Jeszcze raz o taktyce wojen pomorskich Bolesława Krzywoustego oraz okolicznościach ich finału
Once More on the Tactics of Bolesław III Krzywousty (Wrymouth’s) Wars in the Pomerania and the Circumstances of their Conclusion

Summary/Abstract: The goal of this article is to analyse the military aspects and the tactics employed during the cycle of Bolesław III Krzywousty (Wrymouth’s) campaigns in years 1102/1103– 1121/1122, which set out to conquer West Pomerania. The base source for the author was Gallus Anonymous’ Gesta principum Polonorum, the life of St. Otto of Bamberg and assorted literature on the subject. The author also attempts to present the political, economic and military goals the Piast state and its elites set in regard to Pomerania. Bolesław III Krzywousty (Wrymouth’s) Pomeranian wars, aside from their military features, were portrayed from the perspective of an ideological clash which served as a substitute for the Crusades. The text provides analyses of the more significant battles and campaigns conducted during the Pomeranian wars (attacks on Białogard, Kołobrzeg, Czarnków, Ujście, Wieleń, Wyszogród and several other cities). One of the most significant elements in this article is the analysis of the battles for Nakło nad Notecią (Nakel) in 1109 and 1112/1112; the article also touches on the issue of the clash at Naclam in 1121 – assumed to be a town near Gryfice or the previously mentioned city on Noteć – as well as campaigns for Szczecin. The author discusses the ways of conducting raids on the rear of the enemy’s forces as an element of manoeuvre warfare, siege operations and field combat. In addition, the author makes an attempt at reconstructing the military potential of both sides of the conflict and analysing the ultimately decisive factors from a military perspective. The article constitutes for a broad description and an analysis of the key episodes and the efficiency of Duke Bolesław’s wars against the Pomeranians, as well as the methods of maintaining political control and the evolution of the offensives. The individual battles are analysed in the broader context of the reality of the medieval battlefield, the role of the terrain, winter warfare and command tactics.

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