Life
The death of his older brother Bolko (30 January 1300) made him the heir apparent to the Duchy and future Head of the family. Twenty-three months later (9 November 1301), the unexpected death of his father left Bernard as ruler of all his domains, together with his younger brothers Henry I and Bolko II as co-rulers. However, because the three princes are minors, their guardianship was taken over by their maternal uncle Herman, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel, who also held the regency of the Duchy until 1305, when Bernard was proclaimed an adult and took by himself the government and the custody of his brothers.
In 1312 the first division of the Duchy was made between Bernard and his brothers: Henry I obtained Jauer and Neustadt; Bernard and Bolko II retained Schweidnitz and Münsterberg as co-rulers. Bernard and Bolko II ruled together until 1322, when the second and final division of the Duchy was made: Bolko II received Münsterberg and Bernard kept Schweidnitz.
In foreign politics, Bernard became the guardian of the independence of his sovereignty against his powerful neighbors. The marriage of his sister Beatrix to Duke Louis IV of Bavaria (later German King and Holy Roman Emperor) in 1308 give Bernard a powerful alliance. Two years later, in 1310, Bernard's marriage to Kunigunde, daughter of Władysław I the Elbow-high re-enforced his bonds with the Kingdom of Poland.
In 1311 Bernard took part in the negotiations in Olmütz as a mediator between Duke Bolesław III the Generous of Liegnitz and King John of Bohemia for the possession of the Duchy of Troppau. The dispute ended in a compromise: King John took the Duchy, but had to pay 8,000 fines to Bolesław III as compensation. The contact with the Duke of Liegnitz allowed him to retake Niemcza.
In the early years of the 1320s, Bernard was involved in an alliance with Władysław I the Elbow-high in a war against the Dukes of Glogau. In the battle of Mühldorf of 1322, Bernard fought with King John and Louis IV, now King of Germany. Shortly afterwards he left for Masuria, where he took part in the expedition organized by the Teutonic Knights against Lithuania.
Bernard died on 6 May 1326 and was buried in Grüssau Abbey. His effective government helped to increase the power of his Duchy, which allowed his son Bolko II to become the last (and most notorious) independent ruler of the Piast dynasty.
The Duchy of Greater Poland was a district principality in Greater Poland that was a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Poland. It was formed in 1138 from the territories of the Kingdom of Poland, following its fragmentation started by the testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth. In 1177, the state broke had separated into the duchies of Poznań, Gniezno and Kalisz, and united again in 1279, lasting in that form until 1320, when it was incorporated back into the Kingdom of Poland. Its capital was Poznań.
Bolko II the Small, was the last independent Duke of the Piast dynasty in Silesia. He was Duke of Świdnica from 1326, Duke of Jawor and Lwówek from 1346, Duke of Lusatia from 1364, Duke over half of Brzeg and Oława from 1358, Duke of Siewierz from 1359, and Duke over half of Głogów and Ścinawa from 1361.
The Duchies of Silesia were the more than twenty divisions of the region of Silesia formed between the 12th and 14th centuries by the breakup of the Duchy of Silesia, then part of the Kingdom of Poland. In 1335, the duchies were ceded to the Kingdom of Bohemia under the Treaty of Trentschin. Thereafter until 1742, Silesia was one of the Bohemian crown lands and lay within the Holy Roman Empire. Most of Silesia was annexed by the King of Prussia under the Treaty of Berlin in 1742. Only the Duchy of Teschen, the Duchy of Troppau and the Duchy of Nysa remained under the control of the Bohemian crown and as such were known as the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia until 1918.
The Treaty of Trentschin was concluded on 24 August 1335 between King Casimir III of Poland and King John of Bohemia as well as his son Margrave Charles IV. The agreement was reached by the agency of Casimir's brother-in-law King Charles I of Hungary and signed at Trencsén Castle in the Kingdom of Hungary. It initiated the transfer of suzerainty over the former Polish province of Silesia to the Kingdom of Bohemia, whereafter the Duchies of Silesia were incorporated into the Bohemian Crown.
Henry II,, was a Duke of Świdnica from 1326 until his death.
Henry V the Fat was a Duke of Jawor (Jauer) from 1273, of Legnica (Liegnitz) from 1278, and Duke of Wrocław (Breslau) from 1290.
Bolko (Bolesław) I the Strict also known as the Raw or of Jawor, was a Duke of Lwówek (Löwenberg) 1278–81 and Jawor (Jauer) after 1278, sole Duke of Lwówek after 1286, Duke of Świdnica-Ziębice from 1291.
Boleslaw III the Wasteful, was a Duke of Legnica, Brzeg (Brieg) from 1296 until 1342, and Duke of Wrocław from 1296 until 1311.
Henry VI the Good was a Duke of Wrocław from 1296.
Henry IV (II) the Faithful was a Duke of Żagań and parts of Greater Poland from 1309 until 1317, Duke of Głogów from 1318 until 1321 and sole ruler over Żagań from 1321 until his death.
Konrad I of Oleśnica was a Duke of Żagań and Ścinawa during 1309–1312, Duke of Oleśnica, Namysłów, Gniezno and Kalisz during 1312–1313, Duke of Kalisz during 1313–1314 (alone), Duke of Namysłów from 1313 (alone) and Duke of Oleśnica from 1321 until his death (alone).
Kunigunde of Poland (Kunegunda) was a daughter of Władysław I the Elbow-high and his wife Jadwiga of Greater Poland. Her siblings included, Casimir III of Poland and Elisabeth, Queen of Hungary. She was a member of the House of Piast.
Bolko II of Ziębice was a Duke of Jawor-Lwówek-Świdnica-Ziębice in Poland from 1301 to 1312, of Świdnica-Ziębice from 1312 to 1322, and sole Duke of Ziębice from 1322 until his death.
Constance of Świdnica was a member of the Piast dynasty in the Świdnica-Jawor branch and by marriage Duchess of Głogów.
Beatrice of Brandenburg, was a German princess and a member of the House of Ascania in the Brandenburg branch. By her two marriages she was Duchess of Świdnica and Koźle-Bytom-Siewierz.
Władysław of Bytom, was a Duke of Koźle during 1303-1334, Duke of Bytom from 1316, Duke of Toszek from 1329 and Duke of Siewierz during 1328–1337.
Bolesław the Elder was a Silesian duke. He was the duke of Wieluń during 1313–1326, duke of Niemodlin from 1313 and ruler of Prudnik from 1336 until his death.
Bolko II of Opole was a Duke of Opole from 1313.
Elisabeth of Świdnica was a member of the Piast dynasty in the Świdnica-Jawor branch and by marriage Duchess of Opole.
Duchy of Jawor was one of the Duchies of Silesia established in 1274 as a subdivision of the Duchy of Legnica. It was ruled by the Silesian Piasts, with its capital at Jawor in Lower Silesia.
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