Bolesław the Forgotten

Bolesław the Forgotten (Polish: Bolesław Zapomniany) or the Cruel (Bolesław Okrutny; before 1016 1038/39) was a semi-legendary Duke of Poland of the Piast dynasty from 1034 until his death in 1038 or 1039. He was allegedly the first-born son of Mieszko II Lambert.

Sources which mention his existence

He is described in the Wielkopolska Chronicle, written in the 14th century, where he is said to have taken power in Poland after the death of his father Mieszko II, as he was the eldest son. According to the chronicle he was killed because of his extreme cruelty, and sentenced to the Damnatio memoriae. The Julian calendar was in use so New Year's Day had not been changed to the first day of January. The text describes him as follows:

When he [Mieszko II] died in the year of our Lord 1033, he was succeeded by his first-born son Bolesław. When he was crowned he covered his mother with several insults. His mother coming from an excellent family, unable to bear his iniquity, having taken his youngest son, Casimir, returned to his native land in Saxony, to Brunswick, and retired to a convent of nuns. Because of his severity and the horrors of his crimes, Bolesław badly ended his life, and though he was awarded the crown royal, shall not be placed among the Polish kings and princes.[1]

However, there is no mention of any coronation of a Polish ruler in this period, which would have to be recorded in the German sources (as was the case with the coronations of Bolesław I and Mieszko II), probably because there was no royal insignia in the country, which had been returned to the Emperor by the well-known Bezprym earlier in the year 1031.

This brief description of Bolesław in the Wielkopolska Chronicle is very similar with the information about Bezprym who was described in the Chronicles of Hildesheim:

1032. This year Bezprym was killed by his own men, not without the instigation of his brothers, because of his cruelty and tyrannical rule.

Bolesław's life is also described in a text written by Wincenty z Kielczy (13th century) and some other sources. In the Annals of Kraków under the date of 1038 was placed the information about a "king Bolesław's" death. This date cannot be connected with Bolesław I Chrobry (who died in 1025) and Bolesław II the Bold (dead in 1081, deposed and exiled) so it may refer to the Forgotten. In addition, an indirect reference to his existence may be found in the Małopolska Chronicle, where Bolesław III Wrymouth is called Bolesław IV. Also, in the Tyniec Codec (destroyed in the 19th century), Bolesław II the Generous was given the Roman numeral III. This gives some grounds to believe that between Bolesław I Chrobry and Bolesław II could be placed another Bolesław.

Foreign chronicles also favored the existence of Bolesław the Forgotten, for example:

In Polish historiography

In older times Bolesław was widely described as historical monarch of Poland. Many Polish historians were sure about his existence: Tadeusz Wojciechowski, Oswald Balzer, Roman Grodecki, Feliks Koneczny, Stanisław Zakrzewski, and Zygmunt Wojciechowski. They had the following arguments:

Some say that Gallus Anonymus failed to describe Bolesław because of the ruler's part in the pagan reaction in Poland.

Ancestry

References

  1. Gdy umarł w roku Pańskim 1033, nastąpił po nim pierworodny syn jego Bolesław. Skoro ten został ukoronowany na króla, wyrządził swej matce wiele zniewag. Matka jego pochodząca ze znakomitego rodu, nie mogąc znieść jego niegodziwości, zabrawszy maleńkiego syna swego Kazimierza, wróciła do ziemi ojczystej w Saksonii, do Brunszwiku, i umieściwszy tam syna dla nauki miała wstąpić do jakiegoś klasztoru zakonnic. Bolesław zaś z powodu srogości i potworności występków, których się dopuszczał, źle zakończył życie i choć odznaczony został koroną królewską, nie wchodzi w poczet królów i książąt Polski.

External links

See also

Further reading

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