KB, Royals, Duke Boleslaw V Wstydliwy (Chaste), numismatic, Korski

Description: This medal is a part of my Polish medals collection The artist - Prof Witold Korski (1918 - 2003), one of the most famous polish artist, architect, sculptor and engraver. see the link; http://warszawa.sarp.org.pl/php/galeria/barucki_witold-korski.htm. The information is in Polish, and the medals are published there, as the finest of his works. His imagination regarding the medieval motives is the most creative I ever seen on the contemporary medals. The Polish Kings and Royals and Their Coins Series by Profs. Witold Korskil This series consists of 44 medals; if you are interested in the complete set, please contact me. Boleslaw V Wstydliwy (1226-1279) Bolesław V the Chaste or the Shy (Polish: Bolesław Wstydliwy; 21 June 1226 O.S. – 7 December 1279 O.S.) was the son of Leszek the White. Several years after the death of Henry the Pious at the battle of Legnica (1241), he became king in Kraków, and thus the predominant prince in fragmented Poland. He became High-Duke of Poland and Cracow after defeating Konrad of Mazovia in 1243. He failed to achieve his aims since the Sandomierz and Cracow provinces were invaded by the Mongols and attacked by Rus. In his foreign policy he relied on an alliance with Hungary, strengthened by his marriage with Kinga (Kunegunda), the daughter of the Hungarian king, Bela IV. He died in 1279, leaving no heir. He married Kinga or Cunegunda, daughter of Hungarian King Béla IV. According to medieval chronicles, the marriage was never consummated. Kinga, being extremely pious, was averse to fulfilling her marital duties. At first Bolesław tried to change her mind, but she demurred and he reluctantly accepted the situation. His religious convictions forbade him to take a mistress. Hence the epithet, "the Chaste" or "the Shy." During his reign the city of Cracow, which had been destroyed in 1241 by the Tartars, was rebuilt, and mainly settled by German immigrants. The new city was built on a regular grid pattern (the "location" of 1257). av. The coin of the Duke Boleslaw V Wstydliwy; at the top a romanesque ornament; the inscription – “BOLESLAVS PVDICVS”; the dates – “MCCXLII - MCCLXXIX”. rv. The Prince between two figures of the saints; above the inscription – “BOL. V D. POL.”; the inscription over the head of the saint to the left – “BEATA KINGA VXOR”; the inscription over the head of the saint to the right – “SALOMEA SOROR”, the stylized medieval scene of the hunting. Latin inscription – “DVX BOLE / SLAVS CVPIDIS / SIME / VENATIO-NES / AGENS”. At the bottom the inscription – “MONGOLORVM VRBS CRACOVIA DEVASTATA IVRE THEVTONICO DE-NVO A MCCLVII LOCATA EST”. diameter - 70 mm (2 ¾ “) weight – 130.40 gr, (4.60 oz) metal – bronze, nice patina Fall of Kraków In 1241 the first Mongol invasion of Poland occurred. In January the Mongols took Lublin and Zawichost. Bolesław, with his mother and wife, fled to Hungary at the side of his older sister Salomea, wife of the Hungarian prince Coloman, leaving his lands without his leadership. On 13 February the Mongols conquered and burned Sandomierz, and on 11 March he refused to participate in the Battle of Chmielnik. One month later, on 9 April, the Battle of Legnica took place, in which the army commanded by High Duke Henry II the Pious was defeated, and the duke himself was killed. After the defeat of the Hungarian army at the Battle of the Sajó River two days later (11 April) - where Prince Coloman was seriously injured and died shortly after - Bolesław V and his family (including Salomea, now a widow) fled to Moravia, and then eventually returned to Poland. After the death of Henry the Pious, his eldest son, Bolesław the Bald, took the title of high duke; however, he did not appear in Kraków, where the government was exercised by Klement of Ruszcza on his behalf. Konrad I of Masovia took this opportunity, and despite the strong resistance of the knights and nobility, he finally entered Kraków on 10 July 1241. A few months later, the fortress of Skała, held by Klement of Ruszcza, capitulated. Despite his success, Konrad failed to gain the support of the local nobility, victims of Konrad's mercenaries (the Teutonic Order) themselves, who in 1243 appointed Bolesław the Chaste as their new ruler. On 25 May of that year the Battle of Suchodoły took place, in which the Lesser Poland and Hungarian (Sarmatian) troops, under the command of Klemens of Ruszcza, defeated the Masovian troops of Konrad. With this victory, Bolesław the Chaste regained the government over Kraków. Now at the age of 17, he was the high duke of Poland; however, he remained under the strong influence of his mother until her death. Later that year, Konrad tried to regain the