Konrad I, Duke of Głogów

Konrad I of Głogów (Polish: Konrad I głogowski; 1228/31 – 6 August ca. 1274) was Duke of Głogów (Glogau) from 1251 until his death.

He was the fourth son of Henry II the Pious, Duke of Wrocław, by his wife Anna, daughter of King Ottokar I of Bohemia.

Life

At the time of his father's death in the Battle of Legnica (9 April 1241) Konrad and his younger brother Władysław were placed under the guardianship of their older brother Bolesław II the Bald. In order to avoid excessive fragmentation of the paternal lands, the elder Duke, with the approval of their mother, sent him to study in Paris, where he was to be educated with the intention of becoming a priest in the future.

However, when Konrad found out about the division of the family lands between his older brothers Bolesław II the Bald and Henry III the White in 1248, he returned to the country and claimed his part in the Silesian inheritance.

Soon an agreement was reached under which Konrad remained under the protection and care of his older brother, who gave him the title of co-ruler. Bolesław II (who wanted to get rid of him) proposed Konrad for spiritual posts: first, as Provost of Głogów Cathedral, and then Bishop of Passau in Bavaria. Konrad, however, didn't have any intention of pursuing an ecclesiastical career and soon fell into conflict with Bolesław II.

Konrad fled to Greater Poland (June 1249), where he could count on the support of Duke Przemysł I and he managed to conquer Bytom Odrzański (Beuthen an der Oder). Konrad's bonds with the Dukes of Greater Poland were reinforced after his marriage with Przemysł I's sister Salome. His other brother Henry III the White soon became another ally in the fight against Bolesław II.

With the help of his new allies, and thanks to the revolt of the townspeople of Głogów, the campaign against Bolesław II ended in complete success (1251). The Duke of Legnica was forced to accept his defeat and give Głogów to Konrad as a Duchy. Until the end of his life Konrad's relations with his brother Bolesław II remain strained. In 1257 Konrad made a dangerous move and kidnapped Bolesław from his castle in Legnica. The Duke regained his freedom after a few months, but it is unknown at what price. It can be said that after that the Duke never left Bolesław II a moment of happiness, but in 1271 the Duke of Legnica managed to take the town of Bolesławiec near Bóbr.

In 1260 Konrad established closer contacts with Bohemia and became involved in the politics of King Ottokar II. Also he promoted foreign colonization in his lands, mostly by Germans. This was a decisive contribution to the institution of the Magdeburg rights in Głogów in 1253.

In contrast to his brother Bolesław II, Konrad vigorously supported Bishop Thomas I of Wrocław. However, when the Bishop died in 1268 Konrad began to violate the privileges conferred by him, which led to conflicts with the new Bishop Thomas II Zaremba.

At the end of his life he founded a church in Zielona Góra (now a Co-cathedral) dedicated to his grandmother, St. Hedwig of Andechs. The church was completed only twenty years after his death by his son Henry III.

Marriages and Issue

In 1249 Konrad contracted his first marriage to Salome (b. ca. 1225 - d. April 1267?), daughter of Duke Władysław of Greater Poland. They had six children:

  1. Anna (b. 1250/52 - d. 25 June 1271), married on 24 August 1260 to Duke Louis II of Upper Bavaria.
  2. Henry III (b. 1251/60 - d. 9 December 1309).
  3. Konrad II the Hunchback (b. 1252/65 - d. 11 October 1304).
  4. Euphemia (b. 12 January 1254 - d. bef. 1275), married by 13 May 1266 to Count Albert I of Gorizia.
  5. Przemko (b. 1255/65 - d. killed in battle, Siewierz, 26 February 1289).
  6. Hedwig (b. 1265? - d. 9 June 1318), Abbess of St. Klara, Wroclaw (1283).

By 1271, Konrad married his second wife, Sophie (b. ca. 1259 - d. 24 August 1318), daughter of Dietrich the Wise, Margrave of Landsberg (second son of Henry III, Margrave of Meissen) and — according to some sources — widow of the last legitimate male member of the House of Hohenstaufen, Conradin, King of Sicily and Jerusalem. They had no children.

See also

References

Preceded by
new creation		 Duke of Legnica
with Bolesław II
1248–1251		 Succeeded by
Bolesław II the Bald
Preceded by
new creation		 Duke of Jauer
with Bolesław II
1248–1251
Preceded by
new creation		 Duke of Głogów
with Bolesław II (until 1251)
1248–1274 		Succeeded by
Henry III
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