Henry the Bearded (Polish: Henryk (Jędrzych) Brodaty, German: Heinrich der Bärtige; c. 1165/1170 – 19 March 1238) was a Polish duke from the Silesian branch of the Piast dynasty. He was Duke of Silesia at Wrocław from 1201, Duke of Kraków and High Duke of all Poland – internally divided – from 1232 until his death. A competent ruler, he supported the development of mining, carried out a monetary reform, granted the first town charters, and attempted to reunite an internally divided Poland.
Henry succeeded his father, Bolesław I the Tall, as Duke of Silesia, and, through a combination of dynastic marriages, military campaigns, political alliances, and territorial acquisitions, he expanded the influence of the Silesian Piasts. In 1202, he became involved in the struggle for control of Kraków and the seniorate province, although his attempts to establish lasting authority over divided Polish lands there were repeatedly challenged by other Piast princes.
A prominent patron of Christian institutions, Henry supported monasteries and churches and promoted the settlement of German-speaking communities in Silesia.
HistoryLayer draws the world as it was in any year from 123,000 BCE to
2026. Move the slider and the borders redraw for that year; the map
carries 23,890 events, 12,790 people, 837 wars and 13,183 cities, each
one readable in place. Signing in is optional and lets you keep what
you find.