Treaty of Merseburg

The Treaty of Merseburg of 1033 was an agreement between the Salian Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II and the Piast king of Poland Mieszko II Lambert, settling the question of Polish succession which had been contested between Mieszko Lambert and his half-brothers Bezprym, Otto, and Dytryk, since the death of Bolesław I the Brave. Poland was divided into three parts with Mieszko Lambert designated as the supreme ruler. In exchange for the Emperor's support however, Mieszko was forced to renounce the title of king, which had been acquired in 1025 by his father and give up control over Lusatia and Upper Lusatia. Soon after the treaty was concluded, however, Otto died of natural causes and Mieszko prevented Dietric from assuming power in his portion of the divided Poland. Mieszko also subsequently continued to use the title of king until his death shortly after the treaty in 1034.

Background

and the Duchess Matilda on a 19th-century copy of a now lost medieval Miniature The Emperor Henry II was succeeded by Conrad II, while Boleslaw I, who had crowned himself King of Poland two months before Henry's death (1025), was succeeded by Mieszko II Lambert. In 1028, Mieszko II attacked the eastern marches of Saxony. As a consequence, the see of the Bishopric of Zeitz was relocated to the more secure Naumburg, and Conrad II launched several counter-attacks. In 1030, Mieszko II again raided the eastern marches, but in 1031 was repulsed by Conrad II and forced to make peace. In the agreement, Mieszko II renounced his claims to the Lusatian march and Upper Lusatia. ==Merseburg (1033)==

Merseburg (1033)

by Ivan Bilibin After the peace of Bautzen (1031), Yaroslav I of Kiev attacked Miesko II from the east. With Yaroslav I's support, Bezprym ousted Miesko II, but was murdered in 1032, most likely on account of his cruelty and brutal suppression of noble's opposition. However, in the same year Otto died of natural causes and Mieszko successfully prevented Dietric from assuming power in Pomerania, thus reuniting the core of Polish lands. He also continued to use the title of king, despite the agreement at Merseburg and Polish documents of the time referred to him as such. However Mieszko II died soon after in 1034, and upon his death a Pagan reaction in Poland erupted (although some aspects of it were present earlier and contributed to Mieszko's difficulties in dealing with Conrad and Yaroslav). Subsequently, his wife Richeza as well as his son Casimir I fled to Germany. ==Sources==

Source: Wikipedia ↗

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