Battle of Naklo
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Nakło was fought between the forces of the Kingdom of Poland and Pomeranian tribes at Nakło nad Notecią. The Polish troops were led by Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth.
In the summer of 1109 the Polish ruler Bolesław III organized an expedition into Pomerania
in order to secure his northern boundary. The German king Henry V
, incited by Bolesław's half-brother Zbigniew
, was about to invade Poland and the Pomeranian raid was a strategic necessity for the upcoming struggle. According to Gallus Anonymus
, the purpose of the expedition wasn't just the taking of the castle of Nakło, but forcing the Pomeranians into a decisive battle. Gallus describes the battle in the first chapter of the third book of his chronicle. On 10 August 1109. Bolesław's force, which was besieging Naklo engaged the Pomeranian relief forces and defeated them. As a result the city surrendered to him. Later Bolesław incorporated Pomerania into his realm. In Gallus' chronicle, the defeat of the Pomeranians and their conversion to Christianity are presented as one of his great achievements, comparable to the victory of King Otto I of Germany
over the Hungarians at the 955 Battle of Lechfeld
.
Bolesław shortly afterwards had to rush to the south where he met an Imperial army at the Battle of Głogów. He later sent Bishop Otto of Bamberg
as a missionary, however the Duchy of Pomerania
under Duke Wartislaw I
continued to struggle against Polish overlordship. In 1181 Wartislaw's son Duke Bogislaw I of Pomerania
became a vassal of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
.
In the summer of 1109 the Polish ruler Bolesław III organized an expedition into Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
in order to secure his northern boundary. The German king Henry V
Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry V was King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor , the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. Henry's reign coincided with the final phase of the great Investiture Controversy, which had pitted pope against emperor...
, incited by Bolesław's half-brother Zbigniew
Zbigniew of Poland
Zbigniew , Duke of Poland from 1102 until 1107.-Early years:Zbigniew was the first-born son of Prince Władysław I Herman and Przecława, who apparently belonged to the Prawdzic clan...
, was about to invade Poland and the Pomeranian raid was a strategic necessity for the upcoming struggle. According to Gallus Anonymus
Gallus Anonymus
Gallus Anonymus is the name traditionally given to the anonymous author of Gesta principum Polonorum , composed in Latin about 1115....
, the purpose of the expedition wasn't just the taking of the castle of Nakło, but forcing the Pomeranians into a decisive battle. Gallus describes the battle in the first chapter of the third book of his chronicle. On 10 August 1109. Bolesław's force, which was besieging Naklo engaged the Pomeranian relief forces and defeated them. As a result the city surrendered to him. Later Bolesław incorporated Pomerania into his realm. In Gallus' chronicle, the defeat of the Pomeranians and their conversion to Christianity are presented as one of his great achievements, comparable to the victory of King Otto I of Germany
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I the Great , son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of Germany, King of Italy, and "the first of the Germans to be called the emperor of Italy" according to Arnulf of Milan...
over the Hungarians at the 955 Battle of Lechfeld
Battle of Lechfeld
The Battle of Lechfeld , often seen as the defining event for holding off the incursions of the Hungarians into Western Europe, was a decisive victory by Otto I the Great, King of the Germans, over the Hungarian leaders, the harka Bulcsú and the chieftains Lél and Súr...
.
Bolesław shortly afterwards had to rush to the south where he met an Imperial army at the Battle of Głogów. He later sent Bishop Otto of Bamberg
Otto of Bamberg
Saint Otto of Bamberg was a medieval German bishop and missionary who, as papal legate, converted much of Pomerania to Christianity.-Life:Otto was born into a noble family in Mistelbach, Franconia...
as a missionary, however the Duchy of Pomerania
Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania ....
under Duke Wartislaw I
Wartislaw I, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw I was the first historical ruler of the Duchy of Pomerania and the founder of the Griffin dynasty....
continued to struggle against Polish overlordship. In 1181 Wartislaw's son Duke Bogislaw I of Pomerania
Bogislaw I, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw I of the House of Pomerania was Duke of Pomerania-Stettin from 1156 to 1187. He co-ruled the Duchy of Pomerania with his brother Casimir I of Pomerania-Demmin. His father was Wartislaw I...
became a vassal of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
.