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{{infobox nobility
| name = Bolko I the Strict
| title = Duke of Lwówek, Jawor, Świdnica, Ziębice
| image = Bolko I Surowy seal 1298.PNG
| caption = Bolko I's [[Seal (emblem)|seal]], dated to 1298
| noble family = [[Silesian Piasts]]
| father = [[Bolesław II the Bald]]
| mother = Hedwig of Anhalt
| spouse = [[Beatrice of Brandenburg]]
| issue = Judith Bolko [[Beatrix of Świdnica|Beatrice]] [[Bernard of Świdnica|Bernard]] [[Henry I of Jawor|Henry I]] Elisabeth Margareta [[Bolko II of Ziębice|Bolko II]] Anna
| birth_date = between 1252 and 1256
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{death date|1301|11|9|df=y}}
| death_place =
| burial_place = [[Krzeszów Abbey]]
}}
'''Bolko (Bolesław) I the Strict''', also known as '''Bolko (Bolesław) of Jawor''' ({{langx|pl|'''Bolko I Surowy'''}}{{CN|date=June 2023}} or '''''Srogi''''' or '''''Jaworski'''''; 1252/56 – 9 November 1301), was a Duke of [[Lwówek Śląski|Lwówek]] 1278–81 (with his brother as co-ruler) and [[Duchy of Jawor|Jawor]] after 1278 (with his brother as co-ruler until 1281), sole Duke of Lwówek after 1286, Duke of [[Świdnica]]-[[Ziębice]] from 1291.

==Life==
Bolko I was the second son of [[Bolesław II the Bald]], Duke of Legnica by his first wife Hedwig, daughter of [[Henry I, Count of Anhalt]].

Most likely because he was still too young to actively participate in politics, Bolko appears rarely in the chronicles before his father's death. It is possible that he took part in the victorious [[Battle of Stolec]] in 1277.

Bolesław II died on 26 December 1278. Bolko I and his younger brother [[Bernard the Lightsome]] inherited [[Jawor]] and [[Lwówek Śląski|Lwówek]] as co-rulers, and their older brother [[Henry V the Fat]] retained [[Legnica]]. In 1281 Bolko I and Bernard divided their domains: Bernard kept Lwówek, and Bolko I became in sole ruler of Jawor.

One of the first tasks of Bolko I as sole ruler was to protect his modest inheritance from the growing power of [[Henry IV Probus]], Duke of [[Duchy of Wrocław|Wrocław]]. To that end, he decided to enter into an alliance with the [[Margraves of Brandenburg]]. In order to cement this alliance, a marriage was arranged between Bolko I and [[Beatrice of Brandenburg|Beatrice]], the daughter of Margrave [[Otto V, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel|Otto V the Tall]] of Brandenburg. The betrothal was performed in the city of [[Spandau]] on 19 April 1279; however, because of the close relationship between groom and bride, the formal wedding was performed more than five years later, in 1284 (although the Papal [[dispensation (Catholic Church)|dispensation]] to allow the wedding was announced only one year later, in 1285). Bolko I's relation to the [[House of Ascania]] engaged him in an armed conflict with the German King [[Rudolf I of Germany|Rudolf I of Habsburg]] and Henry IV Probus. An expedition made on [[Wrocław]] in 1280 and on [[Prague]] in the following year, instead of expected successes, brought him a retaliatory action from the Duke of Wroclaw.

After the death of his brother Bernard in 1286 without issue, Bolko I inherited the Duchy of Lwówek, by virtue of a reciprocal inheritance treaty signed by the brothers around 1281.

In the second half of the 1280s, Bolko I tried to avoid the dangers from the rising power of Henry IV Probus and began to approach the King [[Wenceslaus II of Bohemia]]. On several occasions, he travelled to Prague and took part in many court ceremonies, for example in 1289, when Bolko I took part in the homage of Duke [[Casimir of Bytom]] to King Wenceslaus II. However, despite the fact that Bolko I strongly resisted the complete dominance of Prague, he received minor benefits from the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]], such as the possession of the strategical castle in [[Chełmsko Śląskie]] on the Bohemian frontier.

