Baptism of Poland
Duke Mieszko I of the Polans was baptized with his court on Holy Saturday 966, a year after marrying the Czech Christian princess Dobrawa; Polish historiography dates the beginning of the Polish state from this event.
- Date
- 14 April 966exact dateDate in the Julian calendar
- Place
- Poznań or Gnieznoapproximate locationtoday: Greater Poland, Poland · Western and Central Europe
- Participants
- Mieszko I, Doubravka of Bohemia (Dobrawa), Duchy of Poland (Civitas Schinesghe)
- Threads
- Early medieval Europe (500–1000)
- Also known as
- Chrzest Polski; Christianization of Poland; Христианизация Польши; Baptism of Mieszko I
Mieszko, who ruled the lands around Gniezno and Poznań from about 960, allied himself with Boleslaus I of Bohemia and in 965 married his daughter Dobrawa (Doubravka). On 14 April 966, Holy Saturday, he was baptized according to the Latin rite together with his retinue. The place is not recorded: most historians favour Poznań or Gniezno, others Ostrów Lednicki or even Regensburg; archaeologists have found early baptismal pools at Poznań and Ostrów Lednicki.
Accepting Christianity from the Czechs rather than directly from the Empire strengthened Mieszko’s position against his German neighbours. In 968 Jordan became the first missionary bishop in Poland, and in 1000 Emperor Otto III and Mieszko’s son Bolesław the Brave established the archbishopric of Gniezno. The conversion of the population, however, took centuries.
Connections
Related events
- Baptism of Rus’988 · Eastern EuropeWithin a generation Poland (966) and Rus’ (988) became Christian — from Rome and from Constantinople
- Coronation of Stephen I of Hungarybetween 25 December 1000 and 1 January 1001 · Western and Central EuropeOtto III and Sylvester II also founded the archbishopric of Gniezno in 1000
Adjacent events in the thread
- Imperial coronation of Otto I2 February 962 · Western and Central Europe
- Battle of the Gates of Trajan17 August 986 · Balkans and Anatolia
Meanwhile in the world
Other regions, within 25 years of this event
Eastern Europe
- Sviatoslav’s campaign against the Khazars964 – between 968 and 969
- Pecheneg siege of Kyiv968
- Death of Sviatoslav at the Dnieper rapids972
- Feud of the Sviatoslavichi977 – between 978 and 980
- Vladimir’s pagan pantheonbetween 978 and 980
+ 9 events
Balkans and Anatolia
- Sviatoslav’s invasion of Bulgariabetween 967 and 968 – July 971
- Siege of Dorostolon23 April 971 – July 971
- Olga’s visit to Constantinople and her baptism9 September – 18 October 957
- Battle of the Gates of Trajan17 August 986
- Rus’–Byzantine Treaty of 944between 944 and 945
+ 1 event
The same period
Sources
- Wikipedia (English): Christianization of Poland
- Wikipedia (English): Mieszko I
- Wikipedia (Russian): Крещение Польши
- Wikipedia (Russian): Мешко I
- Davies N. God’s Playground: A History of Poland. Vol. 1: The Origins to 1795. — Rev. ed. — Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
- Wikidata: Q60863552