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Agnes of Babenberg
Agnes of Babenberg (Polish: Agnieszka austriacka; c. 1108/13 – 24/25 January 1163) was a scion of the Franconian House of Babenberg and by marriage High Duchess of Poland and Duchess of Silesia.
Agnes was a daughter of Leopold III, Margrave of Austria, and Agnes, daughter of Emperor Henry IV. Through her mother, Agnes was a descendant of the Salian dynasty, which ruled the Holy Roman Empire since 1024 until her maternal uncle, Emperor Henry V, died without issue in 1125. She was the half-sister of Duke Frederick II of Swabia and King Conrad III of Germany, both born from her mother's first marriage with Duke Frederick I of Swabia. Of her full siblings, one sister, Judith, married Marquess William V of Montferrat, and one brother was Bishop Otto of Freising, a renowned medieval chronicler.
According to Wincenty Kadłubek, Polish chronicler and bishop of Kraków (and this opinion is shared by other sources), Agnes was a very ambitious, energetic woman, and proud of her origins. It is no wonder the bishop called her "Tigress" in his Chronica Polonorum.
The ruler of Poland, Duke Bolesław Wrymouth, in order to hold his ground against the Empire wanted to obtain a powerful ally against King Lothair III of Germany. He therefore forged an alliance with the Babenbergs and the Hohenstaufen families, who, as relatives of the extinct Salian dynasty, were the natural rivals of Lothair. In order to seal this alliance, a marriage between Bolesław III's eldest son Władysław and Agnes was agreed. The wedding took place around 1125; according to some historians, the couple had already received the Duchy of Silesia from Bolesław III as a gift.
Bolesław III died on 28 October 1138. In his will, he divided Poland between his sons. As the oldest son, the supreme authority in the country was assigned to Władysław II with the title of high duke (princeps). In addition to Silesia, he received the Seniorate Province (which included Lesser Poland, eastern Greater Poland and western Kuyavia) and the authority over Pomerania. His half-brothers Boleslaw IV, Mieszko III and Henry received hereditary fiefs as junior dukes. In addition, Władysław II would also receive the lands of Łęczyca, then granted by Bolesław III to his widow, Salomea of Berg, for life as her dower and to revert to the Seniorate Province upon her death.
Almost immediately, the high duke began his efforts to unify the country under his rule. Wincenty Kadłubek stated that the confrontation between Władysław II and his half-brothers was mainly instigated by Agnes, who believed that her husband, as the eldest son, had the right to be the sole ruler of the whole country.
In order to strengthen the authority of the high duke, it is believed that Agnes took part in the downfall of one of the most powerful nobles in the country, the voivode Piotr Włostowic, who supported the junior dukes. According to a legend, the capture of Włostowic was thanks to Agnes, because she sent her own retainers to his castle and they captured him during the night. This event was recorded in German contemporary historiography; however, since this story is not confirmed, it not generally accepted by modern historians. Agnes demanded Włostowic's death, but her husband decided instead to make an example of him. Włostowic was blinded, muted and sentenced to exile.
The tyrannical rule of Władysław II and Agnes led to many of their subjects switching their allegiance to the junior dukes. In early 1146 the high duke's forces were finally defeated near Poznań. Władysław II escaped to Bohemia, while Agnes and her children remained in Kraków, where for some time they maintained resistance against the junior dukes from the Wawel Castle. However, the attempts to defend the city were unsuccessful and, in the end, the whole family was reunited in exile.
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Agnes of Babenberg
Agnes of Babenberg (Polish: Agnieszka austriacka; c. 1108/13 – 24/25 January 1163) was a scion of the Franconian House of Babenberg and by marriage High Duchess of Poland and Duchess of Silesia.
Agnes was a daughter of Leopold III, Margrave of Austria, and Agnes, daughter of Emperor Henry IV. Through her mother, Agnes was a descendant of the Salian dynasty, which ruled the Holy Roman Empire since 1024 until her maternal uncle, Emperor Henry V, died without issue in 1125. She was the half-sister of Duke Frederick II of Swabia and King Conrad III of Germany, both born from her mother's first marriage with Duke Frederick I of Swabia. Of her full siblings, one sister, Judith, married Marquess William V of Montferrat, and one brother was Bishop Otto of Freising, a renowned medieval chronicler.
According to Wincenty Kadłubek, Polish chronicler and bishop of Kraków (and this opinion is shared by other sources), Agnes was a very ambitious, energetic woman, and proud of her origins. It is no wonder the bishop called her "Tigress" in his Chronica Polonorum.
The ruler of Poland, Duke Bolesław Wrymouth, in order to hold his ground against the Empire wanted to obtain a powerful ally against King Lothair III of Germany. He therefore forged an alliance with the Babenbergs and the Hohenstaufen families, who, as relatives of the extinct Salian dynasty, were the natural rivals of Lothair. In order to seal this alliance, a marriage between Bolesław III's eldest son Władysław and Agnes was agreed. The wedding took place around 1125; according to some historians, the couple had already received the Duchy of Silesia from Bolesław III as a gift.
Bolesław III died on 28 October 1138. In his will, he divided Poland between his sons. As the oldest son, the supreme authority in the country was assigned to Władysław II with the title of high duke (princeps). In addition to Silesia, he received the Seniorate Province (which included Lesser Poland, eastern Greater Poland and western Kuyavia) and the authority over Pomerania. His half-brothers Boleslaw IV, Mieszko III and Henry received hereditary fiefs as junior dukes. In addition, Władysław II would also receive the lands of Łęczyca, then granted by Bolesław III to his widow, Salomea of Berg, for life as her dower and to revert to the Seniorate Province upon her death.
Almost immediately, the high duke began his efforts to unify the country under his rule. Wincenty Kadłubek stated that the confrontation between Władysław II and his half-brothers was mainly instigated by Agnes, who believed that her husband, as the eldest son, had the right to be the sole ruler of the whole country.
In order to strengthen the authority of the high duke, it is believed that Agnes took part in the downfall of one of the most powerful nobles in the country, the voivode Piotr Włostowic, who supported the junior dukes. According to a legend, the capture of Włostowic was thanks to Agnes, because she sent her own retainers to his castle and they captured him during the night. This event was recorded in German contemporary historiography; however, since this story is not confirmed, it not generally accepted by modern historians. Agnes demanded Włostowic's death, but her husband decided instead to make an example of him. Włostowic was blinded, muted and sentenced to exile.
The tyrannical rule of Władysław II and Agnes led to many of their subjects switching their allegiance to the junior dukes. In early 1146 the high duke's forces were finally defeated near Poznań. Władysław II escaped to Bohemia, while Agnes and her children remained in Kraków, where for some time they maintained resistance against the junior dukes from the Wawel Castle. However, the attempts to defend the city were unsuccessful and, in the end, the whole family was reunited in exile.
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