The unexpected death of Henry IV Probus in 1290 caused a complete change in Silesian politics. Bolko I's brother Henry V the Fat occupied Wroclaw and took control of all of Henry IV's domains, but had to face the opposition of the Wroclaw nobility and the pretensions of the rightful heir of Henry IV, Duke [[Henry III, Duke of Głogów|Henry III of Głogów]]. Bolko I decided to give his brother assistance; however, the price for it was quite high. Only after Henry V gave him the towns of [[Świdnica]], [[Ząbkowice Śląskie|Ząbkowice]], [[Ziębice]], and [[Strzelin]], Bolko I sent troops and food to Wrocław and Legnica. The help for Henry V, however, was inadequate; at the end, Henry V was defeated and imprisoned in an iron cage by Henry III. Named regent of Henry V's domains during his absence, Bolko I never attempted to obtain the release of his brother.

The 1290s were also a period of difficult relations with the neighboring Kingdom of Bohemia. It is unknown why relations between them altered, but this could be probably thanks to the willingness of the Duke of Jawor-Świdnica. Bolko I, in order to secure his domains, began the intensive building of fortifications in his Duchy (particularly in the Bohemian frontier towns of Świdnica, [[Wleń]], [[Strzegom]] and [[Kamienna Góra]]). After this, Bolko I tried to take full control over the [[Duchy of Nysa]]-[[Otmuchów]], given to the [[Bishopric of Wroclaw]] in Henry IV's will.
[[File:Bolko I. Schweidnitz.png|thumbnail|left|upright|Bolko I's tomb effigy in Krzeszów. In this 19th-century [[lithograph]] an attempt was made to reconstruct the medieval polychrome.]]
Resentful of Bolko I's ambitions, Bishop [[Jan Romka]] decided to use the biggest weapons available to him against the Duke: in 1294 Bolko I was [[excommunicated]], and all his lands were placed under [[interdict]]. Forced by this actions, Bolko I renounced his pretensions and freed the Bishop's castles that he had occupied.

The tensions between Bolko I and [[King Wenceslas II]] finally erupted in 1295 and war began. The Bohemian King did not expect a significant resistance; however, to his great surprise, he had to watch the effective defense of the Duke of Jawor. In the war with Bohemia, Bolko I could use the fortifications built by him (the Bohemian army was stopped at Kamienna Góra). Bolko I also demonstrated that he was a wise politician; immediately after stopping the Bohemian troops, he put his domains under the protection of [[Pope Boniface VIII]], which eventually led King Wenceslaus II to seek a settlement. The peace was signed most likely at the beginning of 1297, since on 2 June of that year Bolko I was present at the coronation of King Wenceslaus II in Prague.

At the beginning of 1296 Henry V the Fat died, leaving three minor sons. As the closest male relative, the guardianship of Henry V's children and the regency of his domains were given to Bolko I. In this situation Bolko I tried to extract all the benefits he could and took for himself [[Sobótka]] castle. Bolko I's regency had to face several difficulties: first, the resistance of the powerful Wrocław nobility, who feared that the well-known Bolko I's hard rule could affect their privileges. Soon, Henry III of Głogów decided to exploit the difficulties of the Duke of Jawor and began a war against him. However, in this instance, Bolko I achieved a complete success, not only because he managed to repel the invasion of the Duke of Głogów, but additionally he managed to take the castles of [[Chojnów]] and [[Bolesławiec]].

Bolko I was energetic in developing his lands and building castles. Although a Slavic [[Piast]] by origin, he encouraged [[Ostsiedlung|colonization of his lands by German settlers]] and a patron of the [[Cistercian]] movement, notably founding the Cistercian [[Krzeszów Abbey]].<ref>Rieckenberg, [http://mdz10.bib-bvb.de/~db/0001/bsb00016318/images/index.html?nativeno=431 "Bolko I."]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, in ''[[Neue Deutsche Biographie]]'', p. 431.</ref>

