Gremislava of Lutsk

Overview

Title social-status

Duchess of Krakow

Date of Death

1258

Biography

(See also Genealogical Table(s): 2.1.)
Gremislava/Grzymislawa, a Russian duchess of Lutsk, was probably a daughter of Prince Ingvar Yaroslavich of Lutsk(1). She married Duke Leszek the White of Little Poland c.1206-07. Their children were Salomea and Boleslaw V “the Chaste.” Salomea was engaged at three to the six-year old Kálmán of Hungary who was crowned king of Galicia in 1215-16; she retained the title of queen of Galicia through her life though, widowed in 1241, she became a Poor Clare in 1245. Boleslaw was one when his father was murdered in 1227, and Gremislava was the official regent for five months. After that she sought the protection of Duke Wladyslaw of Poland against her brother-in-law Konrad of Mazovia, but Wladyslaw never came to Kraków where Gremislava remained the de facto authority until Konrad captured mother and son in late 1232. He held them until late 1233, when the pope Gregory IX took Gremislava under his protection. She took refuge with Duke Henryk of Silesia until 1239, when she arranged a betrothal between her son, then twelve, and Kinga, daughter of Béla IV of Hungary and Maria Laskarina. In May 1243, the forces of Gremislava and Boleslaw defeated Konrad at the battle of Suchodoly. Gremislawa died in 1258 and was buried at the Poor Clare monastery of Zawichost, along the main road to Rus'.
Though her regency is not recorded in chroncles, Gremislava left the greatest number of charters (44) among eastern brides who married Latin Christians. Her seal with crown and scepter, attached to a charter of 1228, is the only one preserved of Rus' princesses in western Europe.(2) Besides the charters listed here, Gremislava was also a witness to a charter or to testimony or a ratifier of sales of manors (Kodeks dyplomatyczny Małopolski, vol. 1: 1178-1386, Monumenta Medii Aevi Historica Res Gestas Polonii Illustrantia Tomus III continet: Codicem Diplomaticum Poloniae Minoris, 1178-1386 , ed. Franciszek Piekosiński [Kraków: Akademia Umiejętności/Academia Literarum Craoviensis, 1876], no.27, p.32-33, no.28, p.33-34 and no.29, p.34-35), “dominus Sulislaus …, protestatus est coram nobis et coram dilecta matre nostra nomine Grzymyslawa” (28), "comes Mistigneuus … fassus est coram nobis et coram matre nostra dilecta et reuerenda nomine Grzymyslawa” (29), or she advises her son "sufficienti deliberacione habita cum illustri domina Grimislaua matre nostra charissima" (no.439, p.87-91). Boleslaw endows a hospital with certain possession and rents for the soul of his father, and for the safety of himself and his noble mother ("incolumitate nostra et nostre ingenue genitricis Grimizlaue," no.446, p.99-101). He granted revenues from the salt-mine in Bochnia to the Benedictine female monastery in Staniatki at the urging of his mother: "Suprascriptas igitur donationes salis et seruorum cum suis usibus omnibus et permutationes nostrj patruj sepe dictj pro cultu diujno et beate Marie uirginis genitricis dominj nostrj Jesu Christj et sanctorum ejus ampliando, ac pro remedio nostrorum peccatorum; secundum instantiam dilectissime matris nostre domine Grjmizlae ducisse illustris; suprascriptis monialibus in perpetuum confirmamus" "the abovementioned gifts of salt and servants with all their uses and the exchanges of our oft-mentioned paternal uncle to enhance the divine cult of the blessed virgin Mary and our lord Jesus Christ and his saints, and for the remedy of our sins, according to the urging of our most beloved mother illustrious lady and duchess Gremislava, we confirm to the above-inscribed nuns in perpetuity" (Codex Diplomaticus Poloniae, vol. 3, 55-60, # 28. He also freed estates belonging to the female Premonstratensian abbey in Imbramowice from various obligations for the salvation of his mother, sister, and wife in February, 1256: "… in remissionem peccatorum nostrorum, necnon pro salute matris nostrae Grzimaslae, nec non amantissimae sororis nostrae Salomeae venerandae sponsae Christi, simulque conjugis nostrae Gunegundi Illustrium dominarum…" "for the remission of our sins and for the salvation of the illustrious women our mother Gremislava, and our most beloved sister Salomea, venerable spouse of Christ, and also our spouse Gunegund" (Codex diplomaticus Poloniae, vol. 3, 67-68, #32).

Letters from Gremislava of Lutsk