přemyslids , were a Czech royal dynasty which reigned in Bohemia and Moravia , and partly also in Hungary, Silesia, Austria and Poland.-Legendary rulers:...
duke, Boleslaus III, and denied Henry II the oath of allegiance for the duchy. Henry II did not accept this, and was determined to contest the Polish claims to the Bohemian duchy. Boleslaw I had further allied with the noble German opposition to Henry II. This alliance included Henry of Schweinfurt, his cousin Ernst as well as Henry II's brother Brun (Bruno), bishop of Augsburg
Bruno of Augsburg
Bruno was the son of Henry II, Duke of Bavaria and Gisela of Burgundy. He was the brother of St. Henry II of Germany, the only Holy Roman Emperor to be made a saint. Bruno was Bishop of Augsburg from 1006 or 1007 until 1029.Bruno of Augsburg lived at a time when Christianity was still making...
, all of which fled to Boleslaw's court when their rebellion against Henry II failed. While Boleslaw I could draw upon the support of many secular Saxon nobles, Henry II could rely on the Saxon clergy. Also in 1003, Henry II allied with the pagan Lutici
Lutici
The Lutici were a federation of West Slavic Polabian tribes, who between the 10th and 12th centuries lived in what is now northeastern Germany. Four tribes made up the core of the federation: the Redarians , Circipanians , Kessinians and Tollensians...
against Boleslaw I, and in 1004 launched a campaign against the latter. In the course of this campaign, Henry II evicted Boleslaw I from Bohemia and granted it to the Přemyslid duke Jaromir in 1004, before he besieged and took Bautzen from Boleslaw I's forces and incorporated it into the Duchy of Saxony
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
. A few months later, together with Veleti
Veleti
The Veleti or Wilzi were a group of medieval Lechites tribes within the territory of modern northeastern Germany; see Polabian Slavs. In common with other Slavic groups between the Elbe and Oder Rivers, they were often described by Germanic sources as Wends. In the late 10th century, they were...
and Czech allies, Henry II mounted another campaign. He crossed the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
near Krosno
Krosno Odrzanskie
Krosno Odrzańskie is a city on the east bank of Oder River, at the confluence with the Bóbr. The town in Western Poland with 12,500 inhabitants is the capital of Krosno County...
and advanced into Greater Poland. Boleslaw however avoided an open battle, harried the emperor's troops with guerrilla tactics and caused "great losses", according to contemporary German chroniclers. The fighting was concluded in 1005 when Tagino, Archbishop of Magdeburg
Tagino, Archbishop of Magdeburg
Tagino was the third Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1004 until his death.Tagino was a chaplain of Henry II, Duke of Bavaria, when, in 995, the See of Regensburg became vacant...
mediated a peace near Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, as a result of which Poland had to give up Lusatia and Meissen but kept Slovakia and Moravia for the time being.
The peace was temporary, as neither was Henry II ready to grant Boleslaw I a more elevated status than the one of an ordinary vassal, nor did the latter abandon his desire for such a position or accept Henry II's power as immediate to God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, as his self-perception was similar in this respect.
Merseburg (1013)
Despite the peace of Poznan, warfare between Boleslaw I and Henry II continued between 1007 and 1013. In 1007, Boleslaw I again took control of Lusatia with the fortress of Bautzen. A campaign led by Henry II in 1010 was unsuccessful. During this campaign, which started in BelgernBelgern
Belgern is a town in the district Nordsachsen, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is located on the left bank of the Elbe, 12 km southeast of Torgau and 55 km east of Leipzig....
, Henry II was struck by an illness at Jarina castle
Heideblick
Heideblick is a municipality in the district of Dahme-Spreewald in Brandenburg in Germany....
and returned with some of his bishops, while the remaining armies devastated the surrounding area. A Saxon campaign in 1012 was also unsuccessful. Henry II had mobilized the Saxon nobility to mount campaigns in his name, since he needed a peace agreement before 1013, when his coronation in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
was scheduled.
Thus, in 1013, Boleslaw I and Henry II agreed on a peace in Merseburg:
- Henry II again gave the Lusatian march and Upper Lusatia to Boleslaw I as a fief,
- Boleslaw I again pledged allegiance to Henry II,
- Boleslaw I promised to support Henry II's campaign to Rome,
- Henry II promised to support Boleslaw I's campaign to Kiev with 500 knights.
