Henry IV Probus or Henry the Righteous ( Polish: Henryk IV Probus or Polish. Henryk IV Prawy ; c. 1258 - June 23, 1290 ) - a representative of the Piast dynasty , one of the Polish princes of the period of feudal fragmentation.
| Henry IV Probus | |||||||
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| Henryk IV Probus | |||||||
 Portrait of the Polish King Henry IV of Probus by Alexander Lesser | |||||||
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| Predecessor | Leszek Black | ||||||
| Successor | Przemysl II | ||||||
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| Predecessor | Henry III White | ||||||
| Successor | Henry V Grunty | ||||||
| Birth | |||||||
| Death | Wroclaw | ||||||
| Burial place | |||||||
| Kind | Pasterns | ||||||
| Father | Henry III White | ||||||
| Mother | Judita Mazowiecka | ||||||
| Spouse | Constance, Matilda Brandenburg | ||||||
| Children | not | ||||||
The son of Henry III of Bely and Judita Mazowiecki, Prince of Wroclaw (from 1270 ) and Krakow (from 1288 ).
The guardian of young Heinrich was his uncle, Salzburg Archbishop Vladislav. Believing that constant traveling between Wroclaw and Salzburg would not benefit the child, Vladislav sent him to Prague to the court of the King of Bohemia, Przemysl Ottakar II . Shortly after the death of his uncle, Henry returned to Wroclaw, where he was under the supervision of Simon Gallsky - the closest adviser to his father.
Henry received an excellent education, which explains his interest in art and poetry (it is possible that he is the author of several poems in Polish). He continued to maintain friendship with Ottakar and went with him on a campaign against the King of Hungary, Istvan in 1271.
In 1273, Henry became an adult and officially took over the reins of Silesia-Wroclaw inheritance. But under his authority was only a small part of the once powerful principality.
Henry's policy was aimed at strengthening friendly relations with relatives - Vladislav Opole and Przemysl Wielkopolski . He continued to support Przemysl Ottakar II in the fight against Emperor Rudolf Habsburg . In 1277, a supporter of Rudolph Boleslav Rogatka kidnapped Henry and imprisoned. This provoked the indignation of the Polish allies of Heinrich, but they were defeated in the Battle of Stoletsk on April 24, 1277. Freedom was returned to Henry only the following year, when Ottakar surrendered to the emperor, and Henry agreed to cede to his captor a third of his possessions (Sriod-Slaska and Strzeg) .
The King of Bohemia died on August 26, 1278 in the Battle of Sukhoi Krut . Henry tried to become the regent of the Czech Republic under the infant king Wenceslas II , but Emperor Rudolph appointed Margrave Otton of Brandenburg to this post. Heinrich received the Czech district of Kladské as flax as compensation. After making peace with Rudolph, Henry traveled to Vienna in 1280, hoping to achieve the crown of Poland for himself.
Trying to regulate relations with neighboring princes, Henry the Honest invited Henry IV Legnitsky , Henry III Gloguvsky and Przemysl II Greater Poland to congress in Sandovel, where he declared them prisoners and demanded territorial concessions. Przemysl was forced to give Heinrich Wielum. In the same year, Henry made the first attempt to capture the lord in response to the raid of Leszek the Black on Wroclaw.
In 1284, Henry captured the great Polish city of Kalisz, which was exchanged for Olobok.
In 1288, the childless ruler of Poland, Leszek the Black, died, and Henry decided that it was time for the realization of his ambitious plans to capture the princely table. He reconciled with Przemysl Wielkopolski, returning Velun to that. Other applicants for Krakow were Leshaek's half-brother Vladislav Lokotok and Boleslav Plotsky . On February 26, 1289, Vladislav and Boleslav defeated Henry and his allies in the Battle of Siewierz. However, Boleslav unexpectedly refused claims, leaving Vladislav alone. Tom managed to capture Wawel Castle and force the Silesians to retreat to the Rock. Henry regrouped his forces and personally stood at the head of the army, which went to Krakow. Thanks to the help of some of the townspeople, Henry captured the city and proclaimed himself the supreme prince of Poland, but he moved the residence to Sandomierz .
During the reign, Henry managed to strengthen the vertical of power and improve the economy. He supported the miners and cities, many of which were granted Magdeburg Law and various privileges. Being an educated and highly cultured man, Henry introduced the customs adopted in Western Europe at the courts and among chivalry.
Henry IV suddenly died on June 23, 1290 at the age of 32. The circumstances of his death are vague. Allegedly, Henry intended to get the royal crown from the Holy See, for which he sent an ambassador to Rome with 12 thousand hryvnias of silver. 400 hryvnias on the way were stolen, and dad refused to negotiate. The waster managed to escape and, fearing princely wrath, he poisoned Henry with slow-acting poison. When dying, the childless prince managed to draw up a will according to which Wroclaw was to be given to Heinrich Gloguvsky and Krakow to Przemysl II, but it was not fully observed: Wroclaw was captured by Heinrich Tolstoy.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 German National Library , Berlin State Library , Bavarian State Library , etc. Record # 124928269 // General regulatory control (GND) - 2012—2016.