Henry VI the Good (; or Wrocà Âawski; 18 March 1294 â 24 November 1335) was Duke of Wrocà Âaw from 1296, with his brothers as co-rulers until 1311. He was the second son of Henry V the Fat, Duke of Legnica and Wrocà Âaw, by his wife Elisabeth, daughter of Bolesà Âaw the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland.
Henry's father died in 1296, when Henry was two years old. Because he and his brothers, Bolesà Âaw III and Wà Âadysà Âaw (who was born after their father's death), were minors the regency of their lands was taken over by their mother, the Dowager Duchess Elisabeth (d. 1304) and their paternal uncle Bolko I (d. 1301). Between 1301 and 1302 the official guardianship of Henry V's sons was carried out by Henry of Wierzbna, Bishop of Wrocà Âaw. Finally the authority over the Duchy of Wrocà Âaw-Legnica was personally assumed by the King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia and Poland, which brought Bolesà Âaw III into his court in Prague. Is unknown what happened with Henry during this time.
The first mention of Henry takes place in 1310 when he married the several years older Anna, daughter of Albert I of Habsburg, the ruler of Austria. A year later, as a result of the pressure of the nobility of both Wrocà Âaw and Legnica (tired of the neglected rule of Bolesà Âaw III), the Duchy was divided into three parts: Wrocà Âaw, Legnica and Brzeg. The poorest and least important was Brzeg. In the treaty of division, it was stipulated that the brother who takes this district would also receive from the other two a payment of 50,000 fines. As the oldest, Bolesà Âaw III was able to choose first; with financial problems, he unexpectedly took Brzeg and the monetary compensation. As a result, Henry was allowed to take Wrocà Âaw. He had no problems with paying the debt to his older brother (thanks to the help of the rich Wrocà Âaw patricians) and kept the district. The youngest brother, Wà Âadysà Âaw, who received Legnica, wasn't able to pay his part of the debt and for this was expelled from his land by Bolesà Âaw III.
Between 1312 and 1317, a conflict erupted between Bolesà Âaw III and the Dukes of Gà Âogów. Henry and his brother entered into an alliance with the ruler of Lesser Poland, Wà Âadysà Âaw I the Elbow-high and with their combined forces began an expeditionary trip against Henry III's sons. As a pretext they used the fact that Henry III was directly responsible for the premature death of Henry V (Henry and Bolesà Âaw III's father). In the end, Wà Âadysà Âaw I the Elbow-high managed to capture almost all of Greater Poland, but his allies only took the towns of Uraz (which was given to Henry) and Woà Âów and LubiÃ à ¼ (granted to Bolesà Âaw III).
In 1314, Henry supported his brother-in-law Frederick the Fair, duke of Austria and Styria, in the battle for the throne as Roman-German King.
The war with Gà Âogów began again in 1321. This time, however, Henry wasn't convinced as to the appropriateness of it, and in 1322 he signed a separated peace with the Gà Âogów Dukes, receiving in return Smogorzew. The agreement was reinforced with the marriage of Henry's eldest daughter Elisabeth to Duke Konrad I of Oleà Ânica.
By that time the relations between Henry and his older brother Bolesà Âaw III had seriously deteriorated. The reasons for this was Henry's refusal to support the overtly militaristic policy of his brother (as evidenced after he signed a peace with Konrad I of Oleà Ânica and his brothers) and Bolesà Âaw's pretensions to control the rich city of Wrocà Âaw. Bolesà Âaw even made an official proposal to exchange his district of Legnica for Wrocà Âaw. Henry refused this unfavorable transaction. The war between the brothers was imminent.
Henry reestablished contacts with Wà Âadysà Âaw I the Elbow-high (now King of Poland), and promised him homage and named him his heir in exchange for aid against Bolesà Âaw. However, Wà Âadysà Âaw I feared a direct confrontation with the Kingdom of Bohemia and declined the offer. Subsequently, Henry asked Emperor Louis IV for help. On 20 April 1324, the Duke of Wrocà Âaw declared himself a vassal of the Empire; in return, Henry gained the right of succession over his lands for his daughters, and as a consequence, the disinheritance of Bolesà Âaw III and his descendants. These decision prompted Bolesà Âaw to carry out armed attempts to settle the dispute, but finally Bolesà Âaw failed due to the powerful walls of Wrocà Âaw.
However, his homage to the Holy Roman Empire did not secure his lands, especially since the fights with Bolesà Âaw III continued. To remedy this, in 1325, Henry arranged the marriage of his second daughter Euphemia with Bolesà Âaw the Elder, Duke of Niemodlin (Falkenberg). He also entered into an alliance with the Teutonic Order, which was directed against the principal supporter of Bolesà Âaw in Silesia, the King of Poland, Wà Âadysà Âaw I the Elbow-high.
Eventually, under pressure from the Wrocà Âaw nobility, Henry opted for an alliance with John of Luxemburg, King of Bohemia. The signing of the agreement took place in Wrocà Âaw on 6 April 1327. Under the terms of the treaty, Wrocà Âaw remained independent, but after the death of Henry would be adjoined to the Bohemian Kingdom. In return for these concessions, Henry obtain from the King the Kladsko Land (then northeastern part of Bohemia) for his lifetime and a high pension.
In the matters of internal policy, Henry was constrained by the powerful Wrocà Âaw nobility, who received from him many privileges. His relation with the Church was very firm and tense, and in fact, between 1319 and 1321 he was excommunicated.
Henry died on 24 November 1335 and was buried in the chapel of St. Hedwig in Wrocà Âaw.
In 1310 Henry married with Anna (b. Vienna, 1280 â d. Wrocà Âaw, 19 March 1327), daughter of Albert I of Habsburg, Duke of Austria and widow of Herman, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel. They had three daughters:
On his death without male heirs and according to the treaty of 1327, Wrocà Âaw was merged into the Bohemian crown.
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