Bolko I was known a patron of literature. An 8000 line poem in [[Middle High German]] on the exploits of [[Ludwig III, Landgrave of Thuringia|Ludwig III]], [[List of rulers of Thuringia#Landgraves of Thuringia|Count of Thuringia]], was composed by an unnamed priest at Bolko's instigation.<ref>Garland and Garland, ''Oxford Companion to German Literature'', p. 500, available [https://books.google.com/books?id=WBURwcRwHu8C&pg=PA500 here].</ref>
[[File:Sarcophagus of Bolko I.jpg|thumb|230px|Funeral effigy of Bolko in Krzeszów Abbey]]
To resolve the tense situation in Upper Silesia, by March 1297 an annual congress of Silesian Dukes in Zwanowicach was convened, where Bolko I made the final settlement with Henry III. Bolko I spent the last years of his life strengthening his position as the most powerful of the Silesian princes, which he achieved after his recognition as a Papal vassal on 21 March 1299.

Bolko I died suddenly on 9 November 1301 and was buried in [[Krzeszów Abbey]]. He was succeeded by his sons, but because they were minors at that time, his brother-in-law [[Herman, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel]] assumed the regency of his domains and the guardianship of his children. The custody of Henry V's sons and the regency of his lands was taken by King Wenceslaus II.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Agnieszka |date=2021-12-06 |title=He built a strong Świdnica. 720 years since the death of Bolko I the Strict. A special edition of the Świdnica Historical Magazine! - Swidnica24.pl - events, information, entertainment, culture, politics, interviews, accidents |url=https://swidnica24.pl/2021/12/zbudowal-silna-swidnice-720-lat-od-smierci-bolka-i-surowego-specjalne-wydanie-swidnickiego-magazynu-historycznego/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |language=pl-PL}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lost Medieval Village Discovered With Aerial Laser Scanner - Archaeology Magazine |url=https://www.archaeology.org/news/5884-170830-poland-goschwitz-village |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=www.archaeology.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Henriques |first=Martha |date=2017-08-30 |title=Long-lost medieval village of 'Bolko I the Strict' discovered in Poland |url=https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/long-lost-medieval-village-bolko-i-strict-discovered-poland-1637270 |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=International Business Times UK |language=en}}</ref>

==Marriage and issue==
In [[Berlin]] on 4 October 1284, Bolko I married [[Beatrice of Brandenburg|Beatrice]] (b. ca. 1270 – d. bef. 26 April 1316), daughter of [[Otto V, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel|Otto V "the Tall"]], Margrave of [[Brandenburg]]-[[Salzwedel]].{{sfn|Górecki|2007|p=168}} They had:
#Judith (b. ca. 1287 – d. Landshut, 15 September 1320), married in 1299 to [[Stephen I, Duke of Bavaria|Stephen I, Duke of Lower Bavaria]].
#Bolko (b. ca. 1288 – d. 30 January 1300).
#[[Beatrix of Świdnica|Beatrice]] (b. 1290 – d. Munich, 25 August 1322), married by 14 October 1308 to [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Louis IV, Duke of Upper Bavaria]], later German King and Holy Roman Emperor.
#[[Bernard of Świdnica|Bernard]] (b. ca. 1291 – d. 6 May 1326).
#[[Henry I of Jawor|Henry I]] (b. 1292/96 – d. bef. 15 May 1346).
#Elisabeth (b. and d. 1300).
#Margareta (b. and d. 1300) [twin of Elisabeth?].
#[[Bolko II of Ziębice|Bolko II]] (b. 1 February 1300 – d. 11 June 1341).
#A son (b. ca. early 1301 – 24 December 1307).
#Anna (b. posthumously, 21 November 1301 – d. bef. 24 June 1334), Abbess of St. Clara, [[Strehlen]] (1327).

