Władysław III Spindleshanks (; b. 1161/1167Kazimierz Jasiński, Uzupełnienia do genealogii Piastów, "Studia Źródłoznawcze", vol. III, 1958, p. 202. – 3 November 1231), of the Piast dynasty, was Duke of Greater Poland (during 1194–1202 only over the southern part and during 1202–1229 over all the land), High Duke of Poland and Duke of Kraków during 1202–1206 and 1228–1229, Duke of Kalisz during 1202–1206, ruler of Lubusz during 1206–1210 and 1218–1225, and ruler over Gniezno during 1216–1217.
He was the fifth son of Mieszko III the Old, Duke of Greater Poland and since 1173 High Duke of Poland, but the third-born from his second marriage with Eudoxia, daughter of Grand Prince Iziaslav II of Kiev.
The nickname "Spindleshanks" (Laskonogi) was given to Władysław in the Chronicle of Greater Poland. Jan Długosz assumed that this was in reference to Władysław's unusually long and thin legs.M. Przybył, Władysław Laskonogi, książę wielkopolski 1202–1231, Poznań 1998, pp. 11–12.
Under the rule of Mieszko III the Old The first appearance of Władysław in contemporary sources was around 1168 in reference to the congress of Jędrzejów where, as a small child, he was a witness in a donation to the local Cistercian monastery.
Between 1177 and 1179, Władysław, his parents and siblings were forced to leave Poland as a result of the rebellion of Casimir II the Just and Odon, Mieszko III's eldest son from his first marriage, who resented the clear favoritism shown by his father to the offspring of his second marriage. Władysław returned to his family only in 1181 and, despite being legally an adult, was not given his own district. Around 1186, Władysław married Lucia, daughter of Jaromar I, Prince of Rügen. The union, whose principal purpose was to increase the influence of Mieszko III in Western Pomerania, was childless.
After the death of Władysław's half-brother Odon on 20 April 1194, Władysław assumed the control of the Duchy in Southern Greater Poland (the Obra River), as guardian of his minor nephew Władysław Odonic (son of Odon, born ca. 1190).
On 13 September 1195, the death of his only surviving brother Bolesław in the bloody Battle of Mozgawa left Władysław as the sole heir of Mieszko III, and he began trying to restore the lands controlled by his father in the Duchy of Kraków and to assume the overlordship of Poland.
Duke of Kraków and Greater Poland Mieszko III died on 13 March 1202. Władysław could succeed his father without barriers in Kraków, Greater and Lesser Poland, thanks to the support of the powerful voivode Mikołaj Gryfita. However, an opponent soon arose to the throne of Kraków: the eldest son of Casimir II the Just, Leszek I the White, but his candidacy collapsed because he based its rule on the count palatine Goworek, who was a stubborn enemy of the voivode Mikołaj.
Loss of the Kraków throne Władysław's rule as Duke of Kraków and High Duke of Poland lasted for four years, until 1206, when, after the death of his principal supporter voivode Mikołaj Gryfita, Leszek I the White returned to the capital. The cause of the rebellion was a tough enforcement of rights against the powerful nobility and the alliance with the Pomeranians. Some historians placed the loss of Kraków by Władysław in an earlier period: a few months after the death of his father in 1202. In the absence of sources for this period, however, this fact is difficult to verify.
Plans to restore Polish suzerainty over Pomerania Interest in the Pomeranian affairs, Władysław was involved in two events. The first was a solemn meeting with King Valdemar II of Denmark, during which he attempted to resolve disputes and determine the zone of influence. The second event was a surprising agreement with the Duke of Wrocław, Henry I the Bearded, under which Władysław surrendered the Duchy of Kalisz (part of the patrimony of his nephew Władysław Odonic) in exchange of Lubusz, whereby it was easier to pursue an active policy on the Baltic coast. But in 1209, Władysław lost Lubusz, taken by Conrad II of Landsberg, Margrave of Lusatia (his brother-in-law), who defeated the Duke in the Battle of Lubusz. Eventuality Henry I the Bearded, in the campaign between August 1210 and March 1211, could take Lubusz from the Germans, using the confusion after the death of Conrad II (6 May 1210) and the disputes about his heritage among the members of the House of Wettin.
Conflicts with Archbishop Henry Kietlicz and Władysław Odonic The loss of Kalisz, put into foreign hands, caused a deep dissatisfaction in Władysław Odonic, who considered this land as part of his patrimony. The young prince (at that time around 16 years) managed to gain the support of the Greater Poland nobles and foremost the Archbishop of Gniezno, Henry Kietlicz, who wanted the opportunity to obtain from Spindleshanks privileges for the local Church and thus limit the power of the ruling house.
However, despite the efforts of both Odonic and Archbishop Kietlicz, the rebellion was short-lived and unsuccessful. Both Kietlicz and Władysław Odonic had to flee to the court of Henry I the Bearded. The excommunication launched by Kietlicz against Spindleshanks was of little help to the insurgents, because of the support given to Mieszko III's son by Arnold II, Bishop of Poznań.
Somewhat surprising was the reaction to these events by Henry I the Bearded, who not only accepted the exiles, but also endowed Władysław Odonic with the Duchy of Kalisz, however, with the condition to return to him after he regained his inheritance. At the same time, the Archbishop Kietlicz went to Rome, where he had a personal meeting with Pope Innocent III. The protest made to the Holy See successfully blocked the attempt to appeal the curse made by Spindleshanks. The Pope also instructed the other Polish princes to help the Archbishop of Gniezno return to his diocese.
