Bezprym

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Bezprym : biography

986 – 1032

Bezprym (ca. 986 – 1032) was a Duke of Poland during 1031–1032.

He was the eldest son of Bolesław I the Brave, King of Poland, but was deprived of the succession by his father, who around 1001 sent him to Italy, in order to became a monk at one of Saint Romuald’s hermitages in Ravenna.

Expelled by his half-brother Mieszko II Lambert after the death of their father, in 1031 Bezprym became ruler of large areas of Poland following simultaneous attack of the German and Kievan forces and Mieszko II’s escape to Bohemia. His reign was short-lived and, according to some sources, extremely cruel. He was murdered in 1032 and Mieszko II returned to the throne of Poland. It’s speculated that Pagan Reaction began during his short reign

Life

Origin of his name

In primary sources Bezprym appears as: Besprim (Chronicles of Thietmar of Merseburg) Besfrim (Annalista Saxo), Bezbriem (Chronicles of Hildesheim and Altaic Chronicles). This name wasn’t used among the Polish nobility but was known in the Bohemian sources, where it appears as: Bezprim, Bezprem, Bezperem. According to one of the hypotheses the name is of Slavonic origin, and was probably originally pronounced as Bezprzem or Bezprzym.Hypothesis of Jack Hertel (Imiennictwo dynastii piastowskiej we wczesnym średniowieczu, PWN, Warsaw 1980, pp. 106-109). Due to tradition and the impossibility of determining the correct version of the name, Bezprym remains the form used, although, according to K. Jasiński, it probably requires modifications.K. Jasiński, Rodowód pierwszych Piastów, p. 106.

Older historiography frequently combined the figures of Bolesław I’s two sons, Otto and Bezprym, or even attributed to Bezprym the middle name of Otto. Marian Gumowski also suggested, on the basis of numismatic research that this "combined" prince could have governed Bohemia in 1003. These theories are based on the chronicle of Wipo of Burgundy, who described only one brother of Mieszko II, Otto. Modern historians assume, however, that Bezprym in fact did exist, and that the chronicler erroneously combined Otto and Bezprym into one person.

Early Years

Bezprym was the only child of Bolesław I the Brave born from his second marriage with an unknown Hungarian princessKazimierz Jasiński: Rodowód pierwszych Piastów, Warsaw 1993 who, in older literature, was identified as Judith, daughter of Géza, Grand Duke of Hungary.Oswald Balzer: Genealogia Piastów, Kraków 1895, pp. 39-41 Though opinions vary about the identity of Bolesław I ‘s second wife, there is a number of researchers who still support the hypothesis of her being the daughter of Géza.S. A. Sroka, Historia Węgier do 1526 roku w zarysie, p. 19. Soon after his birth, the marriage of his parents ended, probably because of the deterioration in political relations between Poland and Hungary. Bezprym’s mother was repudiated and sent away, although probably she remained in Poland and died soon afterwards.

Shortly after his divorce, Bolesław I remarried with Emnilda, who bore him five children. The eldest son of this union, the future Mieszko II Lambert, born in 990.

About Bezprym’s first years of life almost nothing is known, in contrast with his half-brother Mieszko II, whose youth was fully described in several contemporary sources. This probably showed that his father disliked him and considered Mieszko II as his successor since his birth, which was already confirmed by Bolesław I’s later political activity.

Bezprym was then destined to a Church career, a fact who is demonstrated in the Vita of St. Saint Romuald, a hermit from Ravenna. There it is stated that in one of the hermitages resided a son of a Polish Duke, who in 1001 gave him a horse. According to modern historians, this Polish prince could only be Bezprym.K. Jasiński, Rodowód pierwszych Piastów, pp. 105-107; J. Wyrozumski, Dzieje Polski piastowskiej (VIII wiek – 1370), p. 103. However, in earlier historiography, it was theorised that the Polish prince who lived in the hermitage of Ravenna was Lambert, son of Mieszko IA hypothesis presented by Tadeusz Wojciechowski and Anatol Lewicki. or an unknown son of Bolesław I from his first marriage with the daughter of Rikdag, Margrave of Meissen.Oswald Balzer, Genealogia Piastów, Kraków 1895.