Mieszko I of Poland
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| Mieszko I (Painting by Jan Matejko) | ||
| ||
| Reign | ca. 960 – May 25, 992 | |
| Royal House | Piast | |
| Coat of Arms | The Piast Eagle | |
| Parents | Siemomysł, mother unknown | |
| Consorts | Dubrawka, Oda | |
| Children | With Dubrawka: Bolesław I the Brave, Świętosława With Oda: Mieszko, Świętopełk, Lambert | |
| Date of Birth | ca. 935 | |
| Place of Birth | ? | |
| Date of Death | May 25, 992 | |
| Place of Death | Poznań, Poland | |
| Place of Burial | Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul, Poznań, Poland | |
In 965 he married Dobrawa (Dobrava, Dubrawka), daughter of Boleslav I, Duke of Bohemia. In 980 he married Oda von Haldensleben, daughter of Dietrich (Theoderic) of Haldensleben, Count of the North March (965-985), after abducting her from the monastery of Kalbe.
The early career of Mieszko was dominated by fighting with the tribes of Wieletes and Volinians south of the Baltic Sea, and their ally, the Saxon count Wichman. Mieszko was baptised in 966, probably under the influence of his Christian first wife or perhaps in order to avoid confrontation with the Holy Roman Empire to the west. He built a church dedicated to Saint George at Gniezno and in 968 he founded the first Polish cathedral in Poznań dedicated to Saint Peter. Those events are also known as the baptism of Poland.
At the time of the reign of Mieszko there was no single place serving as the capital, instead he built several castles around his country. Of the most important were: Poznań, Gniezno and Ostrów Lednicki. The latter was a ring-fort some 460 feet in diameter, containing his residence, a fine stone palace, the country's first monumental architecture.
He had probably one sister of unknown name, and two brothers: one of them, name unknown, was killed in battle around 964; the second, named Czcibor, who helped Mieszko to defeat count Hodo in the Battle of Cedynia in 972.
Some historians suggest that Mieszko I had pledged allegiance to emperor Otto I the Great, to emperor Otto II and again to emperor Otto III. However, there is much dispute over this point from the Polish side - mainly whether his allegiance represented the whole of Poland, or only part (the disputed fragment is "usque in Vurta fluvium" from Thietmari chronicon). One medieval chronicle (Thietmari chronicon too) also states that Mieszko pledged allegiance to Margrave Gero, but since the chronicle itself is believed to be an abstract of another which does not mention this, it is now generally considered to be a myth.
His reign began around 962 in Greater Poland (Wielkopolska), Kuyavia (Kujawy) and possibly in eastern Pomerania. In the 960s he probably at least partially conquered western Pomerania, and in the 990's he conquered Silesia (Śląsk) and Little Poland (Małopolska).
Much of his military activity was along the Baltic coast, in territory later called Pomerania. He defeated Margrave Hodo of the Northern March at Cedynia in 972, and reached the mouth of the Oder (Odra) river in 976. The decisive battle, fought in 979, ensured Mieszko's position as ruler of the area (or forced him to make alligiance with emperor Otto II). The following year he celebrated his temporary conquest by dedicating a fortress at Gdańsk. Settlements there have existed for millennia and Pomeranian and Prussian territories overlap at the mouth of the Vistula River.
In 981 Mieszko I lost the land known only as Grody Czerwieńskie to Vladimir I, prince of Kiev (but this territory could belong to another polish tribe: Lędzianie, which wasn't under Mieszko's control before 987/988). In 986, upon the death of emperor Otto II (†983), after short time of being aginst, he pledged allegiance to the Emperor Otto III, and helped him with wars with the Polabians. Shortly before his death he gifted his state to the pope and received it as a fief of the Pope in a document usually called the Dagome Iudex (it one of a lot of theories, which try to explain motives of making this document). This document indexes the lands of (Mieszko), referred to as "Dagome" in the document, and his wife, former nun Oda and her sons by him. The other son Boleslaw I is not mentioned. It is assumed that the real name was Dago or Dagr and that he was of the royal Daglinger of Norway.
From his first marriage he had a son, his successor Boleslaus, and two daughters, Sygryda (Świętosława) and one with unknown name. Sygryda was the wife (as queen Sigrid the Haughty) of Eric the Victorious, king of Sweden and then (as queen Gunhilda) of king Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark, and mother of king Canute of Denmark and England. "Świętosława" is generally accepted by historians as the best approximation of this first daughter's Slavic name. The second daughter was most likely married to a Pomeranian Slavic Prince.
From his second marriage he had three sons; Mieszko, Lambert, and Świętopełk.
See also
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