# Mieszko IV Tanglefoot takes Kraków (1210)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1210-mieszko-iv-tanglefoot-takes-krakow
Location: Kraków
Categories: ruler-change

With papal support Mieszko IV of Racibórz briefly seized Kraków before dying in 1211. Within the broader Fragmentation period: After 1138 Poland split into duchies ruled by rival Piast princes. Mongol invasions, German settlement, the growth of towns and the arrival of the Teutonic Knights reshaped the land before it was reunited. At this point in the timeline (1210), the governing authority was Mieszko IV Tanglefoot (High Duke of Poland). Silesian duke who seized Kraków with papal backing and died shortly afterwards. Mieszko IV Tanglefoot takes Kraków mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Mieszko IV Tanglefoot takes Kraków mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy.

Ruler at the time: [Mieszko IV Tanglefoot](https://poland-history.com/rulers/mieszko-iv-tanglefoot)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Mieszko IV Tanglefoot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mieszko_IV_Tanglefoot)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Mieszko IV Tanglefoot takes Kraków](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Mieszko+IV+Tanglefoot+takes+Krak%C3%B3w)
- [Wikipedia — History of Poland during the Piast dynasty (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Poland_during_the_Piast_dynasty#Fragmentation_of_the_realm_(1138%E2%80%931320))