Congress of Głogów and reconciliation with Archbishop Kietlicz Henry I the Bearded became a mediator between the warring parties, and on Christmas Day of 1208, he invited the two Greater Poland Dukes, the Archbishop of Gniezno and the Bishops of Wrocław, Lubusz and Poznań to a meeting in Głogów. After long discussions, a settlement was finally reached between Spindleshanks and the Archbishop Kietlicz, who could return to Gniezno with all his goods restored, in exchange for lifting the anathema against the Duke. However, the conflict between uncle and nephew remained unsolved.
Congress of Borzykowa In 1210, Spindleshanks supported the efforts of Mieszko I Tanglefoot, who wanted the restitution of the Testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth, under which the Silesian branch is the rightful overlords of Poland. At this point, Władysław was probably the immediate oldest member of the Piast dynasty after Mieszko I, and therefore, he certainly expected that after the imminent death of the venerable Duke of Racibórz, he could receive the title of High Duke and the Duchy of Kraków. However, according to some historians, Henry I the Bearded was older than Spindleshanks. This was most probable, and was reflected in the bull issued by Pope Innocent III on 9 June 1210, where the Holy See demanded the restitution of all the hereditary rights of the Silesian branch according to Bolesław III's testament and also excommunicated Leszek I the White; this edict was made by the request of an anonymous Duke of Silesia, which could have only been Henry I the Bearded (because Mieszko I used the title of Duke of Raciborz-Opole). The situation became quite confused, as nobody was sure who held the real power.
In July 1210, Leszek I the White, Henry I the Bearded, Konrad I of Masovia and Władysław Odonic met with the local Bishops at the , with the purpose of solving the problematic and mysterious Papal Bull. Mieszko I Tanglefoot wasn't present at the meeting; with an army and thanks to the support of the Gryfici family, he could enter in Kraków and easily took Wawel. However, Archbishop Kietlicz didn't intend to accept the existing situation, and having received from the young princes and the local Church hierarchy words of support, began his efforts in Rome to withdraw the fateful Bull. These treatments were successful, and when in May 1211 Mieszko I Tanglefoot died, Leszek I the White was able to return to the throne of Kraków. The intentions of the older generation had failed.
Early rise of Archbishop Kietlicz and Władysław Odonic In 1215 Władysław Spindleshanks' position was further weakened by the growth of the power of Archbishop Henry Kietlicz, who supported the provisions of IV Lateran Council, and the subsequent congress of the Junior princes in Wolbórz, where Leszek I the White, Konrad I of Mazovia, Władysław Odonic and Casimir I of Opole not only agreed to extend the economic and legal benefits for the Church, but also supported the claims of Odonic to obtain his rightful inheritance. Finally, in 1216, in order to avoid an armed confrontation, Spindleshanks gave Odonic the district who previously belonged to his father (the exact territory was a matter of dispute between historians: some believed that Odonic received Southern Greater Poland with the Obra River as frontier, and others consider that the young prince received the entire district of Poznań together with his castle). The agreement between uncle and nephew was confirmed by a Bull of Pope Honorius III issued on 9 February 1217. There has also been an official reconciliation with the Archbishop Kietlicz, who received the privilege from Spindleshanks to receive the revenues from the Cistercian monastery of Łekno.
Fall of Archbishop Kietlicz and the Treaty with Leszek I the White The terms of the reconciliation accorded in 1216 lasted less than a year. The proud and ambitious attitude of Archbishop Kietlicz effectively discouraged his supporters and stopped his meddling in Piast Dukes affairs. His importance suffered a further decline after the defeat of the policies of Pope Honorius III.
In 1217, an unexpected treaty was concluded between the previous antagonists Leszek I the White and Władysław Spindleshanks, under which if one or both rulers died without male issue, the other could inherit all his domains. This agreement clearly affected the interests of the Duke of Kalisz Władysław Odonic, Spindleshanks' nearest male relative.
Deposition of Władysław Odonic In the same year, the Duke of Greater Poland took advantage of the benevolent neutrality of Henry I the Bearded and finally decided to resolve the conflict with Odonic and took the district of his nephew, forcing him to flee the country. The formal alliance between Spindleshanks and Henry I the Bearded (similar to the previous agreement with Leszek I the White) took place at the end of 1217 or early 1218, during an assembly in Sądowel, through the mediation of the Bishops Paweł II of Poznań and Wawrzyniec of Lubusz. For unknown reasons, the content of the arrangements was beneficial only to the Duke of Greater Poland, who not only received the permission to retain Odonic's district (which included parts of Kalisz, who under the agreement of 1206, was returned to Silesia), but also obtain the district of Lubusz (captured in 1209 by the Margrave of Lusatia Conrad II but recovered by Henry I the Bearded one year later) during his lifetime. The agreement of Sądowel was ratified by a special papal bull issued on 9 May 1218, which further broke down the power of Archbishop Kietlicz.
The first test of the Triumvirate (Władysław III Spindleshanks, Henry I the Bearded and Leszek I the White) was the death in 1219 of Archbishop Henry Kietlicz and the common choice for the post of Archbishop, the chancellor Wincenty z Niałka, one of Spindleshanks' closest associates.
Return of Władysław Odonic