Henry is the coming man of Silesia but on 1 January 1200 he is only the heir: no appanage, castle district or ducal title of his own is attested before his father's death (en.wikipedia: 'not a major figure before his father's death').
His marriage to Hedwig of Andechs ties Silesia to the Andechs-Meranian dukes and, through them, to the French and later the Hungarian courts, and brings German knights and clergy to Wrocław. After 1201 he will found Trzebnica (1202), give Złotoryja the first German town law in Poland (about 1211), and in time rule Kraków.
Who he is
- Name
- Henry, son of Bolesław the Tall (Henryk Brodaty)
- Title
- Heir of the duchy of Silesia (no ducal title of his own attested before 1201)
- Since
- Sole heir since about 1190, when his brothers were dead and his half-brother Jarosław was in orders
- Born
- 1165/70 (en.wikipedia: about 1165, at Głogów); about 30 to 35 on 1 January 1200
- Family
- Son of Bolesław the Tall and Christina. Wife Hedwig, daughter of Berthold IV of Andechs, duke of Merania (born 1174/80, married 1186/92: fmg.ac gives 1188/92, en.wikipedia 'by 1188'); her sisters are Agnes, queen of France, and Gertrude (later wife of Andrew of Hungary); her mother Agnes was a Wettin, sister of Margrave Conrad II of Lusatia. Children born by 1 January 1200: Bolesław (1190/94, the eldest son, buried at Lubiąż after 1206), Agnes (about 1190), Henry (about 1196, the future Henry II the Pious) and Konrad (1197/98). Sophia and Gertrude are dated 'about 1200' (fmg.ac: Sophia 1190/1200, Gertrude 1200) and may not yet be born; a last son is born in 1208.
- Confidence
- high
en.wikipedia (Henry the Bearded); fmg.ac SILESIA (Chronicon Polono-Silesiacum, Epytaphia ducum Slezie)
Overlord
His father, Duke Bolesław
What it holds
- No land of his own is attested; he lives at his father's court
How it was acquired
Heir by birth; designated sole heir by his father, the cause of Jarosław's resentment.
Allies and rivals
His wife's kin (Andechs, the Wettins of Lusatia); the Cistercians; his uncle Mieszko Tanglefoot is his chief rival for the inheritance; his half-brother Jarosław, now reconciled with their father.
How things stand that morning
At court, without a share. The question 'which of Bolesław's sons hold land' has this answer: only Jarosław (Opole for life, and the Nysa land as bishop); Henry holds nothing apart, and the other sons are dead.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 7 or 8 December 1201Succeeds his father as duke of Silesia.Depends on: Bolesław's natural death. Stopped by: Henry's own death first, which would leave a boy heir and open the door to Mieszko Tanglefoot.
- 1202Loses Opole to Mieszko Tanglefoot but keeps the rest of the inheritance with the Church's help; founds the Cistercian nunnery at Trzebnica with Hedwig.Depends on: As above. Stopped by: A different settlement with Mieszko.
Places of note
- Głogów: His birthplace according to en.wikipedia
- Wrocław court: Where he lives as heir
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: His marriage and children are attested, but the birth years of all his children are approximate; whether Sophia and Gertrude are born by 1 January 1200 cannot be settled.
On the map: No land of his own to draw.
Primary sources for Silesia (Bolesław the Tall)
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of the Poles, by Master Vincent (Wincenty Kadłubek), Wincenty Kadłubek (about 1190 to 1208). Book 4 is a contemporary's account of the fight for the senior throne of Kraków. Read online
- The annals of the Kraków chapter and the other Polish annals (kept from the 11th century; the Kraków chapter annals continued to 1266). Short dated entries that fix the chronology Kadłubek blurs: the deaths of dukes and bishops, Mieszko the Old's captures of Kraków, Prussian raids on Masovia, church consecrations. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.