Historians have called him a lazy loser for years. Completely wrong. King Mieszko II in some respects surpassed even his famous father. And he was sitting with his nose in books for a reason.
The descendants did not retain warm memories of the reign of Mieszko II (1025-1034). The unlucky ruler went down in history as the one who squandered the achievements of his distinguished father. However, during the king's lifetime, the assessment was completely different. He was considered an intellectual and philanthropist. A completely unusual thing compared to other Slavic rulers, devoting most of their attention to wars, hunting and the most mundane entertainment.
Compliments not insignificant
"Not only that you can praise God with dignity in your own and in Latin, you still wanted in Greek" - wrote on the dedication card of the so-called Matilda's Code. This book is one of the greatest mementoes of the state of the first Piasts. Until today, it has survived in a damaged condition, without a card with the image of King Mieszko, and in a German, not Polish library. It is a pity, because the text contained in it - a letter from the Duchess of Lorraine, Matilda to the Polish ruler - is a unique source, shedding light on the international position, but also on the real merits of Bolesławowica.
An outline of a lost miniature from the so-called Matilda's Codex. In the picture:the Duchess of Swabia and King Mieszko II.
It is, without a doubt, a panegyric. Such an ornamented book and the letter itself were intended to flatten the pride of the newly minted ruler and to persuade him to support one of the parties opposing the rule of the German king Konrad II. Matilda did not hold back in compliments. She certainly wasn't lying either.
If she put emphasis on the prince's multilingual education, then she must have had a firm foundation for it. Otherwise, the praise would be read on the Vistula River as a bad joke or even - an open insult.
Activities unworthy of a king
There is no indication that the king could write in any alphabet. This play was extremely rare:in the Middle Ages, in the Middle Ages, out of ten literate people, only one was capable of expressing signs on her own. No wonder, because writing was considered a craft, and therefore unworthy of a ruler or aristocrat.
Writing was not a royal occupation in the early Middle Ages. Reading is different.
The ability to properly praise God brought prestige, and this was exactly what Matilda emphasized. We know that Mieszko did not so much talk as he prayed in ways pleasing to the Almighty. Not only in Latin - like other Western rulers - but also in the language of the Byzantine Empire. The choice of the latter was not a whim.
As was emphasized by, for example, Brygida Kürbis, in the 10th century Europe there was a real fashion for Greek. It was started by regent Teofano from the east, who ruled the German empire for over a decade on behalf of her underage son, Otto III.
In imitation of the emperor himself
In her time, influential monasteries began to appear throughout the empire, promoting the culture of the Byzantine Empire and propagating its language. Important centers of Greek creativity operated, among others, in Reichenau, Cologne, Leodium, Dijon, Gone and Toul. The next emperor, of course, was also fluent in the language he sucked out with his mother's milk.
While learning Greek, Mieszko modeled himself on the emperor himself. It was a loud declaration. The king, on his own example, showed that the Piasts were no longer savages, but full participants of European culture. Matilda's letter proves that the propaganda goal has been achieved. There is also no doubt that the ruler acted deliberately.
The victorious Mieszko II in the image of Franciszek Smuglewicz.
All indications are that he became acquainted with Greek as an adult, spending time in the breaks between armed expeditions and the duties of his father's closest associate.
Prisoner for special tasks
The idea must have arisen shortly after the famous expedition to Kyiv in 1018. The Russian chronicles say that Chrobry took a cavalcade of prisoners of war with him to Poland. He also left with him - and of his own free will - a man with an ideal predisposition to be a court tutor. Even a valuable advisor on behind-the-scenes political games.
I am talking about Anastazy Korsunianina. High-ranking dignitary of the Ruthenian Church and former Byzantine spy. Nobody could be better suited to broaden the horizons of a future ruler.
Generous propagandist
The other compliments in Princess Matilda's letter were also firmly founded. The author emphasized the king's extraordinary generosity for the Church. In fact, Mieszko was a donor to at least two German prayer institutions. He gave gifts to both of them probably even before he even sat on the throne.
Mieszko II in a 17th-century portrait.
I am talking about the monastery of St. Michael near Bamberg (the prince gave him precious fabrics and covers for the boys serving for the mass, as well as a large sum of money) and the Merseburg Cathedral (donation in an unknown form, which resulted in Mieszko being entered in the local obituary).
It is also known that Bolesławowice cared for the education of his own son - information about Kazimierz being sent away for education was even recorded in the court yearbook. The ruler's prestige was increased by his marriage to the Richeza of Lorraine, i.e. the imperial niece. All these facts had a loud meaning.
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In 1025, it was not the bloodthirsty, relentless and vengeful Bolesław the Brave who was regarded in Europe as a truly outstanding ruler, but his successor. No other Piast in the early Middle Ages had such good press at the beginning of his reign as Mieszko II. Neither has ever squandered all of his political capital so quickly.
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Are you fed up with the powdered and polished history of the beginnings of Poland? We too. Kamil Janicki presents the painfully true version of events. Massive crimes, slave trade, the realities of life beyond the borders of civilization and the brutal games of early medieval courts. Here is a fascinating story about the ruthless, ambitious and power-hungry wives of the first Piasts. And about the country they took part in building.
Sources:
The article is based on the literature and materials collected by the author during the work on the book "Iron Ladies. The Women Who Built Poland ” and its in-coming sequel:"Damami with a Blemish." Find out more by clicking HERE .
Below are some selected bibliographic items:
- B. Bolz, Book of Rituals for King Mieszko II (ca. 1025) , "Studia Źródłoznawcze", vol. XXVIII (1983).
- D. Borawska, Literature and teaching [in:] Poland of the first Piasts edited by T. Manteuffl, Warsaw 1968.
- J. Dowiat, Mental education of sons of princes and magnates in Poland and some neighboring countries in the 10th-12th centuries. [in:] Poland in the world. Sketches on the history of Polish culture, Warsaw 1972.
- K. Dróżdż, On the education and alleged monkhood of Kazimierz the Restorer [in:] Polish and universal Middle Ages, Vol. I, under. edited by I. Panica, Katowice 1999.
- B. Kűrbis, Matilda's Code Studies, "Studia Źródłoznawcze", vol. XXVII (1983).
- J. Strzelczyk, Queen of Rycheza as a symbol of the link between the history of Germany and Poland , "Kronika Wielkopolski", No. 1 (1997).
- J. Strzelczyk, Otto III , Wrocław 2000.
- P. Wiszewski, Domus Bolezlai. In search of the Piast dynastic tradition (until 1138) , Wrocław 2008.
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Another version of this article was also published in the newest Historical Assistant of "Polityka" entitled "The Birth of Poland". It contains texts by the best experts of the early Middle Ages - both historians and archaeologists. Among them were also six articles by our editor-in-chief, Kamil Janicki. These are the figures of Mieszko I, Bolesław the Brave and Mieszko II and their spouse. More information in the online store "Polityka".
