(Redirected from Ladislaus the Short)
:''This article is about the 14th century Polish monarch. For the 11th century monarch, see
Władysław I Herman, and for other monarchs with similar names, see
Ladislaus I (disambiguation)''
'Władysław the Short' or 'Elbow-high' (or 'Ladislaus I of Poland') (
Polish: 'Władysław I Łokietek') (born
1261 - died
1333) was a
King of Poland. He was a Duke until 1300, and Prince of
Kraków from
1305 until his coronation as King on
January 20,
1320.
Royal titles
★ Title before coronation: ''Wladislaus Dei gracia, dux Regni Poloniae et dominus Pomeraniae, Cuiavie, Lanciciae ac Siradiae''
:English translation: Vladislaus by the grace of God duke of the Kingdom of
Poland, and lord of
Pomerania,
Kuyavia,
Łęczyca and
Sieradz
★ Royal title after coronation: ''Wladislaus Dei gracia, rex Poloniae et dominus Pomeraniae, Cuiavie, Lanciciae ac Siradiae''
:English translation: Vladislaus by the grace of God king of
Poland, and lord of
Pomerania,
Kuyavia,
Łęczyca and
Sieradz
Later histories refer to him also as Wladislaw IV or Wladislaw I. There are no records to show that he actually used any
regnal number. Both numerals are retrospective assignments by later historians. IV comes from him being the fourth of that name to rule as overlord of the Polish, since Wladislaw I Herman. I comes from him having restored the monarchy after a fragmented era of a century or more, and also backwards-counting from Wladislaw of Varna who officially used III and
Wladislaw Vasa who officially used IV.
Biography
The
12th and
13th centuries were times of adversity for Poland. In
1138 the kingdom, which had been growing in strength under the rule of the
Piast dynasty, encountered an obstacle which impeded its development for nearly two hundred years. In the will of King
Bolesław Krzywousty, Poland was divided into five provinces -
Silesia,
Mazovia with
Cuiavia,
Greater Poland, the part of
Pomerania around the City of
Gdańsk, the
Sandomierz Region, and
Lesser Poland, the 'senior palatinate', comprising the areas around
Kraków,
Łęczyca, and
Sieradz. To prevent his four sons from quarrelling, Boleslaus granted one province to each of them, and the fifth one, the senior palatinate, was to be given to the eldest brother on the grounds of primogeniture. The reason for such a decision was not only to forestall dynastic feuds, but also to prevent the disintegration of the kingdom. However, it proved an inadequate solution, and started nearly two centuries of what it had sought to counteract - constant fighting and disorder. It came to an end thanks to Władysław Łokietek, the monarch who has come down in history as the restorer of a united Kingdom of Poland.
Wladyslaw was born circa 1260 as the third son of
Kazimierz I Kujawski, Duke of Łęczyca, Sieradz and Cuiavia. After the death of his father, he inherited Cuiavia, while the remaining two duchies went to his brothers,
Leszek Czarny (the Black) and
Kazimierz II of Łęczyca. However, following the deaths of both brothers, the entire inheritance passed to Władysław, who began the task of re-uniting the Kingdom of Poland. His next step was to win Lesser Poland, for which he had to contest the local prince,
Przemysł II. Following Przemysł death in
1296, Wladyslaw proclaimed himself his successor and established himself in Lesser Poland, as well as in Pomerania. Unfortunately, he had to defer to
Waclaw II of Bohemia, who had the support of the local lords. However, Władysław enjoyed the support of the Lesser Polish peasants, knights and part of the clergy who preferred a prince from the domestic Piast dynasty. Thus, in
1304 Władysław entered and occupied Lesser Poland with an army of his supporters, which, according to the 15th-century historian
Jan Długosz, consisted of more peasants than knights. He also conquered Pomerania around Gdańsk, but since he did not win the favour of the local lords and settlers from Brandenburg who had migrated to that area, he was forced to give up the idea of complete control of the
Baltic coast.
By
1311 Władysław was already in power in Lesser Poland and his Cuiavian patrimony. Despite
a rebellion by the German patricians of Kraków and Sandomierz, he was able to hold these cities thanks to the support of the nobility, gentry and townsfolk. Three years later, Greater Poland also came under his rule. However, this did not mean the end of his problems, as
John of Luxemburg, King of
Bohemia, also claimed the succession to the Polish crown. In alliance with the
Teutonic Order, he attacked Poland from the north and west, while the Brandenburgians attempted to capture Greater Poland. Nonetheless, Władysław managed to maintain his dominions.
In
1318 he embarked on a coronation campaign. The pope, though initially unwilling, finally granted his approval and Władysław was crowned
King of Poland on
30 January 1320 in Kraków. The coronation was a sign that he had cleared Poland's internal fragmentation and re-united and re-instated the country as an independent kingdom.
A
Polish-Teutonic War (1326–1332) occupied his last years. In
1331,
September 27 in
Kuyavia near
Radziejów Łokietek fought a major
Battle of Płowce against a group of Teutonic knights. Other groups of enemies withdrew to the North. The battle was exceedingly bloody, both armies not giving up an inch. Although the result of the battle was a kind of draw, Poles conquered the field, captured some prisoners and the King stopped the expansion of
Teutonic Order in the region.
Łokietek endeavored to establish a
uniform legal code throughout the land. With the general laws he assured the
Jews safety and freedom and placed them on equality with the Christians.
Władysław the Short died on
2 March 1333 in Kraków. Although his son,
Casimir III the Great, inherited only Lesser Poland, the Duchy of Sandomierz, Greater Poland, Cuiavia, and the Duchies of Łęczyca and Sieradz; while Silesia and the Land of
Lubusz to the west, along with Gdańskian Pomerania, Western Pomerania, and Mazovia the north remained beyond the Kingdom's borders, Wladyslaw's reign was a major step on the road to restoration of the Kingdom of Poland.
In historic Poland, an ell was a measure of length. 1 ell equalled 0.78 metres. Due to his short stature, the king was nicknamed 'Łokietek', which is a diminutive of the word 'łokieć' (
ell, elbow).
See also
★
History of Poland (966–1385)
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