Mieszko I (; – 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. On his death, he left to his son and successor, Bolesław I the Brave, a country with greatly expanded territories and a well-established position in Europe.
Mieszko I appeared as "Dagome" in a papal document dating to about 1085, called Dagome iudex, which mentions a gift or dedication of Mieszko's land to the Pope almost a hundred years earlier. The term possibly refers to Mieszko's adopted Christian name, Dagobert, which often features in historical writing. He also had a daughter who went to become a queen consort of Denmark and used to be identified with the figure of Scandinavian queen Sigrid the Haughty. Through his daughter, Mieszko became the grandfather of Canute the Great and the great-grandfather of Gunhilda of Denmark, Canute the Great's daughter and wife of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor.
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;ca. 922 (O. Balzer), between 930–932 (A.F. Grabski), ca. 935 (K. Jasiński), between 940–945 (S. Kętrzyński). The activity of the Duke in his final years of life puts the date of his birth closer to the latter year.Jerzy Strzelczyk "Mieszko pierwszy", vol. IV
Mieszko's name has traditionally been thought to be a diminutive of Mieczysław, but this is refuted by the majority of modern historians. According to a legend first described by Gallus Anonymus, Mieszko was blind during his first seven years of life. This typical medieval allegory referred to his paganism rather than an actual disability. Another name of Mieszko, "Dagome", appears in the Dagome iudex document, though its origin is uncertain. Historians speculate that it was derived from Mieszko's adopted Christian name Dagobert or an abbreviation of the two names – "Dago" for Dagobert and "me" for Mieszko.
Reign Early reign
Mieszko I took over the rule after his father's death –960, probably closer to the latter date.K. Jasiński, Siemomysł, Polski Słownik Biograficzny, vol. 37, 1996, pp. 58–59. 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,Gerard Labuda, Mieszko I, pp. 18–22 as well as the Sieradz-Łęczyca lands and Kuyavia.Początki Polski w nowym świetle (The beginnings of Poland in new perspective) by Tomasz Jasiński, p. 17. The Polish Academy of Sciences, Portal Wiedzy www.portalwiedzy.pan.pl "Nauka", April 2007. It is possible that this state also included MasoviaG. Labuda, Mieszko I, p. 85; S. Szczur, Historia Polski średniowiecze, pp. 34–35 and Gdańsk Pomerania.S. Szczur, Historia Polski średniowiecze, p. 34; Henryk Łowmiański, Początki Polski, vol. V, p. 502; G. Labuda, Mieszko I, pp. 121–122 Soon the new ruler faced the task of integrating the relatively large, ethnically and culturally heterogeneous territory. Although the residents of areas controlled by Mieszko spoke mostly one language, had similar beliefs and reached a similar level of economic and general development, they were socially connected primarily by tribal structures. It appears that the elders cooperating with the Duke first felt the need for super-tribal unity, as expansion allowed them to broaden their influence.
Mieszko and his people were described around 966 by Abraham ben Jacob, a Sephardi Jewish traveller, who at that time visited the Prague court of Duke Boleslaus I the Cruel.Jerzy Wyrozumski – Dzieje Polski piastowskiej (VIII w. – 1370) (History of Piast Poland (8th century – 1370)), Kraków 1999, p. 76 Abraham presented Mieszko I as one of the four Slavic "kings",Jerzy Wyrozumski – Dzieje Polski piastowskiej (VIII w. – 1370) (History of Piast Poland (8th century – 1370)), Kraków 1999, p. 77 reigning over a vast "northern" area, with a highly regarded and substantial military force at his disposal. More precise contemporary records regarding Mieszko were compiled by Widukind of Corvey, and, half a century later, by Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg.
By the time Mieszko I took over from his father, the Polans' tribal federation of Greater Poland had for some time been actively expanding. Continuing this process, perhaps in the first years of Mieszko's reign, if it had not been done already by his father, Mieszko I conquered Masovia. Likely also during that period or earlier, at least part of Gdańsk Pomerania was obtained. Mieszko's interests were then concentrated mainly on areas occupied by the eastern (i.e., near the Oder River) branches of the Polabian Slavs.
