Bolesław of Toszek
Encyclopedia
Bolesław of Toszek was a Duke of Toszek
Toszek
Toszek is a town in Poland, in Gliwice County, Silesian Voivodeship, with 4,000 inhabitants.- History :The beginning of the settlement and fortified keep is dated in the 9th and 10th centuries when the area was ruled by the Piasts, Mieszko I of Poland and later Bolesław I the Brave.The fortified...

 since 1303 until his death (from 1315 only formally) and Archbishop of Esztergom
Esztergom
Esztergom , is a city in northern Hungary, 46 km north-west of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom county, on the right bank of the river Danube, which forms the border with Slovakia there....

 from 1321.

He was the oldest son of Duke Casimir of Bytom
Casimir of Bytom
Casimir of Bytom was a Duke of Opole during 1282–1284 and Duke of Bytom from 1284 until his death....

 by his wife Helena.

Life

Bolesław was designed by the father to the Church career, despite the fact that he was the eldest son. Already 1294 he was appointed Scholastic of Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...

, and three years later (in 1297), obtain the title of Canon of the Chapter
Chapter (religion)
Chapter designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches....

 of Wrocław. Despite his church career, in 1303 Bolesław received from his father the town of Toszek
Toszek
Toszek is a town in Poland, in Gliwice County, Silesian Voivodeship, with 4,000 inhabitants.- History :The beginning of the settlement and fortified keep is dated in the 9th and 10th centuries when the area was ruled by the Piasts, Mieszko I of Poland and later Bolesław I the Brave.The fortified...

 years duchy, which formally remained under his rule until his death (although the real government of that land, after Bolesław's departure to Hungary, was performed by his younger brother Władysław
Władysław of Bytom
Władysław of Bytom , was a Duke of Koźle during 1303-1334, Duke of Bytom from 1316, Duke of Toszek since 1329 and Duke of Siewierz during 1328-1337.He was the second son of Duke Casimir of Bytom by his wife Helena.-Life:...

).

Around 1315 Bolesław, at the request of his sister, Queen Maria of Hungary
Maria of Bytom
Maria of Bytom also known as Queen Maria of Hungary , Rumania, 15 December 1315), was a Polish princess member of the House of Piast in the Bytom branch and by marriage Queen of Hungary....

, moved to the court of his brother-in-law King Charles I Robert
Charles I of Hungary
Charles I , also known as Charles Robert , was the first King of Hungary and Croatia of the House of Anjou. He was also descended from the old Hungarian Árpád dynasty. His claim to the throne of Hungary was contested by several pretenders...

 in Buda
Buda
For detailed information see: History of Buda CastleBuda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian.Buda comprises about one-third of Budapest's...

; however, his career in the Hungarian hierarchy only began thanks to the efforts of Queen Elizabeth
Elisabeth of Poland
Elisabeth of Poland was Queen consort of Hungary and regent of Poland. She is also known as Elisabeth of Kujavia and Elisabeth Piast.-Early life:...

, Charles I's third and last wife (Queen Maria died in 1317). At the end of 1320, Bolesław went to the Kraków court, and at the beginning of the next year (1321) the King Charles I gave him the most important and powerful position of the Hungarian church: the Archbishopric of Esztergom.

During the first six years of his rule as Archbishop (1321-1326), Bolesław had to fight against extreme Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....

 faction, who at that time were considered too radical by Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...

, trying to maintain their jurisdiction over Spisz, disputed by the Bishopric of Kraków (this conflict was only resolved after Bolesław's death in 1332). One of the greatest success of Bolesław during his rule was the normalization of the diplomatic relations between Hungary and Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

. These countries (who had a long-lasting dispute over the Adriatic coast), finally entered into an agreement after the Archbishop's mediation: the rich cities of Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....

 (who included Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...

 and Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...

) were placed under Hungarian rule.

At the end of his life, Bolesław fought for the approval of the election of his youngest brother Mieszko
Mieszko of Bytom
Mieszko of Bytom , was a Duke of Siewierz during 1312-1328 , Bishop of Nitra during 1328-1334 and Bishop of Veszprém since 1334 until his death....

 as Bishop of Nitra
Nitra
Nitra is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. With a population of about 83,572, it is the fifth largest city in Slovakia. Nitra is also one of the oldest cities in Slovakia and the country's earliest political and cultural center...

. The local chapter was complete against the nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....

, but at the end, thanks to support of King Charles and Queen Elisabeth, the Archbishop obtain his purprose: in 1328 Mieszko was formally invested as Bishop.

Bolesław died by 17 January 1329 and was buried in the cathedral in Esztergom. The Duchy of Toszek was then officially merged to Bytom by Duke Władysław.
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