There are several relations and they could not be more different. At the time of his death, did Łokietek threaten his son with disgrace if he turned out to be a failure, or on the contrary - did he beg his advisers to "love" Kazimierz as much as his father?
In politics and in war, fortune seemed to turn away from him more often than to take care of him. But in the field of health, luck was clearly lucky for Władysław Łokietkowo . While other rulers died on the battlefields, blinded like the King of Bohemia, John of Luxembourg, reigning at the same time, or fell into dementia, he held up perfectly despite the passing of the years.
What exactly was the age of Łokietek? We don't know that. No one recorded the date of the low king's birth. However, indirect sources indicate that he had to be born around 1260. This meant that at the beginning of the 1430s he was already seventy years old.
Tombstone of Władysław Łokietek in the Wawel Cathedral. A drawing from the beginning of the 19th century.
He did not break the record. Mieszko III the Old ruled a lot before him, at the very dawn of the district breakdown. According to the nickname, he lived a really long time:depending on what interpretations we believe, from 77 to even 80 years.
However, if we limit the competition to the crowned rulers only, the winner will be Łokietek. Before him, no Polish king reached seventy. And only Władysław Jagiełło, reigning in the next century, will approach the Piast record.
Wishes and threats
Władysław Łokietek remained active until the very end. In 1331 we see him on the battlefield of Płowce , where he personally commands the Polish army and, unlike his son, remains on the battlefield until the very end. Also in 1332, he still rules with a hard hand, plunged into wars with three neighbors.
Only in the fall of that year, after the end of the campaign against the Silesian princes who ruled the last scraps of Greater Poland, Łokietek fell seriously ill. Historians believe that the ruler suffered a stroke, the consequence of which was a partial paralysis of the body, making it difficult not only to move but also to speak.
The disease, as Henryk Samsonowicz put it, "dragged on for about three months". This outstanding medievalist and author of the work "Łokietkowe times", quotes one of the accounts from the last moments of the long-lived king. Elbow:
He allegedly asked dignitaries to "elect" his son Kazimierz to the Polish throne, he recommended his successor to a fair rule, regain the "hereditary lands" of the Kingdom, including Pomerania, where
Did the ominous threat really come from the mouth of the king? The author questions it, adding that "from other, probably more credible sources" there is a concern for the lost lands and the cohesion of the kingdom, but not a desire to punish his son if he did not fulfill his tasks. In these reports, however, we read that the dying king expected from the 23-year-old heir to the throne that after regaining his patrimony, i.e. Kujawy, he would "return the land goods in these areas, unjustly seized (...) to the rightful owners."
Last Conversation
Perhaps the most detailed description of the monarch's death can be found in the Małopolska Yearbook, but even this source cannot be fully trusted. What seems certain information? Annals say that the king confessed to the Dominican brother Elijah. This monk was to receive a dispensation from the pope, allowing him to grant Łokietek before his death, full and unconditional remission of sins. Then, the dignitaries present at his bedside, the castellan Spicymierz and the archdeacon Jarosław, were to speak to the king.
They were reportedly deeply touched by the last rites that had just been performed. They praised the rule of the king, who "during his lifetime kept the rich and poor, distinguished and small nobles, old men and young men in the goods and rights of the nobles in the most beautiful way." They also emphasized the absolute loyalty of Łokietek's subjects, who "have never let you down with their property or person". Fearing for the future of the state, they asked the monarch to leave clear instructions:
Summon your nobility, therefore, to support your son Kazimierz, whom you introduce as your and the kingdom's successor, with love and kindness.
King Łokietek according to Walery Radzikowski.
At this stage of the account, a subtle, but still supernatural thread appears in the source. The author admits that the king "has already encountered difficulties in using the speech." Nevertheless, at the last moment, he was to speak to his subjects in a coherent, even courtly and majestic manner. The quoted words certainly did not come from the monarch's mouth. They are much too orderly and elegant for the last sentences of a dying man, plunged in a serious illness. It is possible, however, that there is a shred of truth in them - that the king was gibbering and rattling, but still:he expressed similar opinions and delivered similar opinions. If so, then in fact:at the time of his death he was not favorable to his son. And he probably didn't quite believe that this one would be able to replace him with dignity.
"May my son, guided by my example, treat you as I do, and I would like to believe that you will love him as you did with me," he said hopefully. Immediately, however, he asked the audience for… a dose of understanding. He explained that if it was "otherwise", and if the son did not manage to get into his father's shoes, he would ask his advisers to support young Kazimierz "with their caution and faithfulness." "But what I am asking for him, not knowing his future behavior, I will not discuss with you myself this time" - he concluded mysteriously
Kazimierz himself was also supposed to be present during this monologue. With him, however, the king only exchanged a few words. Then - as stated in the text of Rocznik Małopolski - "Fell asleep in you."
Selected bibliography:
The article was based on materials collected by the author during the work on the book "Ladies of the Polish Empire. The Women Who Built a Power " . Some of these items are shown below. Full bibliography in the book.
- Długopolski E., Władysław Łokietek against the background of his times , Universitas, Krakow 2009.
- Samsonowicz H., Elbow-high times , National Publishing Agency, Krakow 1989.
- Sroka S.A., Władysław I Łokietek [in:] The Piasts. Biographical Lexicon , edited by K. Ożóg, S. Szczur, Wydawnictwo Literackie, Krakow 1999.