Expert: The coronation of Bolesław the Brave can be compared to Poland's accession to the EU

Bolesław the Brave's decision to have himself crowned in 1025 can be compared to Poland's accession to the EU in 2004, archaeologist Prof. Marcin Danielewski from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań told PAP. The scientist also emphasised the close ties between the Piast dynasty and the German kingdom in the 10th century.

"Thanks to the coronation of Bolesław the Brave, the Piasts entered the +big European politics+ and came closer to the world of the Frankish kingdoms built on the foundations of the former Roman Empire," said in an interview with PAP Prof. UAM Dr. Hab. Marcin Danielewski from the Faculty of Archaeology of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. "Bolesław the Brave's decision to be crowned meant entering the world of Western Europe. I would compare it to Poland's entry into the European Union. The importance of this event is similar. Maybe a thousand years ago there was no customs union and a common market, but if the coronation of 1025 can be compared to anything, it is only to our accession to the EU in 2004," the scientist emphasized.

He added that without the coronation of Brave, there would have been no baptism of Mieszko I in 966. "Religion at the political level united the monarchs of that time," he pointed out.

"If Chrobry had not been crowned in 1025, it probably would not have had any major negative consequences for the Piast domain. An example is the Czech duchy, which did not have a crown de facto until the 12th century and functioned peacefully. The rule of the Přemyslids was permanent. But there is another aspect - the fact that the Piast rule obtained the crown in 1025 consolidated this domain to a large extent, and caused the ruling Piast family to become a royal dynasty," said Prof. Danielewski.

The scientist emphasized that in the initial phase of his rule, Bolesław Chrobry relied on the achievements of Mieszko I. "And he, in turn, relied on what his predecessors had achieved. And here we are talking about investments from, among others, the 1020s, i.e. the construction of large castles in Greater Poland. However, the key decision was made by Mieszko I in the 1060s to enter the Christian world," he said.

In the context of Mieszko's decision to accept baptism, Prof. Danielewski recalled the problem that the Piast state had with the Wielets and Wolinians living in Polabia. "The acceptance of baptism was also a certain attempt to break the bonds between the Wielets people and the Czechs. Entering into a marriage with Dobrawa brought the Piasts closer to the Czechs. This - in the realities of those times - was the best decision that could be made," he assessed.

The scientist emphasized the strong dynastic ties that bound the Piasts with the German kingdom. "The Piasts tried very hard to influence who would take over the crown in Germany. This was a significant interference in the internal affairs of their neighbors," he noted.

He assessed that teaching about the history of those times at the level of primary and secondary schools is somehow marked by the negative experiences of Poles from the last centuries. "Meanwhile, the conflict between Mieszko I and the German Empire is the result of his interference in dynastic issues in the German kingdom. The Battle of Cedynia in 972 was also specific, because the German king was not a party to this conflict - Mieszko I fought with the margraves, it was a border conflict that the German king was supposed to resolve," the scientist explained.

He added that in the long term, the common interest of the Piast government and the German Reich was to fight against the pagan Polabian Slavs.

Prof. Danielewski pointed out that when comparing the period of the beginning of the formation of the Piast domain with the end of Bolesław the Brave's rule, one should speak of great differences on many levels, for example a large demographic leap.

"According to research, at the turn of the 7th and 8th centuries, the Gniezno Upland - a key area for the formation of the Piast state - was inhabited by approximately 1.78 people per square kilometre. Around the year 1000, this indicator was 9.4 people/sq. km. This huge demographic leap had an impact, for example, on the deforestation of these lands. In the 10th century, the construction or reconstruction of large towns began - Poznań, Giecz, Grzybów, Ostrów Lednicki and others," he pointed out.

He added that in terms of the environment, the Piast duchy did not differ much from the neighbouring countries of Central Europe. "Sometimes, due to the erroneous modern thinking about the early Middle Ages, we assume that it was a marshy, hard-to-reach land full of forests. Indeed, water conditions were different, and the level of groundwater was higher than today. However, in terms of forestation, some areas of the Piast rule at that time, such as Kujawy, had fewer forests than today," the archaeologist pointed out.

The scientist added that the forests in the area of ​​present-day Greater Poland, where large Piast strongholds were built - Poznań, Gniezno, Giecz and Grzybowo - were so decimated that wood had to be checked from other regions.

When asked about the challenges facing Chrobry as he united the state, the scientist emphasized the size of the Piast dynastic family and the various vested interests that existed within it. "There is a concept that large Piast castles in Greater Poland were allocated to individual members of the family in order to share power. If this was the case, then taking over power by Bolesław the Brave was not easy. We can see this in the provisions of the Dagome Iudex document, in which some were destined to exercise power, while others perhaps were not, like Bolesław the Brave," the scientist pointed out.

Prof. Danielewski assessed that the external policy of Chrobry and the wars he waged, e.g. in Ruthenia, could have been an element of his internal policy.

"The loot brought in and the people brought in, who fueled the economy of this domain, made the elite structure more durable. Because if the ruler provides security, loot and prosperity, why not support him? This can be analogously related to early medieval Scandinavia and the expeditions of Norwegian or Danish earls, whose subjects assessed them through the prism of loot brought from overseas raids," he said.

The scientist added that, combined with their long reigns for those times, the Piasts began to be perceived in the minds of the elites and subjects as a family providing stability.

"From our point of view, Bolesław Chrobry was a man we could not accept. We know that he entered into successive marriages and sent his wives back to their family homes. We know about the issues related to knocking out teeth for not fasting during the seventieth month, nailing the scrotum with the testicles of an adulterer to a bridge or blinding political opponents. These are things that would not be acceptable to us. However, from the point of view of the time, Chrobry did not differ from the norm. That was the way the world was," the scientist noted. (PAP)

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