Who was King Wladyslaw I of Poland?

Between chaos and greatness in Polish history, the reign of Wladyslaw I Łokietek (Ladislaus I) the Short of the Elbow-High as he came to be known laid in the middle. As a father of Casimir III the Great, he reunified the country ending about 200 years of the divide. His reign set the stage for a new chapter in Polish history.

Early Life

Born around 1260 or 1261, Wladyslaw was the son of Casimir I, Duke of Kujawy.

In 1267, Wladyslaw succeeded his father to become the Duke of Kujawy. He inherited this dominion amidst the period known as Feudal Fragmentation where the once united Kingdom of Poland disintegrated into several duchies. The divide began in 1138 during the reign of King Boleslaw III in his attempt to divide the country between his sons to avoid a violent civil war. It went obviously sour resulting to around 200 years of division.

Attempts had been made to reunite the country. Those who did, however, came from monarchs of Poland’s powerful neighbors, especially the Kingdom of Bohemia. The Archbishop of Gniezno (the ecclesiastical capital of Poland) Jakub Swinka also called for Polish reunification. Wladyslaw then entered the prey of monarchs and nobles desiring the joining of Poland.

Jakub Świnka

In 1288, Wladsylaw took his first step for the conquest of Poland. On that year Duke Leszek Czarny the Black passed away, leaving his several duchies open for grabs. Wladyslaw seized as much as many principalities into his domain. Then, military campaigns and diplomatic overtures allowed Wladyslaw to take control of Great Poland in 1296. However, the victories lasted only short as in 1300 King Wenceslas II of Bohemia grabbed the position of King of Poland. Bohemian troops and forces of Polish nobles who sided with the Bohemian monarch trampled over those who opposed including Wladyslaw. Wladyslaw surrendered his armed resistance, but not his quest for the Polish crown. He traveled to Rome to lobby for the support of Pope Boniface VIII. He succeeded and with Papal endorsement, he returned to Poland in 1305 bringing with him additional support from the powerful neighboring Kingdom of Hungary. Wladyslaw’s luck continued when in 1306 Wenceslas II passed away opening the doors of Krakow to him.

Unification of Poland

Wladyslaw then set out to unite Poland from Krakow and his powerbase of Lesser Poland. From there, he stood poise to expand into Pomerania and Gdansk. However, instability in Pomerania and Gdansk resulted in Teutonic Knight’s intervention. The Order advanced into the city and the region in 1308 culminating with the notorious Gdansk massacre that resulted in the death of the city’s defenders and a substantial part of its population. They then consolidated their power from Marienburg where the Teutonic Knight Grand Master set up his headquarters. The German knight’s advance blocked any hope for Wladyslaw of access to the Baltic Sea.

Despite the setback in the north, Wladyslaw continued his conquest with other Polish principalities who stood in his way. Resistance to Wladyslaw persisted even within Krakow. In 1311, Krakow Mayor Albert and Bishop Jan Muskata led a revolt preferring the rule of a Bohemian monarch rather than Wladyslaw. Wladyslaw crush the rebellion within a year and his forces captured Bishop Muskata and sent to Gniezno to face an ecclesiastical court led by a pro-unification Archbishop and head of the Polish Catholic Church Jakub Swinka. The Archbishop labeled Muskata “enemy of the Polish people” and banished him until his dying days in 1320. In 1314, Wladyslaw also captured the Greater Poland. After this conquest, he set out to obtain the title of King from the Pope which took years of negotiations until 1320.

King of the United Polish Kingdom?

On January 20, 1320, Wladyslaw I crowned himself King of Poland in Krakow. Although he crowned himself as King, his reclamation remained incomplete. Silesia, Masovia, and Pomerania continued to lay outside Polish rule. Moreover, the King of Bohemia, John of Luxembourg persisted for his right as King of Poland since 1310.

The claim of John of Luxembourg over the Polish throne troubled Wladyslaw’s claim over Silesia. The new Polish King faced discontent among the Silesian and Masovian nobles instigated by Bohemia. To counter the growing Bohemian menace, he strengthened relations with his other powerful neighbors, namely Hungary and Lithuania. He had his daughter Elizabeth married Charles I of Hungary becoming a towering figure in the politics of the 2 countries. On the other hand, he had his son Casimir (the future Casimir III the Great) marry Aldona, daughter of the Duke of Lithuania.

Casimir III

Lithuania’s assistance stood in vital importance in countering the growing threat of the Teutonic Knights. From 1320 to 1321, Wladyslaw sought a Papal Arbitration to answer the dispute over Pomerania. A Papal Legate did come and convened court in Inowroclaw. The arbitration resulted in Polish victory, but its enforcement impotent as the Knights disregarded it. Tensions remained hostile and imploded in 1330. With the threat of Bohemia distracting Wladyslaw, news came from the north that the Teutonic Knights took the opportunity to invade Poland. Wladyslaw faced this invasion head on immediately and won the Battle of Plowce. Despite this victory, it failed to stop the Teutonic Knights from capturing Wladyslaw’s homeland of Kujawy as well as Dobrzyn.

The consolidation of Poland remained incomplete when in 1333, Wladyslaw passed away leaving a fragile kingdom to his son Casimir setting the stage for this monarch’s rise.

Summing Up

Wladyslaw I reunited Poland after 2 centuries of division. Facing tremendously difficult opponents, he used diplomacy to his advantage. Though his work for a complete reunification remained undone, it became the quest for Casimir III the Great to finish. He may be outshined by his son, but he gave them hope that future generations realized.

See also:

Casimir III the Great

Bibliography:

Books:

Davies, Norman. A History of Poland, God's Playground. New York, New York: Columbia University Press, 1982.

Halecki, O. A History of Poland. New York, New York: Dorset Press, 1992.

General Reference:

"Wladyslaw I Lokietek (the Short or the Elbow-High)." Historical Dictionary of Poland, 966 - 1945. Edited by George Lerski. Westport Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1996.

"Wladyslaw I." Historical Dictionary of Poland. Edited by George Sanford. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2003.

Website:

Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Poland." Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed on January 3, 2021. URL: https://www.britannica.com/place/Poland

Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Wladyslaw I." Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed on January 3, 2021. URL: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wladyslaw-I