Henry V Iron

Representative of the Silesian line of the Polish Piast Dynasty . The only son of Henry IV (1291/1292 - 1342), Prince Zhagansky (1309–1342), and Matilda Brandenburg (d. 1323).

Heinrich gained political experience with his father, participating in negotiations with his uncle, Prince Jan Scinavsky in 1341 , who sold the city of Vskhov to the district to Henry Verny. A year later, in January 1342 , after the death of his father Henry IV the Faithful, Henry V inherited the Principality of Zagan .

Henry earned the nickname " Iron " because of crazy straightforwardness and cruelty. After the death of his father, he tried to implement a policy to restore the lands that were lost under his father, Henry IV Verne.

In 1343, Henry V refused to pay tribute to the Czech crown and tried to subjugate the whole city of Glogow , which was captured by the Czech king Jan of Luxembourg after the death of his uncle Przemka in 1331 . The Czech king Charles IV of Luxembourg with the army was forced to come to Glogow to restore his power.

At the same time (in 1343 ), the Polish king Casimir III the Great , taking advantage of the internal disorder in Silesia, seized and annexed the Vskhov land to his possessions. In a subsequent conflict with Poland, his uncles, princes Konrad Olesnitsky and Jan Szinavsky, sided with Prince Henry of Iron. Despite the defeat under the walls of Scinava from the troops of Konrad Olesnitsky, the Polish king Casimir the Great was able to keep Vkhov land under his control.

Henry V Iron, unable to resist the superior forces of the Polish king, sent a message to Casimir the Great , in which he asked for a truce. Polish troops left the borders of the Zagan principality, and a meeting between Casimir III and Henry Zhelezny took place in the camp of Polish troops. The Polish king returned to Prince Heinrich Zaganski the territories seized during the conflict, except for the Vkhov land.

The conflict with Poland prevented Heinrich Zhelezny from further resistance to the Luxembourg dynasty . On June 7, 1344, a peace agreement was concluded between Heinrich Iron and the Czech King Charles of Luxembourg , who transferred the first half of the Glogow Principality . However, in fact, the transfer of these possessions took place only in 1349 in exchange for the fact that the Prince of Zagan, Heinrich Zhelezny, on November 23 brought homage to Prague to the King of the Czech Republic Karl of Luxembourg .

In 1344, Prince Zhagansky Heinrich Zhelezny participated in the politics of the Luxembourg dynasty , and in 1345 , when the war broke out between the Czech Republic and Poland over Silesia, Prince Zhagansky supported his overlord, while trying to restore his authority over Vskhov .

As the vassal of the Czech crown, Henry V also participated in numerous diplomatic events and actions of the German emperor and King of the Czech Republic Charles IV of Luxembourg . On September 1, 1347, he attended the coronation of Charles in Prague , in 1349 he was in the retinue of Karl of Luxembourg during trips to Avignon and Aachen , and in 1355 accompanied Charles during the Italian expedition and the imperial coronation in Rome .

In 1351, as a reward for loyal service, the German king Charles IV of Luxembourg granted Henry the Iron Principality of the deceased prince Boleslav III Plotsky ( brother-in-law Henry), whose father, Prince Vaclav Plotsky , back in 1329, took the oath of allegiance to the Czech king Jan of Luxembourg. However, the Polish king Casimir the Great captured most of the Plotsky principality , not allowing the Zagan prince Heinrich Zhelezny to Mazovia.

In 1356, Henry Zhelezny together with Prince Nikolai Zembitsky participated in a diplomatic mission to Constantinople , from where he took part in a pilgrimage to Palestine .

After returning to his homeland, Prince Zhagansky expanded his possessions. He bought (mainly from his uncle Jan Scinavsky ) Novogrud- Bobzhan , Rychen , half of Scinava and the area between the Barych and Oder rivers, which was called Miedzyrzecz . The next acquisition of Heinrich Zhelezniy was half of Gury Slaski , which was included in the principality after the death of his uncle Jan Szinavsky, who died between 1361 and 1365 . The claims of the second uncle, Prince Konrad Olesnitsky , were satisfied with an amount of 600 hryvnias of silver.

In 1360, an unexpected deterioration in relations with the Czech king Charles IV of Luxembourg occurred. One of the reasons was the rapprochement between the Czech king and Prince Svidnitsky Boleslav II Maly . Karl of Luxembourg agreed to transfer half of Glogow to Constance Svidnitskaya , the widow of Prince Przemko Glogow . In 1361, Constance accepted monasticism and transferred the widow's inheritance to his elder brother, Prince Svidnitsky Boleslav II the Small . Prince Zhagansky Henry V Zhelezny, who owned the second part of the Glogow principality, sought to unite completely all the Glogow principality under his authority. Henry V lost all his hopes of restoring the unity of the Glogow principality. Soon he began to visit Krakow and entered into an alliance with the King of Poland Casimir III the Great . In order to strengthen this alliance, a political marriage was concluded between the daughter of Henry V Jadwiga and King Casimir III . After his marriage, Casimir the Great increased his influence in Silesia, and Prince агaganski acquired a powerful patron and ally . The wedding took place on February 25, 1363 in Vskhov , the church ceremony was led by the Bishop of Poznan, Jan of Lutognev .

Henry V Zhelezny, Prince of Zagan, was considered a good master, although sources noted his excessive severity in relations with his subjects. He did not consider either the church or the nobility . In particular, Henry Zhelezny was in a bad relationship with the Order of the Augustinians in Zagan, with which there were ongoing disputes. Various excesses and tricks of the prince infuriated his vassals , who even abducted him and locked him in the basement of St. Jakub's Church in Glogow . Only by chance, Henry was able to gain freedom. In 1367, as a result of inflammation of the eyes, Henry the Iron lost his sight.

Heinrich Zhelezny died of pneumonia on April 13, 1369 , he was buried in the church of the Augustinians in Zagan .

On September 6, 1337, Henry V Zhelezny married Anna Mazowiecka (c. 1324–1363), daughter of Prince Wenceslas Plotsky (1293–1336) and Elzbieta of Lithuania (c. 1302–1364), daughter of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas . The couple had five children in marriage:

• Henry VI the Old (c. 1345-1393), Prince of Zagan and Glogow
• Anna (c. 1350–1405), wife from 1361 of Prince Jan I of Raciborz-Opava (c. 1332–1380 / 1382)
• Jadwiga (c. 1350–1390), 1st husband from 1363, King of Poland Casimir III the Great (1310–1370), 2nd husband from 1372, Prince Rupert I Legnitsky (1343–1409)
• Henry VII Rumpold (c. 1350–1395), Prince of агagansko-Glogow
• Henry VIII Vrubel (c. 1357-1397), Prince of Zagansko-Glogow.

• Historische Kommission für Schlesien (Hrsg.): Geschichte Schlesiens. Band 1: Ludwig Petry, Josef Joachim Menzel, Winfried Irgang (Hrsg.): Von der Urzeit bis zum Jahre 1526.5 ., Durchgesehene Auflage. Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1988, ISBN 3-7995-6341-5 , S. 158, 163, 167, 171, 175 and 182 f.
• Hugo Weczerka (Hrsg.): Handbuch der historischen Stätten. Schlesien (= Kröners Taschenausgabe. Bd. 316). Kröner, Stuttgart 1977, ISBN 3-520-31601-3 , S. 204 sowie Stammtafel auf S. 594/595.

• Genealogy of the princes of Glogow