梅什科一世

Mieszko I (Polish pronunciation: [ˈmjɛʂkɔ ˈpjɛrfʂɨ] ; c. 930 – 25 May 992) was Duke of Poland from 960 until his death in 992 and the founder of the first unified Polish state, the Civitas Schinesghe. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was the first Christian ruler of Poland and continued the policies of both his father and probably his grandfather, who initiated a process of unification among the Polish tribes and the creation of statehood.

According to existing sources, Mieszko I was a potent politician, a talented military leader and a charismatic ruler. Through both alliances and military force, he extended ongoing Polish conquests. Early in his reign, he subjugated Kuyavia and likely Gdańsk Pomerania and Masovia. For most of his reign, Mieszko I waged war for control of Western Pomerania. He eventually annexed it to the vicinity of the lower Oder River. His internal reforms were aimed at expanding and improving the so-called war monarchy system. During the last years of his life, he fought the Bohemian state and captured Silesia and lands now constituting Lesser Poland.

In foreign policy, Mieszko I placed the interests of his country foremost and entered into agreements with his former foes. He successfully used diplomacy by concluding alliances with Bohemia, Sweden and the Holy Roman Empire. Mieszko's alliance with the Czech prince Boleslaus the Cruel was strengthened by his marriage in 965 to the Přemyslid princess Dobrawa, who is said to have brought the Christian faith to Poland. Mieszko's baptism in 966 placed him and his country in the cultural sphere of Western Christianity; he is sometimes called the "Clovis of Poland" for his role in laying the foundations for a Christian Poland.……

Early life

There is no certain information on Mieszko's life before he took control of his lands. Only the Lesser Poland Chronicle gives the date of his birth as somewhere between the years 920–931 (depending on the version of the manuscript); however, modern researchers do not recognize the chronicle as a reliable source. Several historians, on the basis of their investigations, postulated the date of Mieszko's birth to have been between 922 and 945; The activity of the Duke in his final years of life puts the date of his birth closer to the latter year.

Reign

Early reign

Mieszko I took over the rule after his father's death c. 950–960, probably closer to the latter date. Due to the lack of sources, it is not possible to determine exactly which lands he inherited. Certainly among them were the areas inhabited by the Polans and Goplans, as well as the Sieradz-Łęczyca lands and Kuyavia.. It is possible that this state also included Masovia and Gdańsk Pomerania. Soon the new ruler faced the task of integrating the relatively large, ethnically and culturally heterogeneous territory.……

Legacy

Mieszko is chiefly credited with the unification of Polish lands. His state was the first state that could be called Poland. He is often considered the founder, the principal creator and builder of the Polish state. His acceptance of Roman Catholicism led to the inclusion of Poland in the mainstream civilization and political structures of Roman Catholic Europe. He sponsored the erection of churches. The Gniezno Cathedral was constructed during Mieszko's rule. It is very likely the Duke also founded the church at Ostrów Tumski and the Poznań Cathedral.……

Marriages and issue

According to Gallus Anonymus, before becoming a Christian, Mieszko had seven pagan wives, whom he was required to relinquish, leaving Dobrawa as his only spouse. Nothing is known of the fates of any possible children from these relationships. In 965, before his baptism, Mieszko married Dobrawa of Bohemia (b. 940/945 – d. 977). They had one known child:

Bolesław I the Brave (Chrobry) (b. 967 – d. 17 June 1025)

According to one hypothesis, there was another daughter of Mieszko, married to a Pomeranian Slavic prince;……