Abstrakt: | The following article returns to the difficulties in identifying the Duke of Opole, the culprit
in the attack on a student from Prague, Henryk Stange. To this end, the article refers to an article
by Robert T. Tomczak, agreeing with the suggestion that there exists no sufficient evidence that
Bolko V obtained a bachelor degree at the university in Prague. However, the article disagrees
with the further claims made in Tomczak’s article, who argues that the culprit in the attack could
be, in fact, Bolko IV, Duke of Opole. To support this dissent, the article proves that, contrary to
Tomczak’s claims, the oldest son of Bolko IV was also identified in foreign sources as the Duke
of Opole, even after he was given his own province (Głogówek). Moreover, the emphasis on the
young age of Bolko V, which supposedly rules him out as a suspect, appears to be misleading.
In addition, the author doubts the correctness of identifying the rambunctious duke as Bolko IV,
considering the political situation at that time as well as later historical records. The author also
points to the similarities between the description of Bolko V in the Annales Glogovienses —
concerning multiple instances of reproof which ended with excommunication — and the actual
excommunication of Bolko V’s father in the beginning of the 15th century. |