==Ancestry==
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2012}}
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
|1= 1. '''Bolko I the Strict'''
|2= 2. [[Bolesław II the Bald]]
|3= 3. Hedwig of Anhalt
|4= 4. [[Henry II the Pious]]
|5= 5. [[Anne of Bohemia (1204–1265)|Anne of Bohemia]]
|6= 6. [[Henry I, Count of Anhalt]]
|7= 7. Irmgard of Thuringia
|8= 8. [[Henry I the Bearded]]
|9= 9. [[Hedwig of Andechs]]
|10= 10. [[Ottokar I of Bohemia]]
|11= 11. [[Constance of Hungary]]
|12= 12. [[Bernhard, Count of Anhalt]]
|13= 13. Judith of Poland
|14= 14. [[Hermann I, Landgrave of Thuringia]]
|15= 15. [[Sophia of Wittelsbach]]
|16= 16. [[Bolesław I the Tall]]
|17= 17. Christina
|18= 18. [[Berthold IV, Duke of Merania]]
|19= 19. [[Agnes of Rochlitz]]
|20= 20. [[Vladislaus II, Duke of Bohemia|Vladislaus II of Bohemia]]
|21= 21. [[Judith of Thuringia]]
|22= 22. [[Béla III of Hungary]]
|23= 23. [[Agnes of Antioch]]
|24= 24. [[Albert the Bear]], Margrave of Brandenburg
|25= 25. [[Sophie of Winzenburg]]
|26= 26. [[Mieszko III the Old]]
|27= 27. [[Elizabeth of Hungary, Duchess of Greater Poland|Elizabeth of Hungary]]
|28= 28. [[Louis II, Landgrave of Thuringia]]
|29= 29. [[Judith of Hohenstaufen]]
|30= 30. [[Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria]]
|31= 31. [[Agnes of Loon]]
}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
* Garland, Henry, & Garland, Judith, ''The Oxford Companion to German Literature'', Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1997, {{ISBN|0-19-815896-3}}
* Rieckenberg, Hans Jürgen, [http://mdz10.bib-bvb.de/~db/0001/bsb00016318/images/index.html?nativeno=431 "Bolko I."]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, in ''[[Neue Deutsche Biographie]]'' (NDB), volume 2, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1955, p. 431
* {{cite book |title=A Local Society in Transition: The Henryków Book and Related Documents |first=Piotr |last=Górecki |publisher=Brill |year=2007 }}
* [http://www.poczet.com/bolkoi.htm BOLKO I SUROWY (WIELKI, CHWALEBNY, ŚWIDNICKI)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20230000000000*/https://swidnica24.pl/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/SKH-2m.pdf A special edition of the Świdnica Historical Magazine]

==Further reading==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140202113121/http://wwperson.informatik.uni-erlangen.de/cgi-bin/l3/LANG%3Dengl/F%3DBolko/N%3DJaworski%40i%40Swidnicki Genealogical database by Herbert Stoyan]

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Piast]]||between 1252 and 1256|9 November|1301}}
{{S-bef | rows=2 | before=[[Henry V the Fat]]}}
{{S-ttl | title=[[Duchy of Silesia|Duke of Lwówek]] ''with Bernard''|years=1278–1281}}
{{S-aft | after=[[Bernard the Lightsome]]}}
|-
{{S-ttl | title=[[Duchy of Silesia|Duke of Jawor]] ''with Bernard (until 1281)''| years=1278–1301}}
{{S-aft | rows=4 |after=[[Bernard of Świdnica|Bernard]] [[Henry I of Jawor|Henry I]] [[Bolko II of Ziębice|Bolko II]]}}
|-
{{S-bef | before=[[Bernard the Lightsome]]}}
{{S-ttl | title=[[Duchy of Silesia|Duke of Lwówek]]|years=1286–1301}}
|-
{{S-bef | rows=2 | before=[[Henry V the Fat]]}}
{{S-ttl | title=[[Duchy of Silesia|Duke of Ziębice]]|years=1291–1301}}
|-
{{S-ttl | title=[[Duchy of Silesia|Duke of Świdnica]]|years=1291–1301}}
{{end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolko 01 the Strict}}
[[Category:1250s births]]
[[Category:1301 deaths]]
[[Category:People excommunicated by the Catholic Church]]
[[Category:Piast dynasty]]
[[Category:Dukes of Silesia]]
[[Category:13th-century Polish nobility]]

Bolko I the Strict - Revision history

imported>Onel5969: Disambiguating links to Seal (link changed to Seal (emblem)) using DisamAssist.