St. Andrew’s Day falls on November 30, but in Old Poland the night before (St. Andrew’s Night) was considered a time of magic and fortune telling. In this period, it was believed that everything predicted on this night would come true. As a result, in nearly every noble manor and peasant cottage, fortune-telling sessions were…
There is no doubt that the newcomers from Scandinavia did not found Poland. For the state ruled by the Piast dynasty was established before they reached the region of Wielkopolska (Greater Poland), Mazowsze (Mazovia) or Kujawy (Kuyavia), i.e. its cradle. Although the links between the Piasts and the Vikings are sometimes overestimated, this does not…
This set of three essays is meant for the broader public and was prepared during a Humboldt Research Fellowship at the University of Regensburg. Those who prefer academic prose are advised to consult the scholarly article: “Medieval Liturgy and the Making of Poland. A Study in Early Medieval Political Identification (c. 960s–c.1030s)”. I share in…
Mieszko was not the first in the Vistula basin to attempt something memorable. Long before him, in the Lesser Poland region, around Kraków, something big was about to happen… by Paweł Figurski We start our journey in Mazovia, particularly in Płońsk, about 40 miles from the current Polish capital of Warsaw, to encounter only…
The true apostolic dignity of Bolesław was, however, manifested at the council of Gniezno that occurred in 1000. The meeting was attended by Emperor Otto III himself who ventured out on the pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Adalbert, the apostle of Prussians, who was martyred in 997. by Paweł Figurski When in 1025…
We know next to nothing about the baptism of the first historic Piast ruler. The exact place, the clergymen involved, and the precise reasons influencing the decision of the ruler remain largely unknown. Even the year of the event, 966, preserved in later sources (materially extant from the 13th c.), has recently been questioned, a…
