Skarbimir
Encyclopedia
Early life
Skarbimir was a son of Michal the Old of the Abdank Clan, one time comesComes
Comes , plural comites , is the Latin word for companion, either individually or as a member of a collective known as comitatus, especially the suite of a magnate, in some cases large and/or formal enough to have a specific name, such as a cohors amicorum. The word comes derives from com- "with" +...
, founder of a Benedictine monastery at Lubin
Lubin
Lubin is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. From 1975–1998 it belonged to the former Legnica Voivodeship. Lubin is the administrative seat of Lubin County, and also of the rural district called Gmina Lubin, although it is not part of the territory of the latter,...
. Very little is known of Skarbmirs childhood and early life. It is believed that in 1079 he along with his father traveled to Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
accompanying the banished king Boleslaw II the Bold. He and his father are believed to have returned to Poland circa 1086 along with Mieszko Bolesławowic, the son of the banished monarch. Following the poisoning of Boleslawowic in 1089, the Abdank clan declared itself in the opposition of count palatine Sieciech
Sieciech
- Biography :All information about Sieciech has come down from the chronicler Gallus Anonymus. He was a count palatine at the court of duke Władysław I Herman of Poland. Though the exact dates of his birth and death are unknown, he is said by Gallus Anonymus to have lived in the second half of the...
who was believed to have ordered Mieszko Bolesławowic poisoned.
Political Involwement
Skarbimir was politically active already during the reign of Władysław I Herman. It was through his initiative that a popular assemblyWIEC
WIEC-LP is a radio station licensed to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA. The station is currently owned by The Eau Claire Broadcasting Association....
was organized in 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...
where an agreement was reached between Bolesław III Wrymouth and his brother Zbigniew in their fight against count palatine Sieciech
Sieciech
- Biography :All information about Sieciech has come down from the chronicler Gallus Anonymus. He was a count palatine at the court of duke Władysław I Herman of Poland. Though the exact dates of his birth and death are unknown, he is said by Gallus Anonymus to have lived in the second half of the...
. It was there that he swore an oath of allegiance to both the sons of Władysław I Herman, and there he ratified the removal from office of the current guardian of Boleslaw, a noble named Wojsław Powała , who was a relative of Sieciech. The campaign against Palatine Sieciech, the de facto ruler of Poland, was also decided upon by Skarbimir at the 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...
meeting. As a consequence Skarbimir became the main advisor to Boleslaw III, which led to him taking over the office of palatine of the Lesser Poland-Silesian Duchy following the death of Wladyslaw I Herman.
In 1103 as en envoy of Bolesław III Wrymouth, he negotiated with Borivoj II of Bohemia
Borivoj II of Bohemia
Borivoj II was the duke of Bohemia from 25 December 1100 until May 1107 and from December 1117 until 16 August 1120. He was the younger half-brother and successor of Bretislaus II....
, who allied himself with Zbigniew and invaded Silesia. Skarbimir was a proponent of anti-Bohemian foreign policy. It was likely with his help and influence that a successful invasion of Bohemia took place in 1105. He was very influential, to the point that he even minted his own coin. According to Jan Długosz in 1106 the Duke appointed him the prestigious office of Voivode of Cracow. He remained Bolesław III Wrymouth’s faithful servant until 1117 when under unclear circumstances he rebelled against the Duke. The rebellion was suppressed, Skarbimir was captured and punished by being blinded.
Rebellion against the Duke
The reason for the count palatine's rebellion of 1117-1118, though not clearly explained, is sometimes connected by historians to Bolesław III Wrymouth’s statute of succession. The problem with the principle of succession developed in 1115 when Leszek, Boleslaws first son from his second marriage, was born. It is believed that Skarbimir was opposed to statutory regulation of royal inheritance. He believed that the choice of an heir should be decided by a council of magnates. Presumably he refused to pledge to abide by the decisions outlined in the statute of succession, for this he was removed from office and replaced as Count Palatine by Piotr Włostowic . At this point, it is supposed, Skarbimir was to begin his mutiny against the monarch. He did not gain many supporters, however, and the uprising was defeated. The above explanation, however, is only a hypothesis due to a lack of primary sources on the matter.Return to power and death
Towards the end of 1121 Piotr Włostowic was stripped of his title of count palatine, which was once again granted to Skarbmir. Skarbmirs return to the lead of Polish elites is testified by his name being the first secular dignitary mentioned on the document of Papal legatePapal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
Giles of Tusculum
Tusculum
Tusculum is a ruined Roman city in the Alban Hills, in the Latium region of Italy.-Location:Tusculum is one of the largest Roman cities in Alban Hills. The ruins of Tusculum are located on Tuscolo hill—more specifically on the northern edge of the outer crater ring of the Alban volcano...
issued between 1123 and 1125 as well as his mention in the Liber Fraternitatis of Lubin.
Skarbimir died on April 16, the day of his passing was noted in the Lubin Obituary Book entitled Liber Mortuorum Abbatiae Sanctae Mariae Lubinensis . The year of his death is not known. It is known that he died during the reign of Bolesław III Wrymouth, since at the time of Boleslaw’s death the office of count palatine was held once again by Piotr Włostowic. It is supposed therefore, that since Wlostowic is believed to have regained the office in 1132, than Skarbmirs death must have taken place beforehand, sometime in 1131. Skarbimir is believed to have seven sons: Jaszczolt, Skarbmir, Przedwoj, Henryk, Szczedrzyk, Michal and Pakoslaw as well as two daughters of unknown names.