king of Poland from 1025 to 1034, grandson of Mieszko I. He was dominated by his wife, the German Ryxa (or Richeza), the niece of the emperor Otto III. Complications ensued from his political alliances with the German emperors and Saxon aristocracy, and he let the achievements of his father, Bolesław I, crumble. Much territory was lost to Bohemia and to the Holy Roman Empire. At his death, Poland fell into anarchy.