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Wladyslaw I the Elbow-high

 

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Wladyslaw I the Elbow-high


 
 
Wladyslaw the Short or Elbow-high (or Ladislaus I of Poland), was a King of Poland. He was a Duke until 1300, and Prince of KrakówKraków

Krakw see also Names of European cities in different languages) is one of the oldest and largest cities of Poland, with...
 from 1305 until his coronation as King on January 20, 1320.
Royal titles

Later histories refer to him also as Wladislaw IV or Wladislaw I. There are no records to show that he actually used any regnal number. Both numerals are retrospective assignments by later historians. IV comes from him being the fourth of that name to rule as overlord of the Polish, since Wladislaw I Herman. I comes from him having restored the monarchy after a fragmented era of a century or more, and also backwards-counting from Wladislaw of VarnaWladyslaw III of Poland

Vladislaus III of Varna was King of Poland from 1434, and of Hungary from 1440, until his death at the Battle of Varna....
 who officially used III and Wladislaw Vasa who officially used IV.
Biography
The 12th and 13th centuries were times of adversity for Poland.






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Timeline

1320   Duke Wladyslaw Lokietek becomes king of Poland.






Encyclopedia


Wladyslaw the Short or Elbow-high (or Ladislaus I of Poland), was a King of Poland. He was a Duke until 1300, and Prince of KrakówKraków

Krakw see also Names of European cities in different languages) is one of the oldest and largest cities of Poland, with...
 from 1305 until his coronation as King on January 20, 1320.

Royal titles

  • Title before coronation: Wladislaus Dei gracia, dux Regni Poloniae et dominus Pomeraniae, Cuiavie, Lanciciae ac Siradiae
    English translation: Vladislaus by the grace of God duke of the Kingdom of PolandPoland

    Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country located in Central Europe....
    , and lord of PomeraniaPomerania

    Pomerania is a geographical region today divided between northern Poland and Germany on the south coast of the Baltic Sea....
    , KuyaviaKuyavia

    Kuyavia, also spelled Cuyavia or Kuiavia, is a historical region of Poland....
    , LeczycaLeczyca

    Leczyca, or Leczyca Plonskie is a town of 18000 inhabitants in central Poland....
     and SieradzSieradz

    Sieradz is a town on the Warta river in central Poland with 44,700 inhabitants....

  • Royal title after coronation: Wladislaus Dei gracia, rex Poloniae et dominus Pomeraniae, Cuiavie, Lanciciae ac Siradiae
    English translation: Vladislaus by the grace of God king of PolandPoland

    Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country located in Central Europe....
    , and lord of PomeraniaPomerania

    Pomerania is a geographical region today divided between northern Poland and Germany on the south coast of the Baltic Sea....
    , KuyaviaKuyavia

    Kuyavia, also spelled Cuyavia or Kuiavia, is a historical region of Poland....
    , LeczycaLeczyca

    Leczyca, or Leczyca Plonskie is a town of 18000 inhabitants in central Poland....
     and SieradzSieradz

    Sieradz is a town on the Warta river in central Poland with 44,700 inhabitants....




Later histories refer to him also as Wladislaw IV or Wladislaw I. There are no records to show that he actually used any regnal number. Both numerals are retrospective assignments by later historians. IV comes from him being the fourth of that name to rule as overlord of the Polish, since Wladislaw I Herman. I comes from him having restored the monarchy after a fragmented era of a century or more, and also backwards-counting from Wladislaw of VarnaWladyslaw III of Poland

Vladislaus III of Varna was King of Poland from 1434, and of Hungary from 1440, until his death at the Battle of Varna....
 who officially used III and Wladislaw Vasa who officially used IV.

Biography


The 12th and 13th centuries were times of adversity for Poland. In 1138 the kingdom, which had been growing in strength under the rule of the Piast dynastyPiast dynasty

The Piast dynasty is a line of Kings and dukes that ruled Poland from its beginnings as an independent state up to 1370....
, encountered an obstacle which impeded its development for nearly two hundred years. In the will of King Boleslaw Krzywousty, Poland was divided into five provinces - SilesiaSilesia

Silesia is a historical region in central Europe....
, Mazovia with Cuiavia, Greater PolandFacts About Greater Poland

Greater Poland is a historical region of west-central Poland. ...
, the part of PomeraniaPomerania

Pomerania is a geographical region today divided between northern Poland and Germany on the south coast of the Baltic Sea....
 around the City of GdanskGdansk

Gdansk is the sixth-largest city in Poland, and also its principal seaport and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship....
, the SandomierzSandomierz

Sandomierz is a city in south-eastern Poland with 25,714 inhabitants....
 Region, and Lesser PolandLesser Poland

Lesser Poland is one of the historical regions of Poland. It forms the southernmost part of the country. ...
, the 'senior palatinate', comprising the areas around KrakówFacts About Kraków

Krakw see also Names of European cities in different languages) is one of the oldest and largest cities of Poland, with...
, LeczycaLeczyca

Leczyca, or Leczyca Plonskie is a town of 18000 inhabitants in central Poland....
, and SieradzSieradz

Sieradz is a town on the Warta river in central Poland with 44,700 inhabitants....
. To prevent his four sons from quarrelling, Boleslaus granted one province to each of them, and the fifth one, the senior palatinate, was to be given to the eldest brother on the grounds of primogeniture. The reason for such a decision was not only to forestall dynastic feuds, but also to prevent the disintegration of the kingdom. However, it proved an inadequate solution, and started nearly two centuries of what it had sought to counteract - constant fighting and disorder. Wladyslaw succeeded in re-uniting the Kingdom of Poland.

