BOLESLAV II., called "Smially" (The Bold), king of Poland (1039-1081) , eldest son of Casimir I., succeeded his father in 1058. Poland had shrunk territorially since the age of his grandfather Boleslav I., and Boleslav II. sought to restore her dignity and importance. Boleslav's first Bohemian war proved unsuccessful, and was terminated by the marriage of his sister Swatawa with the Czech king Wratyslav II. On the other hand Boleslav's ally, the fugitive Magyar prince Bela, succeeded with Polish assistance in winning the crown of Hungary. In the east Boleslav was more successful. In io6g he succeeded in placing Izaslav on the throne of Kiev, obtaining, in return, Ruthenia, or "Red Russia." He proceeded then to attack his other enemies, including Bohemia, but its ruler, Wratyslav, speedily appealed to the emperor for help, and a war between Poland and the Em pire was prevented only by the sudden rupture of Henry IV. with the Holy See and the momentous events which led to the humiliating surrender of the emperor at Canossa. There is nothing to show that Boleslav took any part in this struggle, though at this time he was on the best of terms with Gregory VII. On Dec. 26, o76 Boleslav was crowned by the papal legates, a striking proof that the Polish kings did not even yet consider their title quite secure. A second successful expedition to Kiev to reinstate his protege Izaslav, is Boleslav's last recorded exploit. The nobles f ormed a conspiracy against him, which was joined by Stanislav, bishop of Cracow, and leader of the clerical party which was strong in Poland. Boleslav, in revenge, had the bishop murdered while he was saying mass in his cathedral. Pope Gregory VII. excommunicated Boleslav, and in ion he and his sons were forced to flee to Hungary, where the king died in obscurity, probably in io8i.