Discussions about who created the Old Russian state continue to this day. Normanists argue with anti-Normanists, the existence of Rurik is simultaneously proved and refuted. At the same time, the Poles have practically no disputes over the ancestor of their homeland. Information that the first ruler of Poland was Prince Mieszko is considered reliable.
Mieszko, or Mieczyslaw I, belonged to the legendary princely Piast dynasty, the main element of whose coat of arms - the white eagle - almost from the very beginning became the main symbol of Poland. It is not surprising that a representative of this particular noble family was destined not only to centralize the Polish lands, but also to annex them to Western European Christian culture.
Uncrowned king
The circumstances of the birth of the future Polish monarch are still shrouded in mystery. The approximate date of birth of Mechislav is 935. Very little is known about his parents either. His father was allegedly Zemomysl himself - a character from the chronicle of Gallus Anonymous, whose existence is questioned by many scientists. The Polish historian of the 19th century Karol Shainoha even put forward a theory about the Scandinavian origin of Mieszko - the researcher supported his opinion with information about the brothers of the Polish prince, who bore the non-Slavic names Evkarer and Scibor, as well as about the marriages of Mieczyslaw's daughters with princes from Scandinavian countries.
A more detailed biography of Mieszko I becomes in 960, when at the age of 25 he headed a principality called Greater Poland. It would be incorrect to call him king, since this title will appear only in 1025. So Meshko could only reign. The territory around the then capital, the city of Gniezno, was not much different from Ancient Russia in both manners and challenges of the time - the majority of the population both there and there were pagan-polytheists (polytheism is admiration for the pantheon of gods).
And in order to survive in the harsh world of an emerging Europe, it was necessary to determine the main directions of foreign policy.
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A matter of faith
Greater Poland in the second half of the 10th century was surrounded by rather powerful states like the Czech Republic and the Holy Roman Empire. The ambitious Meszko, who had already annexed Mazovia, Eastern Pomerania and Kuyavia to his possessions, understood that a profitable foreign policy alliance was necessary for further expansion and strengthening of the Polish principality. Its need was confirmed by the clash with the Germans - Mieczyslaw, trying to seize Western Pomerania (now the West Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland), invaded the sphere of interests of the Holy Roman Empire and was utterly defeated by the local princes. Meshko did not dare to declare war on the German emperor Otgon I himself.
Realizing that he could not find friends in the west, the Polish leader turned his gaze to the south. There stretched the Czech lands, the leadership of which, in the person of Prince Boleslav I the Terrible, treated the Poles more favorably. In 965, the wedding of Mieszko and the daughter of the Czech ruler Dubravka took place. It was she who persuaded Mieczyslav to adopt Latin-style Christianity.
The Polish prince quickly assessed the prospects for such a decision. Having become a Christian power, Poland would have become even closer to the Czech Republic and thus would have secured its southern borders. In addition, this would save the young state from the German danger - German Christians would have fewer reasons to express any claims to their co-religionists. Already in 966, Mieszko and his wife were baptized by a Czech bishop. In the same year, the spread of Latin Christianity began on Polish territory, before which the doors of Western cultural heritage opened.
It is difficult to overestimate the results of Poland's adoption of Catholicism. Its population has become more educated in terms of both secular and theological sciences. From now on, Slavic Poland was part of Catholic Europe, which played an important role in strengthening the self-consciousness of the Poles. But at the same time, the cultural break with the Old Russian state, which after a while would also adopt Christianity, but according to the Byzantine model, became insurmountable.
An interesting document is the Dagome iudex regest (summary), the original of which dates back to the end of the 10th century. According to him, Prince Meshko entrusted the Polish state with almost the feudal property of the Pope. One of the reasons for such a strange decision can be called the fear of a new German aggression - Meshko wanted to enlist the support of Rome, which would immediately separate the grappling neighbors. Nevertheless, Dagome iudex is an invaluable gift for scientists. After all, it was with his help that it was possible not only to prove the Polish sovereignty that already existed at that time, but also to determine the territories that the Poles owned. And this is almost 250 thousand square meters and almost a million people - colossal indicators for those times, which only a strong state could boast.
Hostility with perspective
Meanwhile, the Christianization of the Polish lands had practically no effect on relations with the Holy Roman Empire. The state led by Otgon I was very careful about its possessions, and therefore the Polish-Czech conquest of Western Pomerania that happened in 967 could not remain unavenged. In 972 Poland was invaded by the troops of Odo I, head of the Eastern Mark (the privately owned border zone of the Holy Roman Empire). And although the enemy was defeated without much difficulty, Meshko soon felt not a winner, but a defeated one. It was all the fault of his summons to the Quedlinburg Reichstag a year later, where Otgon I forced him to pay tribute for the West Pomerania seized by the Poles. The main blow for Mechislav was a blow to his father's heart:The German emperor demanded that the son of the Polish prince - Boleslav - be given to him as a hostage as a guarantee that Poland would pay tribute. Soon after, Boleslav was released.
But it didn't take long to take offense at the Holy Roman Empire. In 986, there was an uprising of the Slavs in the Baltic States, which threatened the restoration of paganism to Christian Poland, where, by the way, a Polish bishopric had already appeared. This forced Meshko to go for a forced rapprochement with the Germans. After the suppression of the uprising of the Baltic Slavs, Polish-Czech relations became uneasy. The stumbling block was Lesser Poland and part of Silesia. A war began, in which, according to some sources, Mieszko enjoyed the support of the Holy Roman Empire.
By the 90s of the 10th century, the Poles captured almost the entire territory of modern Poland. Having become one of the largest European states, it began to play a prominent role in the political life of the region.
Arab-speaking Jewish traveler Ibrahim ibn Yakub described Poland as a country "rich in grain, meat, honey and fish" during his travels in Europe. In addition, he points to the independent minting of coins that took place in the Polish state under Prince Meszko. And at the birth of a child, he personally provided the family with support, and then picked up a bride or groom for the grown-up child.
Prince Meszko I died in 992 - his throne was taken by Boleslav, who continued his father's work to unite the Polish lands and received the nickname Brave.
If, as a conclusion, we return to the comparison of the ancient state forms of Russia and Poland, then we can see a lot in common. Both countries in the first half of the 10th century were relatively United pagan principalities. The adoption of Christianity both there and there fell on the second half of the same century. Both Ancient Russia and the Polish principality were surrounded by cunning and difficult neighbors, with whom they had to build a competent policy by concluding dynastic marriages and military alliances, which often soon broke up.
Two Slavic states entered the second millennium renewed and powerful. But if the further fate of Russia was built around its own identity, then Poland - the future European giant Rzeczpospolita - became a full-fledged cell of Catholic Europe and a Slavic bridge between West and East. It was such a bridge that Prince Mieszko I, revered by the Poles to this day, left behind.
Stanislav OSTROVSKY