Salomea of Berg
Encyclopedia
Salomea of Berg (ca. 1093/1101 – 27 July 1144) was a German
noblewoman and by marriage Duchess of Poland.
She was the daughter of Swabian
Count Henry (c. 1077 - 1132) of Berg Castle (near Ehingen
, not to be confused with the Rhenish House of Berg
) by his wife Adelaide of Mochental (d. 1125/27), probably a sister of Margrave Diepold III of Vohburg
. According to some sources, her paternal grandmother was Princess Sophia, only daughter of King Solomon of Hungary by his wife Judith of Swabia
(by her second marriage stepmother of Salome's husband), but this fact seems was now discarted by modern historiography.
The marriage of Salome's sister Richeza
with Duke Vladislav I of Bohemia in 1110 had changed the status of the relative obscure Count Henry of Berg in the political affairs. Another sister, Sophia, was married to a Moravia
n member of the Přemyslid dynasty
, Duke Otto II the Black
of Olomouc
, in 1113.
n region, decided to normalize his relations with his southern Bohemia
n neighbors. This took place in 1114 at a great convention on the border river Nysa Kłodzka. Participants included Bolesław III himself, as well as the Bohemian and Moravian Dukes of the Přemyslid line: Vladislav I, Otto II the Black and Vladislav's younger brother Soběslav I. It was decided that the Duke of Poland (a widower since 1112) should secondly marry the Swabian noblewoman Salomea, sister of the Duchesses of Bohemia and Olomouc.
The marriage negotiations, led by Bishop Otto of Bamberg
, ended successfully, and between March and July of 1115 the wedding of Bolesław III Wrymouth and Salomea of Berg took place. By the end of that year, the new Duchess gave birth to a son named Leszek (d. 1131), the first of the thirteen children who she bore to her husband.
Salomea began to participate actively in the Polish politics on behalf of her children; she feared that according to the primogeniture
principle her stepson Władysław II, Bolesław III's first-born son from his marriage with Zbyslava of Kiev
, would succeed his father as sole ruler and her sons would be at the mercy of their elder half-brother. In 1125 the powerful Piotr Włostowic was forced to resign his post of a Polish Voivode (Count palatine
); the main instigator of this decision was probably Salomea, who replaced him with Wszebor, a man she considered more likely to support herself and her sons against Władysław.
, giving the Seniorate Province
of Kraków
to his eldest son Władysław II. In addition Salomea received the town of Łęczyca, several castles and towns throughout Poland (including Pajęczno
, Małogoszcz, Radziejów
, Kwieciszewo
) as her Oprawa wdowia (Widow's seat or wittum
); this was the first documented case where a Polish ruler left his widow her own piece of land. The terms of the Oprawa wdowia stated that the beneficiary could obtain the full sovereignty over the land for her life, and could lose it in two cases: if she remarried or became a nun (the self-resignation wasn't count). The youngest child of the couple, Casimir II
, wasn't assigned any province; it is speculated that he was born after Bolesław III's death.
, the son of Grand Prince Vsevolod II of Kiev
. After hearing the news about the events in Łęczyca, Władysław II decided to make a quick response, as a result of which the Grand Prince of Kiev not only broke all his pacts with the Junior Dukes, but also arranged the betrothal of his daughter Zvenislava to Władysław's eldest son Bolesław I the Tall. The wedding took place one year later, in 1142.
Salomea died at her mansion in Łęczyca on 27 July 1144. In accordance with the will of Boleslaw III, her province of Łęczyca reverted to the Senoriate. Unexpectedly, her bitter enemy Piotr Włostowic allied with her sons against High Duke Władysław II, who, after having captured and blinded Włostowic in 1145, was defeated and deposed by his half-brothers. Salomea's oldest surviving son, Bolesław IV the Curly became the new High Duke of Poland in 1146.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
noblewoman and by marriage Duchess of Poland.
She was the daughter of Swabian
Duke of Swabia
The following is a list of Dukes of Swabia in southwest Germany.Swabia was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany. The most notable family to hold Swabia were the Hohenstaufen, who held it, with a brief...
Count Henry (c. 1077 - 1132) of Berg Castle (near Ehingen
Ehingen
Ehingen is a town in the Alb-Donau district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, situated on the left bank of the Danube, approx. 25 km southwest of Ulm and 67 km southeast of Stuttgart.-Statistics:...
, not to be confused with the Rhenish House of Berg
Berg (state)
Berg was a state – originally a county, later a duchy – in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed from the early 12th to the 19th centuries.-Ascent:...
) by his wife Adelaide of Mochental (d. 1125/27), probably a sister of Margrave Diepold III of Vohburg
Diepold III, Margrave of Vohburg
Diepold III, Margrave of Vohburg , also known as Diepold von Vohburg and Diepold III von Giengen, was a Bavarian noble in the 12th century...
. According to some sources, her paternal grandmother was Princess Sophia, only daughter of King Solomon of Hungary by his wife Judith of Swabia
Judith of Swabia
Judith-Maria of Swabia was a German princess, a member of the Ottonian dynasty and by her two marriages Queen of Hungary and Duchess of Poland renamed Sophia in 1089....
