Mieszko I Tanglefoot in 1163, and thanks to the intervention of the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, Mieszko and his older brother Bolesław I the Tall returned to Silesia. Mieszko and Bolesław I the Tall co-ruled the Duchy of Wrocław during the period 1163–1173. At first, their rule did not extend over the major Silesian cities, which remained under the control of Bolesław IV the Curly, the current High Duke of Poland. The brothers retook them in the year 1165, taking advantage of Bolesław IV's involvement in a crusade against the Prussians. However, soon Mieszko began his efforts to obtain his own Duchy, maybe in
Mieszko III the Old of the rebels and divided Henry's Duchy in three parts: Wiślica Land was taken by Casimir, Bolesław took Sandomierz proper, and the rest was led to Mieszko. In 1172 another conflict arose among the Silesian Piasts, when Duke Bolesław the Tall chose to ignore the claims of his first-born son, Jaroslaw by designating his son of the second marriage Henry I the Bearded his sole heir. When Jarosław, forced to become a priest, had returned from his German exile, he claimed a share of the Silesian lands. Mieszko III supported his grandnephew in his demands, and the civil war was