Duchy of Silesia
1066-1175: The Story Begins
The scene begins in Upper Silesia, where the western-most branch of the Piast family holds domain.
The Duchy of Silesia, circa 1066
Recently ended is a war between Poland and Bohemia, a war that began because of hard words that were exchanged between the Duke of Silesia and the Duke of Poland. The fighting was short but fierce, and ended in the death of Duke Wanko Piast and his two eldest sons. His only surviving son, Rafael, had been sent to a monistary years ago because he lacked the temperment for fighting and was believed not to be necessary to keep the Silesian throne in the Piast family. With the death of his father and brothers, however, Rafael found himself reluctantly thrust upon the throne.
Rafael was considered by most to be an exceptional thinker. His treatises on the nature of the Trinity were widely circulated among religious intellectuals, and some said that Rafael could some day be the greatest writer of Christian ideology since Thomas Aquinas. The temporal lords of Silesia were less happy with their new leige, however, as Rafael was considered to be a pacifistic man, committed to the Christian teachings of turning the other cheek.
Drawn as Rafael was from his life as a religious thinker and forced to consider the future of his family, Rafael's first duty was to appoint a court and find a bride. Silesia had a relatively small court, and it was quickly clear who would be the best office-holder among the scyophants of Silesia. Rafael also decided to take his bride from his own court, for he had always been fond of his cousin Eufrozyna. Rafael and Eufrozyna were wed in April of 1066.
Rafael was never an ambitious man, and the whole of his hopes were centered around building a big family and building up his lands. Most lords in the other courts of Poland spoke eagerly of fighting against their neighbors, both Christian and Pagan, but Rafael was content with his lot in life. He kept up in an interersted fashion with is cousins in Weilkopolska, Mazovia, and Krakaow- as well as Rafael's royal cousin, the King of Poland- and watched with cautious interest the Dukes of Bohemia to the south that had forced him to ascend to the throne. He made no efforts to ramp up his armies for war, however.
Rafael was rewarded well by the Lord for his humility. He was given a son on August 17th, in the year of our Lord 1068. The boy was named Wanko after Rafael's late father. Wanko was quickly followed by the birth of Mikolaj in late May of 1069 (named after Rafael's oldest brother) and Swinislawa on Jule the 11th, 1070 (named after Eufrozyna's mother.) Soon after the birth of Rafael's second son, the Duke of Silesia enacted laws changing the inheritance laws to Sallic custom, in order to mirror the inheritance laws of Royal Poland.
A few months after Swinislawa was born, a burning light was seen in the sky. All educated men agreed that it was an evil omen, but what it meant was a matter of much debate. Rafael eagerly joined in the debate, but eventually decided that the Church should settle the matter. After a generous contribution from the Duke, the Church decided that the ill omen was most likely intended for those who strayed from the Church's teachings.
The ill tidings portended by the comet were revealed on January 12th of the next year, when little Swinislawa died a mysterious crib death. Rafael was filled with grief, and turned to learning to bury his misery. His sadness proved productive, and Rafael managed to stumble upon the notion of the Seven Liberal Arts. Rafael immediately ordered the building of a library, and named the building in honor of his dead daughter. Each stone put in place for the building took with it some measure of Rafael's sadness, and by the time his hall of learning was complete the Duke of Silesia had emerged from his mourning.
All this focus on sadness for the death of a girl, focus on learning and scholarship rather than swordsmanship and hunting, and an open disinterest in fighting pagans lead some to accuse Rafael of being a coward. Rumors began reaching the Duke's ears in November of 1072. Rafael, being an honest fellow, admitted that he feared fighting in manly war, and soon was labelled a coward by all who knew him.
Be that as it may, Rafael saw the birth of another son on July 24th of 1073. He was named Mikolaj after the other brother that had died in the Bohemian wars half a decade ago. The happiness and relative success enjoyed by the Silesian Piasts were not enjoyed by their cousins to the north, however. Shortly after the birth of Mikolaj, word reached Silesia that the Duke of Weilkopolska had died from illness. All but one of his sons had been claimed in the same wave of plague, and the Duchy now found itself ruled by a regent on behalf of a child-Duke. Some in Silesia suggested that the Duke take advantage of the situation by manufacturing his own claim, but Rafael considered it unconscionable to take that course.
The new Duke of Weilkopolska, Silesia's neighbor to the north, circa 1075
1074 was a quiet year, peaceful and happy, as Duke Rafael focused further on building up his domain and watching over his family. By 1074, both of Rafael's sons had come to an age where they needed an education. Rafael decided to have both educated in the courts, both to keep them near and because both had also inherited their father's disinterest and lack of talent in martial matters. 1074 also saw the birth of another daughter to Rafael and Euphrozyna. She was named Ryksa, after Rafael's maternal grandmother.
1075 saw times turn tumultous. Baby Ryksa fell ill in February and, though the Duke and his wife had done what they could for the babe, she died in July. The grief of Rafael and his wife were mittigated somewhat by the fact that Euphrozyna was expecting again. However, even that proved to be a mixed blessing as the midwives reported that the baby seemed to be having problems. Euphrozyna was placed on bed rest, and Rafael attended to her daily. During the Duke's period of intensive focus upon his wife, a guild of thieves organized and began operating in Opole. When told about this, Rafael ordered that a Hall of Justice be built there, but otherwise paid it no mind.
Finally, November came. November is when the baby was expected to be born. Euphrozyna went to labor on November 21st. The labor was difficult, and at some point the midwives realized that the baby had breached. They struggled to save the Duchess, but when the realized that she was bleeding too heavily decided to try to save the child. They cut Euphrozyna's belly open and sought to deliver the child as great Cesare had been millenia ago. Tragedy was found inside as well, as the babe had strangled upon her umbilical chord during the birthing process. November 23rd, the news was finally broken to Duke Rafael. Both his wife and his third daughter were dead.
With a heavy heart, Rafael broke the news to his relatives. Some, particularly the more religious among his relatives, encouraged Rafael to see it as part of the Lord's plan, and urged him to set his grief aside and to marry again. Rafael would have none of it, though. He declared that he would honor his wife with an entire year or mourning before he would even consider taking a new bride.
