Siege of Niemcza
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Niemcza took place during three weeks in August of 1017 as part of the German-Polish War (1002-1018), when the forces of the Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II
besieged the town of Niemcza
controlled by the Polish ruler
Boleslaw Chrobry. Despite the aid of Bohemian
and Veleti
an allies the German attack was ultimately unsuccessful, according to German chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg
due to the resilience of the defenders, the arrival of reinforcements which managed to break into the city, and the illness among the imperial army. The failure of the siege marked the end of the German emperor's campaign in Poland and led him to agree to the Peace of Bautzen
(1018) which left Lusatia
and Upper Lusatia
(Milsko) under Polish control.
, as well as internal struggles within the Empire. Both rulers also attempted to carry out the Christianization of the pagan Prussians
. The friendship culminated in the Congress of Gniezno
in the year 1000, during which an independent archbishopric at Gniezno was established, and possibly, Otto acquiesced to Bolesław becoming a king.
However, Otto III died soon after in 1002. In the ensuing power struggle for the leadership of the Holy Roman Empire, Bolesław supported Margrave Eckard I of Meissen (Miśnia), against Henry II
. At the same time, the Polish ruler took advantage of the German interregnum to invade and incorporate Bohemia, Moravia, parts of Slovakia and Lusatia and Upper Lusatia into the Polish state. Bolesław was also granted Meissen after Eckard's death (a few months after Otto's).
of the latter.
which left Upper Lusatia and Lusatia under Polish control.
The conduct of the siege, as well as the more general campaign of Henry II, during 1017 was described by the German chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg.
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Henry II
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...
besieged the town of Niemcza
Niemcza
Niemcza is a town in Dzierżoniów County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Niemcza....
controlled by the Polish ruler
Piast dynasty
The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...
Boleslaw Chrobry. Despite the aid of Bohemian
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
and Veleti
Veleti
The Veleti or Wilzi were a group of medieval Lechites tribes within the territory of modern northeastern Germany; see Polabian Slavs. In common with other Slavic groups between the Elbe and Oder Rivers, they were often described by Germanic sources as Wends. In the late 10th century, they were...
an allies the German attack was ultimately unsuccessful, according to German chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar of Merseburg was a German chronicler who was also bishop of Merseburg.-Life:...
due to the resilience of the defenders, the arrival of reinforcements which managed to break into the city, and the illness among the imperial army. The failure of the siege marked the end of the German emperor's campaign in Poland and led him to agree to the Peace of Bautzen
Peace of Bautzen
The Peace of Bautzen or the Peace of Budziszyn was a treaty concluded on January 30, 1018 between the Ottonian Holy Roman Emperor Henry II and the Piast ruler of Poland Boleslaw I which ended a series of Polish-German wars over the control of Lusatia and Upper Lusatia as well as Bohemia,...
(1018) which left Lusatia
Lusatia
Lusatia is a historical region in Central Europe. It stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the east to the Elbe valley in the west, today located within the German states of Saxony and Brandenburg as well as in the Lower Silesian and Lubusz voivodeships of western Poland...
and Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz...
(Milsko) under Polish control.
Background
The Polish duke (later king) Bolesław I Chrobry enjoyed amicable relations with the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III, whom he supported in the emperor's battles against the LuticiLutici
The Lutici were a federation of West Slavic Polabian tribes, who between the 10th and 12th centuries lived in what is now northeastern Germany. Four tribes made up the core of the federation: the Redarians , Circipanians , Kessinians and Tollensians...
, as well as internal struggles within the Empire. Both rulers also attempted to carry out the Christianization of the pagan Prussians
Old Prussians
The Old Prussians or Baltic Prussians were an ethnic group, autochthonous Baltic tribes that inhabited Prussia, the lands of the southeastern Baltic Sea in the area around the Vistula and Curonian Lagoons...
. The friendship culminated in the Congress of Gniezno
Congress of Gniezno
The Congress of Gniezno was an amical meeting between the Polish duke Bolesław I Chrobry and Emperor Otto III, which took place at Gniezno on March 11, 1000...
in the year 1000, during which an independent archbishopric at Gniezno was established, and possibly, Otto acquiesced to Bolesław becoming a king.
However, Otto III died soon after in 1002. In the ensuing power struggle for the leadership of the Holy Roman Empire, Bolesław supported Margrave Eckard I of Meissen (Miśnia), against Henry II
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...
. At the same time, the Polish ruler took advantage of the German interregnum to invade and incorporate Bohemia, Moravia, parts of Slovakia and Lusatia and Upper Lusatia into the Polish state. Bolesław was also granted Meissen after Eckard's death (a few months after Otto's).
Withdrawal
Henry II was unable to supply the besieging force with food for a long time and had to withdraw. Because Boleslaw was stationed behind him at Wrocław, the emperor was forced to make his way back into Germany south through Bohemia. However, at the same time Boleslaw's son Mieszko was conducting a campaign in that territory which made even this route difficult for Henry's army. To further complicate matters, a dispute arose between Henry's Christian Saxon troops and the Veletian auxiliaries when the Christian knights insulted a sacred pagan statueCult image
In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents...
of the latter.
Aftermath
The failure of the siege forced the emperor to agree to the Peace of BautzenPeace of Bautzen
The Peace of Bautzen or the Peace of Budziszyn was a treaty concluded on January 30, 1018 between the Ottonian Holy Roman Emperor Henry II and the Piast ruler of Poland Boleslaw I which ended a series of Polish-German wars over the control of Lusatia and Upper Lusatia as well as Bohemia,...
which left Upper Lusatia and Lusatia under Polish control.
The conduct of the siege, as well as the more general campaign of Henry II, during 1017 was described by the German chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg.