Władysław Odonic, nicknamed Plwacz or the Spitter, ( – 5 June 1239) was a duke of Kalisz 1207–1217, duke of Poznań 1216–1217, ruler of Ujście in 1223, ruler of Nakło from 1225, and duke of all Greater Poland 1229–1234; from 1234 until his death he was ruler over only the north and east of the Warta river (some historians believed that shortly before his death, he lost Ujście and Nakło).
He was the son of Duke Odon of Kalisz by his wife Viacheslava, daughter of Prince Yaroslav Osmomysl of Halych. Władysław was probably named after either his paternal uncle Władysław III Spindleshanks or his ancestor Władysław I Herman.
The nickname "Plwacz" () was already given to him in the 13th century chronicles. It is unknown if he received that nickname because of a disease that affected his throat or because he had bad manners. Another nickname used in the contemporary sources was "Odonic", a corruption of his patronymic Odowic ("son of Odon"); it is also unknown why the sources persisted in using the erroneous form instead of the correct one.K. Jasiński, Genealogia Piastów wielkopolskich. Potomstwo Władysława Odonica, [in:] Nasi Piastowie, "Kronika Miasta Poznania" 1995, No 2, p. 37.
Life Early years Duke Odon of Kalisz died on 20 April 1194. Władysław (then only four years old) and his siblings were placed under the care of his paternal uncle Władysław III Spindleshanks (half-brother of Odon), who acted as regent over southern Greater Poland (a duchy created for Odon by his father Mieszko III the Old in 1182). The Duchy of Kalisz itself was directly annexed by Mieszko III to his domains.
First War against Władysław III Spindleshanks Mieszko III the Old died in 1202, and Władysław III Spindleshanks inherited the lands of Greater Poland. At some point in the ensuing four years, Władysław III surrendered the Duchy of Kalisz to Henry I the Bearded, Duke of Wrocław, in exchange of Lubusz, part of his effort to become more involved in Pomerania (which bordered Lubusz).
In 1206, Władysław Odonic was declared an adult and began to claim government over his domains. It was especially hard for him to accept the surrender of the Duchy of Kalisz, as the young prince believed it to be part of his rightful heritage. Unable to reach a favorable agreement with his uncle, Władysław Odonic decided to declare open war against Władysław III Spindleshanks. His attempt to overthrow the High Duke was strongly supported by part of the Greater Poland nobility and the Archbishop of Gniezno Henryk Kietlicz, who also wanted to obtain greater independence and benefits for the Church.
Duke of Kalisz However, despite the efforts of both Władysław Odonic and Archbishop Kietlicz (who even launched an anathema against Władysław III), the rebellion was short-lived and unsuccessful. Both were banished from the country. Władysław Odonic took refuge in Wrocław in the court of Henry I the Bearded, who, despite his good relations with Władysław III Spindleshanks, decided to fully support the rebel prince. One year later, in 1207, Henry I the Bearded gave to Władysław Odonic the Duchy of Kalisz, but with the condition that in the event he was able to recover the southern Greater Poland lands, Kalisz was to return to Silesia.
Congress of Głogów. Attempt to reconcile with Władysław III Spindleshanks Despite these gestures, Henry I the Bearded refused to militarily support Władysław Odonic, as he tried to reconcile both princes through diplomatic channels. In 1208, a meeting was arranged in Głogów, where the Duke of Wrocław and the Bishops of Lubusz and Poznań discovered that the resolution of this situation was to be a difficult task. The meeting ended with a partial success, because Władysław III Spindleshanks reached an agreement with the Archbishop Kietlicz, who could return to Gniezno, with the promise of restitution of all his goods, in exchange for lifting the anathema. However, Władysław Odonic was left with nothing.
Close cooperation with the Church In July 1210, the was organized as a meeting between local bishops and princes, in order to solve the problematic issue of the bull issued by Pope Innocent III, who restored the idea of a unified Seniorate Province under the rule of the eldest Piast. Then, a coalition was formed between Władysław Odonic, Leszek the White (High Duke of Poland since 1206), and Konrad I of Masovia against the politics of Władysław III Spindleshanks and Mieszko I Tanglefoot, Duke of Opole–Racibórz. Also, during the meeting, the privileges obtained by the Polish church at Łęczyca in 1180 were confirmed, including exemption from secular tribunals.
Leszek the White, along with other Piast princes, wanting to ensure the support of the Church, then issued a Great Privilege, which ensured the integrity of the territorial possessions of the Bishops. The privilege was not signed by Henry I the Bearded and Władysław III Spindleshanks, but they later accepted the provisions established there. Mieszko I Tanglefoot was not present in Borzykowa; with the support of the Gryfici family, he decided to lead his army and march against Kraków, where confusion among the citizens left him in total control of the capital without fighting, and he became the new High Duke.
Władysław Odonic's policy of full cooperation with the Church resulted in the issue of a bull by Pope Innocent III on 13 May 1211, in which the Pope declared Władysław to be under his protection. Władysław also actively supported the monastic orders, notably the Cistercians, who received lands in the district of Przemęt on 29 July 1210. On 20 October 1213, a new Cistercian monastery was founded in Ołobok over the Prosna river, which was richly furnished by Władysław.