The treaty was confirmed by the marriage of Richeza, a niece of Otto III, to Mieszko II, a son of Boleslaw I. During the ceremony Boleslaw I carried the sword for Henry II.
Boleslaw I however did not aid Henry II in his Italian campaign, and refused to recognize that Lusatia and Upper Lusatia were his only as fiefs. Instead, he supported Crescentian antipope Gregory VI
Antipope Gregory VI
On the death of Pope Sergius IV in June, 1012, "a certain Gregory" opposed the party of the Theophylae , and got himself made Pope, seemingly by a small faction...
and intrigued against Henry II in Italy, who had denied Gregory his support in Pöhlde
Pöhlde
Pöhlde is a village in southern Lower Saxony in Germany. It is part of the town Herzberg am Harz. It has a population of 2207 . Archaeological excavation has revealed traces of settlement dating to the 2nd through 4th centuries AD. The town is noted for its Benedictine abbey...
. Henry II started his Italian campaign in the fall of 1013, defeated the allies of the Crescentians and had pope Benedict VIII
Pope Benedict VIII
Pope Benedict VIII , born Theophylactus, Pope from 1012 to 1024, of the noble family of the counts of Tusculum , descended from Theophylact, Count of Tusculum like his predecessor Pope Benedict VI .Benedict VIII was opposed by an antipope, Gregory...
crown him Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
in Rome on 14 February 1014. Bohemian duke Oldrich (Udalrich) meanwhile captured Boleslaw I's son, Mieszko, and turned him over to Henry II, who however released him.
Military operations and political background
In July 1015, Henry II with his LuticiLutici
The Lutici were a federation of West Slavic Polabian tribes, who between the 10th and 12th centuries lived in what is now northeastern Germany. Four tribes made up the core of the federation: the Redarians , Circipanians , Kessinians and Tollensians...
an allies renewed the war against Boleslaw I on the basis of the latter's failure to support him in Italy. The campaign started in Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
, from where Henry II's army crossed through Lusatia
Lusatia
Lusatia is a historical region in Central Europe. It stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the east to the Elbe valley in the west, today located within the German states of Saxony and Brandenburg as well as in the Lower Silesian and Lubusz voivodeships of western Poland...
to Krosno, where two other armies commanded by Bernard II of Saxony
Bernard II, Duke of Saxony
Bernard II was the Duke of Saxony , the third of the Billung dynasty, a son of Bernard I and Hildegard. He had the rights of a count in Frisia....
and Olrich (Udalrich) of Bohemia were supposed to join him. The plan failed however, as Boleslaw's maneuvers prevented the two armies from joining up. During the fighting Margrave Gero, as well as two hundred other German knights were killed by Polish bowmen and Boleslaw allowed the Bishop of Meissen, Eido to recover the bodies for burial. As a result of these setbacks Henry II withdrew. Subsequent negotiations with Boleslaw I failed. In 1017, Henry II marched an army from Leitzkau
Gommern
Gommern is a town in the Jerichower Land district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km southeast of Magdeburg. On January 1, 2005, the municipalities Dannigkow, Dornburg, Karith, Ladeburg, Leitzkau, Menz, Nedlitz, Vehlitz and Wahlitz have been incorporated into Gommern. On...
to Głogów (Glogau), where Boleslaw I awaited him, but chose not to besiege the city as it was too strongly fortified. Instead Henry besieged
Siege of Niemcza
The Siege of Niemcza took place during three weeks in August of 1017 as part of the German-Polish War , when the forces of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry II besieged the town of Niemcza controlled by the Polish ruler Boleslaw Chrobry...
nearby Niemcza
Niemcza
Niemcza is a town in Dzierżoniów County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Niemcza....
(Nemzi, Nimptsch), however, Polish reinforcements managed to enter the city on two occasions and the siege was without success. The contemporary German chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar of Merseburg was a German chronicler who was also bishop of Merseburg.-Life:...
