Leszek I the White

Leszek I the White (Polish: "Leszek Biały"; c. 1186 – 1227) also listed by some sources as Leszek II the WhiteMalcolm Barber, "The Two Cities ", [http://books.google.com/books?id=-fd59-dhrNQC&pg=RA1-PA368&lpg=RA1-PA368&dq=Leszek+I+the+White&source=web&ots=SjMGZBkjf7&sig=1OHOHsP7hboaSWWBoymandQK6HM&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=9&ct=result p.368] ] , was Prince of Sandomierz and (from 1202 or 1206) of Kraków. Leszek was the ruler of Poland from 1194-1227 except for the short periods following when he was deposed in 1200, 1201 and 1206. Both Mieszko III and Wladyslaw III Spindleshanks constested Leszek's right to be king during this era. Leszek was actually crowned in 1202.

Other sources give an even more complicated picture of Leszek's rule, where between 1198 and 1211 there were even more points of Leszek's removal from the throne. He is considered in this plan to have been ousted in 1198, restored in 1199, ousted in 1202 and restored again in 1206 and then ousted a third time in 1210 and restored in 1211. The third ousting involved putting Mieszko IV Tanglefoot in as the chief ruler of Poland.

Leszek was the son of Casimir II the Just and his wife Helen of Znojmo. He made claims to the territory of Sandomierz on the death of Casimir.

In 1205 Leszek defeated the Rus' army of Prince Roman the Great at the Battle of Zawichost in Lesser Poland.

In 1207 Leszek placed Poland under the vasselage of the Pope, at that point Innocent III. This put Poland clearly in the camp of pro-Papal territories in opposition to the power of the Holy Roman Emperor. [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=PJA9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=Leszek+I+the+White&source=web&ots=0Jv1OntSC0&sig=gK1MnnZbUtCbFoyhaZAcHUAIhew&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result Oskar Halecki and Antony Polonsky. "A History of Poland" p. 28] ]

After that Leszek cooperated closely with Archbishop Henry Kietlicz in implementing the reforms of Innocent III. [Halecki and Polonsky. "Poland". p. 29]

Leszek fought with Hungary over control of Halich Rus but was not able to extend his rule into that land. [http://artyzm.com/matejko/poczet/e_bialy.htm] Leszek did come to an agreement on eastern expansion with Hungary by which a Hungarian prince would marry one of Leszek's daughters and be set up as a vassal of Hungary with obvious benefits to Poland as well. However Daniel of Galicia, the son of the late Roman the Great, was able to come to power in Galicia in 1214 and Polish designs in those areas, that were closely connected with attempts to spread Catholicism eastward, were thwarted. [Halecki and Polonsky. "Poland". p. 29]

Marriage

Leszek married Grzymislawa of Luck in 1207. She was the daughter of Ingvar of Luck, the ruler of Lutsk and its vicinity, a part of Halich Rus. Thus this marriage was part of Leszek's policy of eastward exponsion.

Children

Leszek's and Grzymislawa's daughter Salome of Cracow was born in 1211. She married Kaloman, Duke of Croatia. [http://www.thepeerage.com/p11414.htm] Kaloman was the son of King Andreas II Arpád of Hungary. The marriage occurred in about 1215 when Salome was 4 and Kaloman was 7. They were the intended rulers of Galicia, but as noted above these plans failed and they never took up rule in that area.

Leszek and Grzymislawa were also the parents of Boleslaw V.

Death

In 1227, during a diet of Polish barons at Gąsawa, he was assassinated (probably on orders from Duke Świętopełk II of Pomerania). This was the result of Leszek having attempted to force the Pomeranian Duke to submit to his authority. [Halecki and Polonsky. "Poland". p. 29.]

In a rather famous anecdote, Leszek once explained to the Pope that Polish knights could not participate in his Crusade because there was no mead/beer to be had in Palestine [http://www.beer100.com/history/meadhistory.htm] .

Cultural Remembrance

An opera about him "Leszek bialy" was performed in 1809. It had been written by Józef Elsner. [http://www.answers.com/topic/leszek-bialy-opera]

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