In 1215 Władysław Odonic took part in the congress of princes and bishops in Wolbórz, where he and the other Piast rulers (including Leszek I the White, Konrad I of Masovia, and Casimir I of Opole) agreed to extend the economic and legal benefits for the Church.
Duke of Southern Greater Poland. Conflict with Henry I the Bearded One year later, Archbishop Kietlicz supported the provisions of the IV Lateran Council, wherein papal authority was reinforced and the Fifth Crusade was organized. Also, with the support of the other Polish princes, the Archbishop promoted the surrender of the southern Greater Poland lands to Władysław. Finally, in 1216, Władysław III Spindleshanks gave his nephew the rule over southern Greater Poland.
However, the receipt of these lands near Obra River created a new problem for Władysław. In accordance with the treaty of 1206 between him and Henry I the Bearded, the Duchy of Kalisz had to return to Silesia if Władysław recovered his heritage. In addition, the previous excellent relations with Archbishop Kietlicz also began to deteriorate, and so Władysław managed to get a new protective bull from the Pope (issued on 9 February 1217), this time to protect him against the claims of the local Church hierarchy.
In 1217, a congress of other Piast dukes in Danków proved to be very detrimental to Władysław Odonic. There, his uncle Władysław III Spindleshanks and Leszek the White signed an agreement of mutual succession, which considerably reduced the chances of the young prince to acquire, by peaceful means, his uncle's inheritance.
Second War against Władysław III Spindleshanks. Escape from the country The agreement at Danków (which Henry I the Bearded soon joined) and the death of Archbishop Kietlicz enabled Władysław III Spindleshanks to attack his nephew with the benevolent neutrality of the other Piast rulers. Władysław Odonic was unable to defend himself or his lands, and shortly thereafter, he escaped to Hungary.
Almost nothing is known about the first phase of Władysław's exile from Poland. There are some assumptions that the prince attended the expedition of King Andrew II of Hungary to Palestine. Subsequently, he probably went to Bohemia and Germany, where he tried to encourage the help of local rulers.
Arrival in Pomerania. Conquest of Ujście and Nakło In 1218 Władysław Odonic finally arrived to the court of Świętopełk II of Pomerania (probably his brother-in-law),Świętopełk II's first (or second according to some sources) wife Euphrosyne is identified as a daughter of Odon of Poznań, but this is disputed among historians and web sources. who wanted his own political emancipation and broke his homage to Leszek the White. Świętopełk II promised Władysław his support in the effort to reconquer his heritage.
Thanks to the help of the Pomeranian Duke, Władysław was able to capture the north-eastern fortress of Ujście in 1223. Two years later, he was able to repel the counter-attack of his uncle and obtain the district of Nakło.
New phase in the War against Władysław III Spindleshanks. Defeat of voivode Dobrogost In 1227, Władysław III Spindleshanks finally decided to attack his nephew directly. For this purpose, he sent troops under the command of Voivode Dobrogost, who besieged Ujście. Not only did the voivode fail to conquer the strongly fortified city, but Władysław Odonic made a surprise attack on Dobrogost's troops and on 15 July, the voivode's army was completely defeated and he was killed. Thanks to this victory, Władysław Odonic was able to take most of Greater Poland.
The Congress of Gąsawa and its tragic consequences. Responsibility for Leszek the White's death
Afraid that he could lose all of his domains, Władysław III Spindleshanks decided to find a peaceful solution to the dispute with his nephew. For this purpose, a solemn convention of the Piast princes, bishops, and nobles was convened in the Kuyavian district of Gąsawa in November 1227. Among the princes who attended the meeting were Władysław Odonic, Leszek the White, Henry I the Bearded, and Konrad I of Masovia. For unknown reasons, Władysław III Spindleshanks ultimately chose not to appear at the congress, perhaps because his interests were probably represented by Paul, Bishop of Poznań. In addition, the dukes were also to discuss proposals for a solution to the usurpation of the ducal title by Świętopełk II of Pomerania, who used the confusion in Greater Poland to seize Nakło, which belonged to Władysław).
The tragic end of the meeting took place on the morning of 24 November, when, during a break from the deliberations, the princes were attacked by Pomeranians, who killed Leszek the White and seriously injured Henry I the Bearded. By sources and historiography, the main culprit for the murder was Władysław Odonic,Gerard Labuda: Historia Kaszubów w dziejach Pomorza (The history of Kashubians within history of Pomerania) t.1 Czasy średniowieczne (vol.1 Middle ages), Gdańsk 2006, p. 517. although there are some historians who believe that Duke Świętopełk II was also involved in the crime, and some who are inclined to absolve Władysław Odonic from any part in the attack.
Friendly relations with Konrad I of Masovia. New struggles with Władysław III Spindleshanks The events of Gąsawa led to a very complicated situation in Poland and brought few benefits to Władysław Odonic in his conflict with his uncle. At the beginning of 1228, Władysław III Spindleshanks, with the help of Silesian forces, managed to defeat his nephew under unknown circumstances, taking him prisoner. However, the Duke of Greater Poland failed to take advantage of this success because later that year, while his uncle was in Lesser Poland, Władysław Odonic managed to escape to Płock, where he established friendly relations with Konrad I of Masovia.
Deposition of Władysław III Spindleshanks from Greater Poland and his death