Kowalska-Pietrzak, Anna - History of Poland during the Middle Ages (2015).pdf

(2313 KB) Pobierz
Institute of History University of Lodz
Anna Kowalska-Pietrzak
History of Poland During the Middle Ages
Poles are Slavs. Slavs belong to the Indo-European people also called
Wends and Ands. Slavs’ ancestors came from Asia not later than the 1
st
mil-
lennium before Christ. They split into three groups: Eastern, Southern and
Western Slavs. Poles, like Czechs, belong to Western Slavs. Slavs were de-
scribed by ancient chroniclers, who wrote that they had very rigid customs.
Husbands and wives had to be faithful, but each man could have several
wives. Widows could die with their husbands (e.g. a widow could commit
suicide by burning herself at the stake with her husband’s body). Slavs were
friendly to prisoners of war, although they engaged in cruel wars. Gener-
ally, hospitality was characteristic of the Slavs. They liked eating, drinking
and dancing. They believed in many gods. There were different gods for
weather, families, fields and so on. Slavs worshiped them in holy forests or
on hills. They worshiped nature too (e.g. trees or streams). Their world was
full of ghosts and mystic powers.
In the  early period of the  Middle Ages, many tribes had lived on
the lands which became the territory of the Polish state. They were living in
Major Poland (in Polish called:
Wielkopolska),
1
in Silesia (Śląsk),
2
in Minor
The  main river is the  Warta. The  most important towns: Gniezno, Poznań and
Kalisz (it is mentioned by Ptolemy in the 2
nd
century).
2
Its territory spreads to the  south of Major Poland. The  main river is the  Upper
Oder (Odra). The Sudety Mountains are to the south of this land. Silesia was divided into
2 parts: Lower Silesia (the main cities were Wrocław, Legnica, Głogów) and Upper Silesia
(the main towns were Opole and Racibórz). Upper Silesia is situated between Lower Silesia
and Minor Poland.
1
62
Anna Kowalska-Pietrzak
Poland (Małopolska),
3
in Masovia (Mazowsze),
4
in Cuiavia (Kujawy)
5
and in
Pomerania (Pomorze).
6
Another territory which was important in the histo-
ry of medieval Poland was Prussia (Prusy).
7
The Vistulanians and the Polanians were the most important Polish tribes.
The Vistulanians lived along the banks of the upper Vistula (in the territory
of Minor Poland). It was a great tribe, which was subordinated to Bohemia
in the  9
th
and 10
th
centuries.
8
At that time the  Polanians built their own
state.
9
They were living in Major Poland and they extended their authority
and power over the other lands.
The main rivers are the upper Vistula (Wisła) and the San. The Beskidy Mountains
(which are a part of the Carpathians) spread in the south of this land. The main cities are
Cracow, Sandomierz, Lublin.
4
This land lies to the north of Minor Poland. The main river is the Middle Vistula.
The main towns were Płock and Czersk. Warsaw, the contemporary capital of Poland, be-
came an important hub since the 15
th
century.
5
It spreads between Masovia and Major Poland. The  main cities were Włocławek
and Kruszwica.
6
This is the territory which spreads along the shores of the Baltic Sea (from the up-
per Vistula to the upper Oder). It is situated to the north of Major Poland and Cuiavia.
Pomerania was divided into 2 parts: Eastern Pomerania (the main city is Gdańsk) and West-
ern Pomerania (the main cities: Szczecin and Wołogoszcz). Another important town was
Kołobrzeg.
7
It bordered with Eastern Pomerania (in the west), Masovia (in the south) and Lith-
uania (in the north-east).
8
Many legends are connected with the  Vistulanians, e.g. The  one about a  drag-
on which lived in Cracow, near the  Wawel Hill (the  home of the  Vistulanians’ rulers).