(by her second marriage stepmother of Salome's husband), but this fact seems was now discarted by modern historiography.
The marriage of Salome's sister Richeza
Richeza of Berg
Richenza of Berg was the wife of Vladislav I of Bohemia and the Duchess of Bohemia. She was the daughter of count Henry I of Berg and his wife Adelheid of Mochental....
with Duke Vladislav I of Bohemia in 1110 had changed the status of the relative obscure Count Henry of Berg in the political affairs. Another sister, Sophia, was married to a 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...
n member of the Přemyslid dynasty
Premyslid 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 Otto II the Black
Otto II the Black
Otto II "the Black" , Duke in Brünn and Olmutz & was the younger son of Otto of Olomouc and Euphemia of Hungary. He was also the grandson of Bretislaus I, Duke of Bohemia. Around 1113 he married Sophia von Berg and had three children, Otto III, Svatopluk and Euphemia....
of Olomouc
Olomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
, in 1113.
Marriage
The Polish ruler Bolesław III Wrymouth, after he had began to expand his domains in the PomereliaPomerelia
Pomerelia is a historical region in northern Poland. Pomerelia lay in eastern Pomerania: on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea and west of the Vistula and its delta. The area centered on the city of Gdańsk at the mouth of the Vistula...
n region, decided to normalize his relations with his southern 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...
n neighbors. This took place in 1114 at a great convention on the border river Nysa Kłodzka. Participants included Bolesław III himself, as well as the Bohemian and Moravian Dukes of the Přemyslid line: Vladislav I, Otto II the Black and Vladislav's younger brother Soběslav I. It was decided that the Duke of Poland (a widower since 1112) should secondly marry the Swabian noblewoman Salomea, sister of the Duchesses of Bohemia and Olomouc.
The marriage negotiations, led by 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...
, ended successfully, and between March and July of 1115 the wedding of Bolesław III Wrymouth and Salomea of Berg took place. By the end of that year, the new Duchess gave birth to a son named Leszek (d. 1131), the first of the thirteen children who she bore to her husband.
Salomea began to participate actively in the Polish politics on behalf of her children; she feared that according to the primogeniture
Primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
principle her stepson Władysław II, Bolesław III's first-born son from his marriage with Zbyslava of Kiev
Zbyslava of Kiev
Zbyslava of Kiev , was a Kievan Rus' princess member of the Rurikid dynasty and by marriage Duchess of Poland.She was the daughter of Sviatopolk II, Grand Prince of Kiev by his first wife, who is believed was a Premyslid princess.-Life:...
, would succeed his father as sole ruler and her sons would be at the mercy of their elder half-brother. In 1125 the powerful Piotr Włostowic was forced to resign his post of a Polish Voivode (Count palatine
Count palatine
Count palatine is a high noble title, used to render several comital styles, in some cases also shortened to Palatine, which can have other meanings as well.-Comes palatinus:...
); the main instigator of this decision was probably Salomea, who replaced him with Wszebor, a man she considered more likely to support herself and her sons against Władysław.
Bolesław III's Testament
Bolesław III died on 28 October 1138. In his will he had divided the country between his sons according to the principle of agnatic seniorityAgnatic seniority
Agnatic seniority is a patrilineal principle of inheritance where the order of succession to the throne prefers the monarch's younger brother over the monarch's own sons. A monarch's children succeed only after the males of the elder generation have all been exhausted...
, giving the Seniorate Province
Seniorate Province
Seniorate Province, also known as the Senioral Province , Duchy of Kraków , Duchy of Cracow, Principality of Cracow, Principality of Kraków, was the superior among the five provinces established in 1138 according to the Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty...
of Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
to his eldest son Władysław II. In addition Salomea received the town of Łęczyca, several castles and towns throughout Poland (including Pajęczno
Pajeczno
Pajęczno is a town in Poland, in Łódź Voivodeship, about 40 km north of Częstochowa. It is the capital of Pajęczno County . Population is 6,731 ....
, Małogoszcz, Radziejów
Radziejów
Radziejów is a town in Poland, in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, about 45 km south of Toruń. It is the capital of Radziejów County. Its population is 5,804 .-History:...
, Kwieciszewo
Kwieciszewo
Kwieciszewo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Mogilno, within Mogilno County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Mogilno, south of Bydgoszcz, and south-west of Toruń....
) as her Oprawa wdowia (Widow's seat or wittum
Wittum
Wittum , Widum or Witthum is a medieval Latin legal term, known in marital and ecclesiastical law.- Provide for a widow at the wedding :...
); this was the first documented case where a Polish ruler left his widow her own piece of land. The terms of the Oprawa wdowia stated that the beneficiary could obtain the full sovereignty over the land for her life, and could lose it in two cases: if she remarried or became a nun (the self-resignation wasn't count). The youngest child of the couple, Casimir II
Casimir II the Just
Casimir II the Just was a Lesser Polish duke at Wiślica during 1166–1173, and at Sandomierz since 1173. He became ruler over the Polish Seniorate Province at Kraków and thereby High Duke of Poland in 1177; a position he held until his death, interrupted once by his elder brother and predecessor...
