Mieszko II

Mieszko II Lambert ( Polish pronunciation: [ˈmjɛʂkɔ ˈdruɡʲi ˈlambɛrt] ; c. 990 – 10/11 May 1034) was King of Poland from 1025 to 1031 and Duke from 1032 until his death.

He was the second son of Bolesław I the Brave but the eldest born from his third wife, Emnilda of Lusatia. He organized two devastating invasions of Saxony in 1028 and 1030. Then, he ran a defensive war against Germany, Bohemia and the Kievan princes. Mieszko II was forced to escape from the country in 1031 after an attack by Yaroslav I the Wise, who installed Mieszko's older half-brother Bezprym on the Polish throne. Mieszko II took refuge in Bohemia, where he was imprisoned by Duke Oldrich. In 1032, he regained power in one of Poland's three districts, then united the country, making good use of the remaining power structures. At this time, several Polish territorial acquisitions of his father were lost: Upper Lusatia (also known as Milsko), part of Lower Lusatia, Red Ruthenia, the western and central parts of Upper Hungary (now Slovakia) and probably Moravia.