, generally ill disposed towards Poles, on this occasion commented on the bravery and skill of the defenders, noting that they neither cheered when they were successful, nor lamented when they suffered a setback. The inhabitants of the city also erected a cross on the wall which faced the pagan Lutician allies of the emperor. Eventually, due to an illness of part of his army Henry aborted the siege and withdrew, taking the route to Bohemia because the way back into Germany was blocked by Boleslaw's main forces, stationed at Wroclaw
Wroclaw
Wrocław , situated on the River Oder , is the main city of southwestern Poland.Wrocław was the historical capital of Silesia and is today the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Over the centuries, the city has been part of either Poland, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia, or Germany, but since 1945...
.
During these campaigns, Henry II was confronted with the opposition of part of the Saxon
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
nobility, including the House of Billung, who maintained good relations and were in part relatives of Boleslaw I. In 1017, Henry II therefore addressed Boleslaw I as "public enemy" (hostis publicus) and forbade further contacts with him. At the end of 1017, Boleslaw's troops invaded German land between the Mulde
Mulde
The Mulde is a river in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Elbe and 124 km in length.The river is formed by the confluence, near Colditz, of the Zwickauer Mulde and the Freiberger Mulde , both rising from the Ore Mountains...
and Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
rivers.
The treaty
On 30 January 1018, peace was made in Bautzen. Boleslaw I kept the Lusatian march and Upper LusatiaUpper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz...
(Milzenerland). Thietmar, the principal German chronicler of the time, did not give precise details as to the conditions on which Boleslaw retained these lands. According to German historian Schneidmuller, he held them as an imperial fief, According to Polish historian Pawel Jasienica, the lands were held without any obligation towards the empire. The Cambridge Medieval History states that they were Boleslaw's on "purely nominal terms of vassalage".
The contemporary German chronicler Thietmar, who was generally ill disposed towards Poles, commented on the peace with the words "non ut decuit sed sicut fieri potuit", meaning "not as it should have been but as was possible in the circumstances".
Both parties also exchanged hostages. Henry II did not attend, and did not renew the campaigns against Boleslaw I thereafter. The peace was confirmed by the marriage of Oda of Meissen
Oda of Meissen
Oda of Meissen , was a German noblewoman member of the Ekkehardiner dynasty and by marriage firstly Duchess and later the first Queen of Poland....
, daughter of Eckard I, to Boleslaw I. It was Boleslaw I's fourth marriage; Regelind, a daughter from his previous marriage with Emnilda of Lusatia
Emnilda of Lusatia
Emnilda of Lusatia , was a Slavic princess and by marriage Duchess of Poland. She was a daughter of certain Dobromir, a Slavic leader ruler of Lusatia and Milsko, who was named venerable by Thietmar of Merseburg.- Life :...
, was already married to Oda's brother Herman (Hermann) I of Meissen
Herman I, Margrave of Meissen
Herman I was the Margrave of Meissen from 1009 until his death. He was the eldest son of Eckard I of Meissen and Swanehilde.Herman married Regelinda, daughter of Boleslaus I of Poland. In 1007, he was created Count of Bautzen. He and his brother Eckard II feuded with their uncle Gunzelin in what...
.
Henry also obliged himself to support Boleslaw with three hundred knights in the Polish ruler's expedition to Kiev in the same year.
Aftermath
In 1025, shortly after Henry II's death, Boleslaw was crowned as King of Poland. He died the same year and was followed by his son, Mieszko II. However, Mieszko's succession was contested by his half-brothers and the civil war, together with foreign intervention by Conrad IIConrad II, Holy Roman Emperor
Conrad II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1027 until his death.The son of a mid-level nobleman in Franconia, Count Henry of Speyer and Adelaide of Alsace, he inherited the titles of count of Speyer and of Worms as an infant when Henry died at age twenty...
and Yaroslav the Wise of Kiev led to the loss of Lusatia by Poland in the Treaty of Merseburg
Treaty of Merseburg
The Treaty of Merseburg of 1033 was an agreement between the Salian Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II on one side, and the Piast king of Poland Mieszko II which settled the question of Polish succession which had been contested between Mieszko and his half-brothers Bezprym, Otto, and Dietric, since the...
of 1033.
Sources
ReferencesBibliography