control over Kraków and attacked Bolesław, but was again defeated. Cooperation with Hungary Bolesław the Chaste and Bolesław the Pious were both allies of the Kingdom of Hungary. Their links with the Hungarians probably resulted from their family relationships, as both of their wives were daughters of King Béla IV and most of their Polish and Hungarian knights were descendants of the Sarmatian Iazyges, Siraces and Serboi. In 1245 both rulers supported the expedition of Rostislav Mikhailovich, who was the Hungarian candidate for the throne of Halych. On 17 August the Battle of Jarosław took place, where the Polish and Hungarian troops were defeated. Finally, a peace treaty was signed at Łęczyca. In June and July 1253 Polish-Russian forces, including the army of Bolesław the Chaste, rushed to Moravia in support of the Hungarian expedition to Vindelicia (Austria), which was under the rule of King Ottokar II of Bohemia. The war failed to achieve a settlement, despite the Polish-Russian army looting several villages. The conflict ended with a treaty; at this time, Ottokar (with the help of Bishop Paweł of Kraków) tried to persuade Bolesław the Chaste to join at his side. In 1260 another conflict erupted between Hungary and Bohemia, when the Hungarian prince Stephen organized a marauding expedition to the Duchy of Carinthia. From June to July 1260 Bolesław, with Leszek the Black, helped the Hungarians with troops in their fight against Bohemia. On 12 July the Battle of Kressenbrunn took place, which ended with the defeat of the Hungarian army. On 29 January 1262 during a meeting at Iwanowice, Bolesław the Chaste promised to give military support to Bolesław the Pious in his conflict with Henry the White, who was a supporter of the Kingdom of Bohemia. On 7 June a second meeting took place at Danków, where peace negotiations with Henry took place. At this opportunity, Władysław Opolski tried unsuccessfully to make a quadruple alliance with the Bohemian king, Bolesław the Chaste, and Bolesław the Pious. King Béla IV came into conflict with his son Stephen, which caused an civil war in Hungary. In March 1266 Bolesław and his wife Kinga arranged a meeting at Buda, at which Stephen was committed to maintain peaceful relations with his father, Ottokar II, Bolesław the Chaste, Leszek the Black, and Bolesław the Pious. In 1270 the new King Stephen V of Hungary visited Bolesław the Chaste in Kraków, where they signed an eternal peace. In the same year, Stephen V renewed the war against Bohemia for the Babenberg inheritance, which ended in the defeat of Hungary. In 1271 Bolesław, with the help of Rurikid princes, organized an expedition to the Duchy of Wrocław, because Henry the White was an ally of Bohemia. King Stephen V died on 6 August 1272, and after this the alliance between Bolesław the Chaste and the Kingdom of Hungary was completely broken. In 1277 Bolesław finally made a peace treaty with Bohemia at Opava. With the new king of Hungary, Ladislaus IV, a minor, Bolesław became an ally of the Kingdom of Bohemia; however, during the conflict between Ottokar and King Rudolph I of Germany, he opted for the Hungarian side. On 26 August 1278 Bolesław was present in the decisive Battle on the Marchfeld, where Ottokar was defeated and killed. Christianization of the Yotvingians One of the aims of Bolesław's foreign policy was the Christianization of the Yotvingians. During 1248-1249 he organized an expedition against them, supported by Siemowit I. However, the expedition ended in failure. Between 1256-1264 the Yotvingians invaded and plundered Lesser Poland. In the spring of 1264, Bolesław organized a retaliatory expedition against them, which ended with a victory of the Kraków-Sandomierz troops and the death of the Yotvingian prince Komata. For the Christianization of this tribe, Bolesław created a bishopric in Łuków on the northeastern border of Lesser Poland. In this cause he counted on the support of his sister Salomea and Pope Innocent IV, who in 1254 issued a special document. In the end the mission failed. Second Mongol invasion Prince Daniel of Galicia was at the side of Bolesław as an ally of Hungary in the conflict with the Kingdom of Bohemia. In 1253 after the war with Bohemia, the relation between Bolesław and Daniel was good. Daniel visited Kraków, where he met the papal legate Opizo, who wanted to crown him. The coronation finally took place at Drohiczyn on the Bug River. Bolesław and his sister Salomea supported this event, because they wanted Daniel and his principality to acquire the Latin rite. The second Mongol invasion of Poland shattered those plans. In November 1259 the Mongols and Ruthenians invaded and destroyed Sandomierz, Lublin and Kraków; Bolesław fled to either Hungary or