Boleslaw Herman III "Wrymouth" of Poland (20 August 1061-28 October 1138) was the King of Poland from 1107 to 1138, succeeding Wladyslaw I Herman and preceding Wladyslaw II the Exile, Boleslaw IV the Curly, and Mieszko III the Old Henry. He divided Poland into several duchies on his death, fragmenting and weakening the kingdom.
Biography[]
Boleslaw Herman was the second son of King Wladyslaw I Herman and his wife Judith of Bohemia, and his middle child, between Prince Zbigniew and Princess Agnes Herman. He spent his early life fighting the Livonians to the north of Poland in Latvia and Lithuania as a general of his father. He captured Riga from the Latvians, but in his attack on the Lithuanian pagans in Vilnius he was repulsed. Boleslaw was dreaded by his foes, as he exterminated the pagans of his conquered cities to prevent an uprising.
Following the death of his father in 1104, Boleslaw fought his half-brother Zbigniew for control of Poland. After the death of Zbigniew in 1107 Boleslaw acceded to the throne as Boleslaw III and in 1109 he defeated the Holy Roman Empire. He converted the Pomeranians to Christianity through the efforts of Cardinal Godzimir the Peaceful, and united Poland. However, upon his death, he gave orders to divide Poland among his sons, fragmenting the kingdom.