Founder of the Polish state. Formation of the Polish state

At the end of the 9th century an unknown historian, later named the Bavarian geographer, reported on the tribal Slavic groups living on the banks of the Vistula, Warta and Oder rivers, and occupied the vast flatlands of Central Europe. Initially, scattered Slavic tribes in Western sources were called lekhits, later they were called glades, after the name of one of the strongest tribes; It was from the glades that the founder of the Polish state Meshko I came out.

Ancestors

Separate scattered tribes of lechites were ruled by princes, whose names were not preserved by history. Modern historians know only one message, which refers to the genealogy of the rulers of the glade tribe. This is due to the fact that the meadow, after conducting a series of successful military operations and subjugating neighboring tribes, preferred to oust the names of their rulers from the memory of the vanquished, and to preserve their traditions in history. In the XII century chronicler Gull Anonymous wrote down oral legends about the rulers of the glades, so they got into medieval chronicles. According to Anonymous, in the city of Gniezno Prince Popel, who was exiled, ruled. His place was taken by Semovit, who did not occupy a high social position, but was the son of a simple plowman Piast. Semovit also marked the beginning of the dynasty of Piastovichi, which ruled in the strengthening of Gniezno. It was this prince and his heirs, Lestko and Sememysl, who became the ancestors of Meshko I.

Prerequisites

Most likely, Mieszko І formed his power not from scratch. One can be sure that the history of the Polish state began long before the birth of this prince, and the former princely dynasty has already taken serious steps towards centralizing power. The ancestors of Mieszko I annexed the lands of neighboring tribes to the meadows of the lands: Kuvian, Mazowshan, and Lendzyan. On the seized lands, defensive structures were built - grouses. In some lands, the groys were located at a distance of 20-25 km from each other, that is, during the day's transition of the fighting detachment. A strong army and centralized management became decisive factors in the expansion and strengthening of the power of the glades. But vast areas, wetlands and impenetrable forests have allowed conquered tribes to maintain significant independence. The invaders did not change the way of life of the captured tribes, but imposed taxes on the community of peasants that the prince's servants collected. Thus, the founder of the Polish state owed much to his predecessors, who in the previous two centuries created a management system.

The beginning of government

Meshko was the son of Sememysl, his mother's name remained unknown. The beginning of the reign dates back to 960, when the future founder of the Polish state began to reign in the principality of Velika Poland, centered in Gniezno. Ten years later, he almost doubled the area under his control, adding the territories of Mazovia, Kuyavia and Gdańsk Pomorie. 982 was the date of the conquest of Silesia, and in 990 the glade was annexed by the Vistula lands. Conquest of the Poles began to take a menacing character. In Western European and Arab sources, information appeared about the mighty Slavic state with strong power and a well-trained army. Therefore, it is considered that the Polish state was formed in the 10th century, when the Polish possessions were considerably expanded and strengthened, and the prince and his squad adopted Christianity.

Adoption of Christianity

Without the adoption of the Meshko I Christianity in 966, it would be impossible to form a Polish state. Expansive foreign policy of the prince led to an aggravation of relations with neighboring states. Emperor Otto I repulsed the attempts of the meadows to conquer the lands of the lyubushans, and Mieszko I agreed to pay tribute to this ruler. At the same time, the prince develops Polish-Czech relations. To consolidate relations with the Czech kingdom, Mieszko marries the daughter of the Czech king, Princess Dubravka. Two mighty neighbors - the Holy Roman Empire and the Czech Republic, led the prince to decide to adopt Christianity. Baptism by the Latin ceremony, Prince Mieszko adopted in 966. Acceptance of Christianity gave impetus to the fact that the first Polish state began to be recognized by contemporaries at the European level.

The way of the Polish state

At the initial stage of formation, the Polish-Lithuanian state occupied an area of about 250 thousand square meters. Km. More precisely, it is impossible to say, since the borders of the newly-formed country were constantly changing. Most of the population was engaged in agriculture. The most numerous strata of the population were kmetas, free peasants. Kmet lived a large family and neighbor communities. After the reunification of the tribes, differences between the communities were preserved, which gave rise to the administrative division of Polish lands, and later the adoption of Christianity, the same principle lay in the division of territory into the diocese.

Administrative division

The smallest step in the administrative division was the Grodsky district. He was under the control of the representatives of the prince, who possessed all the completeness of the administrative, military and judicial power. There are still references to four such centers in the cities of Gniezno, Poznan, Gece and Wloclawek. It was here that military gatherings of shield - bearers and warriors took place, which were the backbone of the Polish army. If necessary, detachments were assembled from all free peasants. In terms of their armament and military training, such units yielded to the soldiers of the prince's squad, but they were successfully used in reconnaissance and in partisan outings. According to historians, at the beginning of the 11th century the total strength of the Mieszko I army was over 20,000.

Economy of Ancient Poland

The maintenance of a large and efficient army required a constant inflow of money. To ensure the country's defense capability and to retain the seized lands, Prince Mieszko I created an established fiscal apparatus that collected and distributed taxes. The tax was paid by the whole rural population of the country, in the form of livestock products and farming. Another financial lever was the distribution of "regalia" - various rights to conduct especially profitable branches of economic activity. Regalia were: chasing coins, mining precious metals, the establishment of markets and inns, some types of hunting. The main export items were furs, amber and slaves. But by the end of the XI century, the development of agriculture began to demand a constant influx of labor, and the growing influence of the church prohibited trafficking in human beings. Therefore, the slave trade after the XI ceased to be an element of exports, and subsequently ceased altogether.

The End of the Board Meshko I

As in other European countries, the rights to the princely throne were inherited. However, the birthright was not yet established on the Polish lands, because there were frequent feuds between possible candidates for the throne. The founder of the Polish state had two brothers, one of whom died in battle, and the second, Chtibor, held a high-ranking post. Dying, Mieszko I left part of the state in the hands of the first-born son of Boleslaw. This son went down in history as Boleslaw the Brave. As a legacy from his father, he received a developed, rich, vast country with great international influence. And after a long series of victories and defeats, Boleslaw the Brave became the first king of the Polish state.