Bolko II the Small

Bolko II the Small (c. 1312 – 28 July 1368), was the last independent Duke of the Piast dynasty in Silesia. He was Duke of Świdnica from 1326, Duke of Jawor and Lwówek from 1346, Duke of Lusatia from 1364, Duke over half of Brzeg and Oława from 1358, Duke of Siewierz from 1359, and Duke over half of Głogów and Ścinawa from 1361.

He was the oldest son of Bernard, Duke of Świdnica, by his wife Kunigunde, daughter of Władysław I the Elbow-high, Duke of Kuyavia and, from 1320, King of Poland. Like his grandfather, King Elbow-high, Bolko II was of small stature; his nickname, "the Small" (Mały), reflects this and was used in contemporary sources.^{[citation needed]}

After the death of his father in 1326, Bolko II, with his younger brother Henry II as co-ruler, succeeded him in all his domains. Because both princes were still in their teenage years, they were at first aided by their two paternal uncles, Dukes Bolko II of Ziębice and Henry I of Jawor, as well as their mother Kunigunde, who in 1328 remarried to Rudolf I, Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg. Through this union, Bolko II gained a half-brother, Mieszko of Saxe-Wittenberg (b. ca. 1330 – d. 1350). Kunigunde died in 1331, after which Bolko II ruled by himself.

One of the first problems that Bolko II had to face during the first years of his personal reign was the preservation of his small Duchy's independence. It became a separate identity during the fragmentation of Poland, and so was not under the control of the Polish Kingdom nor by any of other neighbors. However, King John of Bohemia, hoped to gain control of the small Silesian duchies. The first serious attempt by King John was to force the Duke of Świdnica to accept his overlordship in 1329. He succeeded in gaining control of much of Silesia as almost all the Piast rulers paid him homage. However, two of the Silesian rulers strongly refused to become his vassals: Bolko II and his brother-in-law (husband of his sister Constance), Duke Przemko II of Głogów.

Bolko II needed more troops in order to preserve his position, so he decided to visit the court of the King Charles Robert of Hungary, where he strongly defended the sovereignty of his dukedom. Shortly after, he also established contacts with his grandfather, the Polish King Władysław I the Elbow-high, and in August 1329 he went to Italy to the camp of Louis IV of Bavaria, recently crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

Bolko II's efforts proved unsuccessful in deterring King John, who, allied with the Teutonic Order in an attempt to distract the Poles, had invaded Silesia in 1331. Details of Bolko II's actions during that time are unknown, but King John's progress through Silesia was not easy: the siege of Niemcza and the disputed Głogów took longer than he expected. His forces were delayed in reaching Kalisz, where was made to come to terms with Bolko II. In the end, all King John was able to conquer was to incorporate into Bohemia the Duchy of Głogów.

In 1336, Bolko II achieved a sought for political goal when his uncle Bolko II of Ziębice put himself under King John's rule. This submission was in return for lifelong reign over the Kłodzko region. This was influenced by the declaration of the new Polish king, Casimir III the Great, renouncing some of his claims over Silesia.

Bolko II nonetheless continued his attempts at pursuing an alliance with Poland and Hungary against Bohemia. In order to enhance his international position, on 1 June 1338 Bolko II married Agnes, daughter of Leopold I, and a member of the Habsburgs. The Habsburgs were among the chief rivals of the Luxembourgs and had recently fought over and won Austria and Styria. He gained some significant concessions, among them a trade agreement allowing merchants from his lands access to the Halych region. Eventually, on 1 January 1345, his mediation resulted in the official alliance between the Wittelsbachs, Poland and Hungary.