Silesia was a place of continuous defensive struggles from the second half of the 10th century onward; these were fought against the Germans and Czechs by the first rulers of the Polish state. Long-lasting wars were waged for control over Silesia or for Silesia’s subordination to Germany or Bohemia, whose rulers sometimes joined forces against us.
In 990, a war was fought in the Lusatian–Bóbr zone against the Germans and Czechs. Czech forces reached as far as the powerful stronghold at Krosno nad Odrą. They then retreated southward along the Bóbr after capturing some Polish stronghold. Whether it was Bolesławiec, the chroniclers do not say. As a result of this war, Silesia and the Bolesławiec region became part of the state of Mieszko I; the tribal “princes” of Silesia submitted to him, as they did not want to fall within the political orbit of the Czech Přemyslids.
In 1002, the Polish state began long-lasting offensive wars against the German state. These wars lasted until MU, ending in peace. Part of Lusatia came within the political orbit of the Polish state. Long-awaited peace came to the Bóbr. German chroniclers accompanying the expeditions wrote about how skillfully the Poles drew German knights into the forests along the Bóbr in order to attack them by surprise—first with a volley of arrows fired by crossbowmen and archers. They fired 12 arrows per minute. At a distance of 200 metres, the arrows pierced contemporary shields and armour! After several minutes, foot warriors armed with swords, axes and spears launched an attack. More than two hundred of the finest German knights fell in battle, including several well-known counts.
The Bishop of Meissen asked Bolesław Chrobry to hand over the fallen Germans, and the Polish monarch agreed. This is an example of the military tactics of the first Piasts.
In 1038 (1039), the Czechs invaded Poland, taking advantage of the weakness of our state. At that time, the Czechs captured and plundered half of Poland. They occupied Silesia, incorporating it into the Czech state. In 1054, Kazimierz Odnowiciel recaptured Silesia. Fighting may also have taken place in our region.
In 1109, German forces once again invaded Silesia. Bolesław III, known as Krzywousty, fought bravely here. Unable to withstand the enemy in open battle, he waged guerrilla warfare and attacked from hiding. This ruler based his defensive strategy on strongholds, which he reinforced. At that time, the Bolesławiec stronghold was also rebuilt and strengthened. Perhaps the Bolesławiec stronghold defended itself against the enemy then? Possibly. And if so, the defence must have proceeded as described in a passage by Anonim Gall, the royal chronicler, concerning the defence of the castellany stronghold of Głogów in 1109: “The Germans spanned their hand crossbows, while the Poles operated engines with crossbows; the Germans shot arrows, while the Poles shot arrows and other projectiles. The Germans swung slings with stones, while the Poles cast millstones and sharply pointed stakes. When the Germans, shielded by wooden covers, tried to approach the rampart, the Poles gave them a bath of boiling water, showering them with flaming brands. The Germans brought iron battering rams up to the gates, while the Poles rolled down from above wheels armed with steel nails. The Germans climbed upward on ladders, while the Poles, catching them with iron hooks, snatched them into the air...”
In 1146 and 1157, the German emperors invaded Silesia again. Then came the period of Poland’s regional fragmentation. Numerous duchies emerged in Silesia. Their rulers waged fratricidal wars over succession and hired foreign troops; “they gave themselves and their duchies to the Czech state,” wrote Jan z Czarnkowa.
(to be continued)