Sieradz, ruled by Leszek the Black. In February 1260 the Mongols left Lesser Poland, and Bolesław then returned to his lands. At this point his relations with Daniel of Galicia improved; in 1262 they signed a treaty in Tarnawa. After Daniel's death in 1265 a Lithuanian-Russian army invaded and ravaged the Lesser Poland districts of Skaryszew, Tarczek, and Wiślica. During 1265−66 Bolesław fought against Daniel's son Shvarn and brother Vasilko Romanovich, who helped the Lithuanians in their invasion into Lesser Poland. On 19 June 1266 Shvarn was defeated at the Battle of Wrota. The conflict ended in 1266, when Bolesław abandoned his expeditions to Yotvingia. In July 1273 the Lithuanians invaded Lublin. In retaliation, Leszek the Black organized an expedition to Yotvingia in December of that year. In 1278 the Lithuanians again invaded Lublin, and they clashed with Leszek's army at the Battle of Łuków. Adoption of Leszek the Black Because Bolesław and his wife Kinga made a vow of chastity, their marriage was childless. In 1265 Bolesław adopted Leszek the Black as his heir. In 1273 Władysław Opolski organized a military expedition to Kraków, because he refused to accept the adoption. On 4 June the Battle of Bogucin Mały took place, where the army from Opole-Racibórz was defeated. At the end of October, Bolesław made a retaliatory expedition against Opole-Racibórz; however, the forces were limited only to destroy specific areas of the duchy. In 1274 Władysław and Bolesław V the Chaste decided to conclude a peace, under which the Duke of Opole-Racibórz gave up his claims over the throne of Kraków. Internal policies Bolesław V paid particular attention to urban development. On 27 February 1253 he granted privileges to the city of Bochnia. On 5 June 1257 during a meeting at Kopernia near Pińczów, he granted the Magdeburg rights to the district of Kraków, and a year later to the city of Nowy Korczyn. In 1264, the city of Skaryszew also received the rights, and in 1271 during a meeting at Kraków, the city of Jędrzejów also obtained the rights. The implementation of the German-styled law led to the rapid economic development in the principality, which experienced losses, up to 75% in population alone, due to Mongol raids. In addition, the reform in the administration of the salt mines of Bochnia and Wieliczka was noteworthy. In 1251 deposits of halite were discovered in Bochnia; previously, only brine had been found there. Bolesław V prompted the district to mine the salt, which became a source of regular income. During his reign, Bolesław took special care of the church, and above all, to the Bishopric of Kraków. In 1245, thanks to the efforts of Bolesław's sister Salomea, a Poor Clare monastery was founded in Zawichost. On 28 August 1252 during a meeting at Oględów, the Duke and his mother Grzymisława granted an immunity privilege to the Bishopric, which guaranteed to the local clergy greater autonomy in economic and judicial matters. On 17 September 1253, thanks to the joint efforts of Bolesław and the bishop of Kraków, Pope Innocent IV canonized Stanisław (Stanislaus) of Szczepanów. On 8 May 1254 celebrations were held in Kraków to honour Saint Stanislaus, including a meeting of the Piast princes. On 18 June another meeting took place at Chroberz, where Bolesław confirmed the privileges granted to the Bishopric of Kraków at Oględów. In 1257 a synod was held in Łęczyca, where it was established that any ruler who kidnapped a bishop would be automatically excommunicated, and his domains placed under the interdict. Between 11–12 June 1258 a meeting was held at Sandomierz, at which Bolesław approved further privileges for the Church in Lesser Poland. At the invitation of Bolesław V and his wife Kinga, the Franciscans came to Kraków around 1258. Death Bolesław the Chaste died on 7 December 1279. Jan Długosz recorded the event as follows: He was deeply grieved not only by his own people, but also by the neighboring nations because of the modesty and majesty that he showed. His funeral took place three days later, on 10 December. He was buried in the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Kraków. There is a gravestone with the inscription: Anno Domini MCCLXX obiit ilustrissimus princeps et dnus, Vladislaus dictus pius dux Cracov. Kazimierz Stronczyński alleged that the gravestone was false, but the fact that contemporary sources established that Bolesław's body was placed in the church, does not raise any objections. After the death of her husband, Kinga entered the Poor Clares convent in Stary Sącz. By virtue of the previous agreement, Leszek II the Black inherited Kraków and Sandomierz.

Price: 34.9 USD

Location: Sliema,

End Time: 2024-04-27T19:06:35.000Z

Shipping Cost: 12 USD