The dragon was defeated by a shoemaker who played a trick on him. The shoemaker filled
the skin of a ram with sulphur, which was then eaten by the dragon. Remains of this story
can be seen to the present days (as a sculpture of the dragon belching fire). Another story
tells us about King Krak and his daugther called Wendy. She preferred death to marriage
to a German Prince, so she jumped into the Vistula river. Inhabitants of Cracow remember
Krak and Wendy because both have their symbolic graves (mounds).
9
There are many legends from Major Poland; for instance: the  story about three
brothers – Lech, Czech and Rus. They were travelling together and each of them was look-
ing for a good place to live. One day Lech found the nest of a white eagle (that is a legendary
genesis of the Polish ensign) and he established a new town there. It was Gniezno, the first
capital of Poland. Lech’s brothers were connected with the origins of the Ruthenian people
and Czechs.
3
History of Poland During the Middle Ages
63
1. Poland under the dynasty of the Piasts (to 1370)
The roots of the first Polish dynasty – the Piasts (from the 9
th
century
to 1370) – came from Major Poland. It is possible that the  founder of
the dynasty (Piast) was a very important official at the princely court and
he seized power (similarly to the Carolinians and Stuards).
10
Mieszko I 
was the  first historical ruler of Poland. Many historians
discuss when Mieszko and his country were mentioned by chroniclers for
the first time.
The  symbolic date is 963. Mieszko’s troops probably fought against
Gero’s troops in that year.
11
During that period Mieszko ruled over Major
Poland, Cuiavia and Masovia. He was also trying to conquer the Pomera-
nians. He had to fight against the Polabian tribes as well. They were, like
Mieszko and his people, Slavs and pagans.
12
Mieszko was looking for an
ally against the Polabians. Boleslaus, the Prince of Bohemia became his ally.
Mieszko got married to Dobrava, Boleslaus’ daughter. After the wedding,
Mieszko and his people were baptized Roman Catholics in 966. Dobrava
gave birth to a son, who became (over half of the century later) the first
King of Poland and to the present day he is referred to as one of the most
famous Polish rulers.
13
Several years later (972) Mieszko had to fight with Hodo, who took
power over part of East Germany after Gero’s death. The  troops met at
There is also a legend written by an Anonymous Gall, the eldest Polish chronicler
(at the beginning of the 12
th
century). The founder of the Piasts dynasty was a peasant (it is
similar to a story told by Czechs about their first prince). It was said that Piast was celebrat-
ing the coming-of-age of his son Simovit, when two strangers came into his home and told
him: “You will become a ruler because the people will want you to rule over them”. This
prophecy could be connected to their earlier visit. The two strangers had visited King Popiel,
but he threw them out. He was such a bad ruler that his people instigated a mutiny and,
according to a legend, Popiel was eaten by mice in the Kruszwica dungeon.
11
Gero was a great feudal landlord who reigned over a special territory in East Ger-
many given to him by Emperor Otto I.
12
The Polabians lived between rivers: the Oder and the Elbe.
13
In tradition Dobrava was connected with the  christianization of Poland. Some
chroniclers wrote that she asked her husband to be baptized. It is said that she did not share
a bed with Mieszko until his baptism. But it is probably another legend.
10
64
Anna Kowalska-Pietrzak
the  battle of Cedynia, near the  river Oder. This battle was important in
the history of Poland, because it was the first big battle that has been re-
corded. Hodo was conquered by the Polish Prince, and Emperor Otto I or-
dered Mieszko to go to Germany and to explain what happened. Mieszko
had to give up his son (Boleslaus) as a hostage. Boleslaus soon returned to
his father. After Dobrava’s death (977) Mieszko got married again. His wife
was Oda, a daughter of one of the German margraves. She gave birth to
three sons.
14
The next great achievement of Mieszko was the conquest of
Minor Poland and Silesia, which were under Czech rule. Mieszko joined
these territories in 990. Several years earlier he had married off his daughter
Świętosława-Storrada to Eric, King of Sweden, and later she married Sven,
King of Denmark, by whom she gave birth to Canute the Great, King of
England. Mieszko died in 992. His eldest son became the next ruler.