Wladyslaw was born circa 1260 as the third son of Kazimierz I Kujawski, Duke of Leczyca, Sieradz and Cuiavia. After the death of his father, he inherited Cuiavia, while the remaining two duchies went to his brothers, Leszek Czarny (the Black) and Kazimierz II of Leczyca. However, following the deaths of both brothers, the entire inheritance passed to Wladyslaw, who began the task of re-uniting the Kingdom of Poland. His next step was to win Lesser Poland, for which he had to contest the local prince, Przemysl II. Following Przemysl death in 1296, Wladyslaw proclaimed himself his successor and established himself in Lesser Poland, as well as in Pomerania. While Wladyslaw enjoyed the support of the Lesser Polish peasants, knights and part of the clergy who preferred a prince from the domestic Piast dynasty, he had to defer to Waclaw II of Bohemia, who had the support of the local lords. In 1304 Wladyslaw entered and occupied Lesser Poland with an army of his supporters, which, according to the 15th-century historian Jan DlugoszJan Dlugosz

Jan Dlugosz , also known as Joannes, Ioannes or Johannes Longinus or Dlugossius, was a Polish chronicler, ...
, consisted of more peasants than knights. He also conquered Pomerania around Gdansk, but since he did not win the favour of the local lords and settlers from Brandenburg who had migrated to that area, he was forced to give up the idea of complete control of the Baltic coast.

By 1311 Wladyslaw was already in power in Lesser Poland and his Cuiavian patrimony. Despite a rebellion by the German patricians of KrakówRebellion of wójt Albert

The Rebellion of w?jt Albert took place in Krak?w around the years 1311-1312, when w?jt Albert Albert, supported by bishop J...
 and Sandomierz, he was able to hold these cities thanks to the support of the nobility, gentry and townsfolk. Three years later, Greater Poland also came under his rule. However, John of Luxemburg, King of BohemiaBohemia

Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic....
, also claimed the succession to the Polish crown. In alliance with the Teutonic Order, he attacked Wladyslaw's forces from the north and west, while the Brandenburgians attempted to capture Greater Poland. Nonetheless, Wladyslaw managed to maintain his dominions.

In 1318 he embarked on a coronation campaign. The pope, though initially unwilling, finally granted his approval and Wladyslaw was crowned King of Poland on 30 January 1320 in Kraków. The coronation was a sign that he had overcome Poland's internal fragmentation and re-united and re-instated the country as an independent kingdom under his rule.

A Polish-Teutonic War (1326–1332) occupied Wladyslaw's last years. In 1331, September 27 in KuyaviaKuyavia

Kuyavia, also spelled Cuyavia or Kuiavia, is a historical region of Poland....
 near RadziejówRadziejów Overview

Radziej?w [] is a town in Poland, in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, about 45 km south of Torun....
 fought the Battle of PlowceBattle of Plowce

The Battle of Plowce took place on 27 September, 1331 between an army of Poland and the Teutonic Order....
 against a group of Teutonic knights. Other groups of enemies withdrew to the north. After numerous casualties the armies were stalemated, though Wladyslaw's forces conquered the field, captured some prisoners and stopped the expansion of the Teutonic Order in the region.

Wladyslaw endeavored to establish a uniform legal code throughout the land. With the general laws he assured the JewJew

Jews are followers of Judaism or, more generally, members of the Jewish people , an ethno-religious group descended from th...
s safety and freedom and placed them on equality with the Christians.

Wladyslaw died on 2 March 1333 in Kraków. Although his son, Casimir III the GreatCasimir III of Poland

Casimir III, called the Great , King of Poland , was the son of King Wladyslaw I the Elbow-high and Jadwiga of Gniezno...
, inherited only Lesser Poland, the Duchy of Sandomierz, Greater Poland, Cuiavia, and the Duchies of Leczyca and Sieradz; while Silesia and the Land of Lubusz to the west, along with Gdanskian Pomerania, Western Pomerania, and Mazovia the north remained beyond the Kingdom's borders, Wladyslaw's reign was a major step on the road to restoration of the Kingdom of Poland.

In historic Poland, an ell was a measure of length. 1 ell equalled 0.78 metres. Due to his short stature, the king was nicknamed 'Lokietek', which is a diminutive of the word 'lokiec'.

Marriage and children

In 1293, Wladyslaw married Jadwiga of Greater Poland. She was a daughter of Boleslaus of Greater PolandBoleslaus of Greater Poland

Boleslaus the Pious, was a duke of Greater Poland....
 and Jolenta of HungaryJolenta of Poland Overview

Jolenta of Poland was the daughter of B?la IV of Hungary and Maria Laskarina....
. They had six children:

  • Stephen of Poland (d. 1306).
  • Wladyslaw of Poland (d. 1311/1312).
  • Kunigunde of Poland (c. 1298 - 9 April, 1331). Married first Bernard of Swidnica. Their children included Bolko II of SwidnicaBolko II of Swidnica

    Bolko of Swidnica, the Small was the last independent duke of the Piast dynasty in Silesia....
    . Married secondly Rudolf I, Elector of Saxony.
  • Elisabeth of PolandElisabeth of Poland

    Elisabeth of Kujavia was Queen consort of Hungary and regent of Poland....
     (1305 - 29 December, 1380). Married Charles I of HungaryCharles I of Hungary Overview

    Charles I of Hungary, also called Charles Robert, Carobert and Charles I Robert, was the king of Hungary f...
    .
  • Casimir III of PolandCasimir III of Poland

    Casimir III, called the Great , King of Poland , was the son of King Wladyslaw I the Elbow-high and Jadwiga of Gniezno...
    .
  • Jadwiga of Poland (d. 3 June, 1320/1322).

Ancestors

Gallery

See also

  • History of Poland (966–1385)History of Poland (966–1385)

    In the first centuries of its existence, the Polish nation was led by a series of strong rulers who converted the Poles to Christe...


External links