In 963, Margrave Gero of Meissen conquered territories occupied by the Polabian Lusatian and Słupian tribes, and as a result came into direct contact with the Polish state. At the same time (about 960), Mieszko I began his expansion against the Velunzani and Lutici tribes. The war was recorded by the traveller Abraham ben Jacob. According to him, Mieszko I had fought against the Weltaba tribe, commonly identified with the Veleti. Wichmann the Younger, a Saxon nobleman who was then a leader of a band of Polabian Slavs, defeated Mieszko twice, and around 963, a brother of Mieszko, whose name is unknown, was killed in the fighting. The frontiers at the mouth of the Oder River were also desired by the German margraves. In addition, the Veleti Bohemia, which at that time possessed Silesia and Lesser Poland regions, constituted a danger for the young state of the Polans.
Margrave Gero's war; Mieszko's homage to the Emperor The chronicle of Thietmar poses some problems of interpretation of the information regarding the attack of Margrave Gero on the Slavic tribes, as a result of which he purportedly "subordinated to the authority of the Emperor Lusatia and the Selpuli [viz., the Słupian tribes] and also Mieszko with his subjects". According to the majority of modern historians,see, for example, G. Labuda, Mieszko I, chap. III.2. Thietmar made an error summarizing the chronicle of Widukind, placing the Gero raid there instead of the fighting that Mieszko conducted at that time against Wichmann the Younger. Other sources make no mention of such a conquest and of putting the Polan state on the same footing with the Polabian Slavs. On the other hand, the supporters of the Gero's invasion theorysee, for example, Henryk Łowmianski, Początki Polski, Warsaw, 1973. believe that the Margrave did actually carry out a successful invasion, as a result of which Mieszko I was forced to pay tribute to the Emperor and also was compelled to adopt Catholicism through the German Church. The thesis that proposes the introduction of Catholicism as a result of this war finds no confirmation in German sources.
The homage is then a separate issue, since, according to the chronicle of Thietmar, Mieszko actually paid tribute to the Emperor from the lands usque in Vurta fluvium (up to the Warta River).Thietmari chronicon, vol. II chap. 29 In all probability, Mieszko decided to pay tribute in order to avoid an invasion similar to the one that Lusatia had suffered. This homage would take place in 965, or in 966 at the latest. Very likely the tribute applied only to the Lubusz land, which was in the German sphere of influence.G. Labuda, Mieszko I, chap. III.2.; A.F. Grabski, Bolesław Chrobry, p. 25 This understanding of the tribute issue explains why already in 967 Mieszko I was described in the Saxon chronicles as the Emperor's friend (or ally, supporter, Latin: amicus imperatoris).
Marriage and conversion to Christianity
Probably in 964, Mieszko began negotiations with Boleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia. As a result, in 965 Mieszko married his daughter Dobrawa (also named Dobrava, Doubravka or Dąbrówka).G. Labuda, Mieszko I, pp. 43–45. This political Polish-Bohemian alliance is likely to have been initiated by the Polish ruler. It is probable that the marriage was officially arranged in February 965.G. Labuda, Mieszko I, p. 92
The next step was the baptism of Mieszko. There are different hypotheses concerning this event. Most often, it is assumed that it was a political decision, intended to bring Mieszko's state closer to the Czechs and to facilitate his activities in the Polabian Slavs area. At the same time, the baptism decreased the likelihood of future attacks by German margraves and deprived them of the opportunity to attempt the Christianisation of Mieszko's lands by force. An additional reason could be Mieszko's desire to remove from power the influential pagan priest class, which may have been blocking his efforts to establish a more centralized rule.G. Labuda, Mieszko I, chap. IV.3.
A different hypothesis is linked with the above-mentioned acceptance of the veracity of Gero's invasion of Poland. According to it, it was the attack of the Margrave that forced the Catholicisation, which was to be an act of subordination to the Emperor, done without the mediation of the Pope.H. Łowmiański, Początki Polski, pp. 342–345.
Still other motives were responsible, according to Gallus Anonymus, who claimed that it was Dobrawa who convinced her husband to change his religion. Likewise, chronicler Thietmar attributes Mieszko's conversion to Dobrawa's influence. There are no reasons to negate Dobrawa's role in Mieszko's acceptance of Roman Catholicism; however, crediting rulers' wives with positive influence over their husbands' actions was a common convention at that time.