Topics of coins
The Polish Thermopylae – Głogów
At the end of the first decade of the 12th century,
Poland was allied with Hungary, whereas
the German king Henry V was supported by the
Czech ruler Svatopluk. The Czech prince was in
conflict with Bolesław III the Wry-Mouthed, and
in 1107, he hosted in his court Zbigniew, the exiled
brother of Bolesław the Wry-Mouthed. When
in 1108 Henry V invaded Hungary, expecting
support from the Czech army, Bolesław attacked
Czechia, preventing Svatopluk from helping the
Germans. King Henry V had to withdraw from
Hungary without success.
In 1109, the German ruler decided to subjugate
Bolesław the Wry-mouthed and declared war
on him. He demanded that the prince of Poland
swear fealty to the Empire, pay an annual tribute
of 300 grzywnas, placed 300 knights under Henry’s
command and return half of the land to the exiled
Zbigniew. When Bolesław rejected the demands,
Henry V set out to invade Poland with his army.
He was aided by the Czech prince Svatopluk.
Fearing an attack from Pomerania while the
fight with the Germans was on, Bolesław led his
army there and defeated the Pomeranians, but he
failed to return before the German army crossed
the Polish border. The Germans reached the town
of Głogów and laid siege to it.
The commander of the town’s garrison sent
envoys to Bolesław, asking him whether he should
defend the town with the small garrison. He gave
hostages to Henry until he received a reply from
the prince, his own son among them. The hostages were to return to Głogów regardless of what Bolesław
decided. The prince ordered the commander to
defend the town and wait for relief. The brief truce
was broken and fighting ensued. King Henry V did
not release the hostages. He had them bound to the
siege engines, expecting that the defenders would not
shoot at their own children. He was mistaken. The
inhabitants of Głogów, told to defend the town at all
cost, repelled the attack and eventually were rescued.
Bolesław did not attack the powerful German
army head on, but crushed units that went away
from the main force to forage for food. This tactic
eventually made the Germans retreat, unsuccessful. Henry V’s authority was undermined and
Poland strengthened its position in Europe.
Prof. Marek Barański
The reverse of the coin bears a symbolic
representation of the siege of Głogów by
Henry V’s army: in the foreground there is
a medieval knight with a bow, standing on
the town’s fortifications, with a siege engine in
the background.
The obverse of all the coins of the “The
Polish Thermopylae” series features Athena,
the goddess of just war and wisdom.