, wasn't assigned any province; it is speculated that he was born after Bolesław III's death.
Later Years
From her domains in Łęczyca, the now Dowager Duchess continue her intrigues against her stepson High Duke Władysław II. However, the hostilities only began openly in 1141, when Salomea, without the knowledge and consent of the High Duke, commenced to divide Łęczyca between her sons. Also, she tried to resolve the marriage of her youngest daughter Agnes and thus to find a suitable ally for her sons. The most appropriate candidate for a son-in-law had to be Sviatoslav IIISviatoslav III of Kiev
Sviatoslav III Vsevolodovich , Prince of Turov , Vladimir and Volyn , Pinsk , Novgorod-Seversky , Chernigov , Grand Prince of Kiev...
, the son of Grand Prince Vsevolod II of Kiev
Vsevolod II of Kiev
Vsevolod II Olgovich was the Prince of Chernigov and Grand Prince of Kiev , son of Oleg Svyatoslavich, Prince of Chernigov....
. After hearing the news about the events in Łęczyca, Władysław II decided to make a quick response, as a result of which the Grand Prince of Kiev not only broke all his pacts with the Junior Dukes, but also arranged the betrothal of his daughter Zvenislava to Władysław's eldest son Bolesław I the Tall. The wedding took place one year later, in 1142.
Salomea died at her mansion in Łęczyca on 27 July 1144. In accordance with the will of Boleslaw III, her province of Łęczyca reverted to the Senoriate. Unexpectedly, her bitter enemy Piotr Włostowic allied with her sons against High Duke Władysław II, who, after having captured and blinded Włostowic in 1145, was defeated and deposed by his half-brothers. Salomea's oldest surviving son, Bolesław IV the Curly became the new High Duke of Poland in 1146.
Children
- Leszek (1115–1131)
- Richeza (1116–1156), married firstly King Magnus I of SwedenMagnus I of SwedenMagnus I of Sweden, son of Nicholas , later called Magnus the Strong , was a Danish duke who ruled Gothenland in southern Sweden from 1125 to 1130...
in 1127, secondly Prince Volodar of Minsk in 1136, and thirdly King Sverker I of SwedenSverker I of SwedenSverker I or Sverker the Elder was King of Sweden from about 1130 till his death.-Biography:Sverker was a mighty landowner from Östergötland...
in 1148; - Casimir (d. 1131)
- Bolesław IV the Curly (c. 1122-1173), Duke of Masovia from 1138, High Duke of Poland from 1146 until his death;
- Mieszko III the OldMieszko III the OldMieszko III the Old , of the royal Piast dynasty, was Duke of Greater Poland from 1138 and High Duke of Poland, with interruptions, from 1173 until his death....
(c. 1125-1202), Duke of Greater Poland 1138–1177 and 1182–1202, High Duke of Poland 1173–1177, 1191, 1198–1199 and 1201; - Gertrude (1126/35–1160), nun at Zwiefalten AbbeyZwiefalten Abbey- References :...
; - HenryHenry of SandomierzHenry of Sandomierz was a Duke of Sandomierz since 1138 or 1146 until his death....
(1127/32-1166), Duke of SandomierzSandomierzSandomierz is a city in south-eastern Poland with 25,714 inhabitants . Situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship , previously in Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship . It is the capital of Sandomierz County . Sandomierz is known for its Old Town, a major tourist attraction...
from 1138; - Dobroniega (c. 1128-1160), married Margrave Dietrich I of LusatiaDietrich I, Margrave of LusatiaTheodoric I was the Margrave of Lusatia from 1156 until his death. He was the second surviving son of Conrad, Margrave of Meissen and Lusatia from the House of Wettin, from whom he inherited the latter territory including Eilenburg and Landsberg in 1156, while his elder brother Otto the Rich...
in 1142; - Judith of Poland (1130/36-1171/75), married Margrave Otto I of BrandenburgOtto I, Margrave of BrandenburgOtto I was the second Margrave of Brandenburg, from 1170 until his death.-Life:Otto I was born into the House of Ascania as the eldest son of Albert I , who founded the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1157, and his wife Sophie von Winzenburg...
in 1148; - AgnesAgnes of PolandAgnes of Poland , was a Polish princess member of the House of Piast and by marriage Princess of Pereyaslavl and Volynia and Grand Princess of Kiev since 1168....
(1137–1182), married Prince Mstislav II of KievMstislav II of KievMstislav II Izyaslavich , Kniaz' of Pereyaslav, Volodymyr-Volynsky and Velikiy Kniaz of Kiev . Son of Izyaslav Mstislavich, Velikiy Kniaz' of Kiev....
in 1151; - Casimir II the JustCasimir II the JustCasimir II the Just was a Lesser Polish duke at Wiślica during 1166–1173, and at Sandomierz since 1173. He became ruler over the Polish Seniorate Province at Kraków and thereby High Duke of Poland in 1177; a position he held until his death, interrupted once by his elder brother and predecessor...
(1138–1194), Duke of Sandomierz from 1173, High Duke of Poland from 1177 until his death.