Boleslaus the  Brave
ruled over Poland to 1025. At the  beginning
of his reign he decided that his line of policy would be connected with
the  Emperor. After defeating his step-mother, he fought against the  Po-
labians by the Emperor’s side. Next Boleslaus looked after Adalbert (Woj-
ciech),
a Bishop of Prague, who was exiled by the Prince in 997. Adalbert
wanted to be a missionary and the Pope agreed to it. Boleslaus sent sol-
diers to Adalbert, but the missionary made up his mind to go to the pagan
Prussians without the soldiers, so he was murdered there. This event was
used by Boleslaus to strengthen the position of Poland. The Polish Prince
redeemed Adalbert’s body for “a sack of gold” and ordered to bury it in
the church in Gniezno. Adalbert was canonized as a martyr and became
the patron of Poland. Afterwards Boleslaus was able to benefit from this
further. The  Emperor Otto III made a  pilgrimage to Adalbert’s grave in
Gniezno in 1000. Officially, it was the moment when a metropolian See
was created at Gniezno. Adalbert’s brother was nominated the first Arch-
bishop. Bishoprics were established at Cracow,
Wrocław
and
Kołobrzeg.
The  visit of the  Emperor was very important for the  young Polish state.
Boleslaus became Otton’s partner in the Roman dream ‘Renovatio Imperii’.
Boleslaus also had some friends in the East of Germany.
15
So Boleslaus had to fight against them to rule over the whole state of his father.
For instance: one of his daughters got married to Hermann the landlord. The sculp-
ture of her and her husband can be seen in Germany (as A laughing Pole) to the present day.
14
15
History of Poland During the Middle Ages
65
Good relations between Poland and Germany deteriorated after
the death of Otton III in 1002. Bohemia was seized by Boleslaus in 1003.
Next, he fought (1004–1018) against the Emperor Henry II, Otton’s suc-
cessor. Boleslaus was struggling for Lusatia (Łużyce) and Milzi (Milsko). In
his campaigns, he reached as far as the Saal. Finally, in the treaty of Bautzen
(Budziszyn) in 1018, Henry II granted the disputed territory to Boleslaus.
During the struggles with the Emperor, Boleslaus led two victorious cam-
paigns to Ruthenia (1013, 1018).
16
Several weeks before his death (1025) Boleslaus was crowned the first
King of Poland. The Polish territory increased during his reign. Boleslaus’
successes were the main causes of his son’s problems.
Mieszko II
was Boleslaus’ heir. Each of the  political neighbours of
Poland was waiting for an appropriate time to take revenge. In addition,
Mieszko II had two brothers, for whom his father left nothing. The  el-
der of them, Bezprym went to Ruthenia to look for help against Mieszko.
The second of them, Otto went to Saxonia for the same purpose. The rul-
ers of the  above mentioned countries supported them. The  position of
Mieszko’s wife (Richeza) was also of some political importance. She was
a relative of Otto III and she felt humiliated by her husband because of his
marital infidelity. She probably took the crowns and the children and went
to Germany. Mieszko found himself in a difficult situation and he escaped
from the country. His elder brother, Bezprym, had started his short reign
and Mieszko had to submit to the Emperor Conrad II at the Congress of
Magdeburg in 1032. Poland was divided into three parts. Mieszko took one
of them, but as a prince, not a king. Before his death he united the country.
After Mieszko’s death (1034) the pagans, who were in hiding during
the reign of the previous rulers, rose in rebellion against christian priests
and landlords. Interregnum lasted for several years.
Casimir the Restor-
er,
Mieszko’s son, came back from Germany in 1038 and was rebuilding
the state after the pagan rebellion and damages made by Czech rulers, who
had invaded Poland. Casimir had to rebuild the territory, the organization
The story about the coronation sword of the Polish kings is connected with the sec-
ond campaign. It is said that Boleslaus used his sword to strike the Kiev Golden Gate so
strongly that it was jagged and was called the Jagged Sword. It is not true. Indeed, the sword
was much younger.
16

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika:

Zgłoś jeśli naruszono regulamin