Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
12
AgnieszkaTeterycz-PuzioRegencyofPiastDuchesses–Mothers’GovernmentonTheirSonsBehalf
Whatwastheroleofawoman-regent?Herresponsibilitiesdependedonwhich
momentinherson(s)lifeshebegantorule.Inacaseofafew-year-oldboyshe
wassupposedtogoverntheduchy.Later,whenthesonswouldcometoageand
therewasathreatofinternalconflict,shewasexpectedtosettlethingsdown.
9
Thiswastheexampleoftheyear-longgovernmentofAnnaPřemyslid,Henryk
thePious’swifeafterhisdeathinthebattleofLegnicaaswellasthecaseof
JadwigaofGreatPoland,whosoughttoresolvetensionsbetweenhersons:
PrzemysłIandBolesławI.
Ithappenedthatadukewouldarrangeforhiswife’sregencywhilestillalive,
inthefaceofillnessorathreatcomingfromsomecousin.Thismighthavebeen
thecaseofJadwiga,thewifeofWładysław,thesonofOdon,wholivedinthefirst
halfofthe13
th
century
10
andwhowasdeliberatelymentionedinofficialcharters
asaguardianofhersons(whileWładysławwasstillalive)eithertoweakencon-
stantdangercomingfromDukeHenryktheBeardedwhomadeclaimstoGreat
Polandortofaceasicknessthedukesufferedfrom.
11
Itwaspossiblytuberculosis,
whichhisnicknameHSpitter”(fromexpectoratingoften)seemstoindicate.
12
HowdidduchessesdefendthemselvesfromneighboringPiaststakingover
somepartsoftheland?Inthe13
th
century,whenwidow-regencywasaninnova-
tion,duchesseswouldpreventotherPiastcousinsfromland-grabbingbyseek-
ingpapalprotectionthatcheckedpotentialaggressorswithexcommunication.
Furthermore,thepopewouldobligePolishbishopstolookaftertheduchess
andhersonsinexchangeforlanddonations.Thisstrategywasforinstance
adoptedbyGrzymisławaandViola.Itshouldbenoted,however,thatPiastrul-
erswerenotinterestedinstrippingregent-duchessesoftheirpower;annexing
apieceofaborderlandwassatisfactory.
Whatwerethelimitationsforduchesses’rule?Thepowerofnoblesinagiven
duchyconditionedthescopeofindependentgovernmentofawidow-duchess.
ItwasmostdifficulttoruleintheduchyofCracowandSandomierz.However,
bothregentsinLittlePoland,Helena,LeszektheWhiteandKonradofMazovia’s
mother,andherdaughter-in-lawGrzymisławaquitesuccessfullyplayedoutan-
11111111
9
W.Sobociński,Historiarządówopiekuńczych...,p.268.
10
AboutoriginofJadwigavideE.Rymar,Rodowódksiążątpomorskich...,p.290;N.Mika,Imię
PrzemysłwwielkopolskiejliniiPiastów.NiektóreaspektystosunkówksiążątwielkopolskichzCze-
chamidopołowyXIIIwieku,[in:]PrzemysłII.OdnowienieKrólestwaPolskiego,ed.J.Krzyżania-
kowa,Poznań1997,p.247-255.
11
CodexdiplomaticusMaiorisPoloniae,ed.I.Zakrzewski,vol.1,Poznań1877,no184.
12
Kronikawielkopolska,ed.B.Kürbis,seriesHMonumentaPoloniaeHistorica.Novaseries”,vol.8,
Warszawa1970,chapter57.
