At the end of the 9th century, an unknown historian, later called a Bavarian geographer, reported on tribal Slavic groups living on the banks of the Vistula, Varta and Oder rivers and occupying the vast flat lands of Central Europe. The initially scattered Slavic tribes in the Western sources were called Lehits, but later they began to be called glades, according to the name of one of the strongest tribes; it was from the glades that the founder of the Polish state Meshko I.
Ancestors
Separate scattered tribes of Lehits ruled by princes, whose names history has not preserved. Modern historians know only one message that relates to the genealogy of the rulers of the meadow. This is due to the fact that the meadow, having carried out a number of successful military operations and subjugating neighboring tribes, preferred to supplant the names of their rulers from the memory of the vanquished, and preserve their traditions in history. In the XII century, chronicler Gall Anonymous wrote down oral legends about the rulers of the glades, and so they got into medieval chronicles. According to Anonymous, Prince Popel, who was expelled, ruled in the city of Gniezno. His place was taken by Semovit, who did not occupy a high public position, but was the son of a simple plowman, Piast. Semovit and laid the foundation for the Piastovich dynasty, who ruled in strengthening Gniezno. It was this prince and his heirs, Lestko and Semomysl who became the ancestors of Meshko I.
Background
Most likely, Meshko I did not form his power from scratch. You can be sure that the history of the Polish state began long before the birth of this prince, and the former princely dynasty had already taken serious steps to centralize power. Ancestors of Meshko I annexed the lands of neighboring tribes: Kuvyan, Mazovshan, and Lendzyan to the possessions of the glades. On the occupied lands defense structures were built - grods. In some lands, the cities were located at a distance of 20-25 km from each other, that is, during the daytime transition of the combat detachment. Strong troops and centralized management were decisive factors in expanding and strengthening the power of the glades. But vast territories, wetlands and impenetrable wilds of forests allowed the conquered tribes to maintain significant independence. The invaders did not change the lifestyle of the captured tribes, but imposed taxes on the peasant communities collected by the prince's servants. Thus, the founder of the Polish state owed much to his predecessors, who created a management system over the previous two centuries.
The beginning of the reign
Sack was the son of Semomysl, 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 rule in the Principality of Velika Poland with its center in Gniezno. Ten years later, he almost doubled the area under his control by joining the territories of Mazovia, Kuyavia and Gdansk Pomerania. The year 982 was the date of the conquest of Silesia, and in 990 a glade annexed the Wiesland lands. The conquests of the Poles began to take on a menacing character. In Western European and Arab sources, information appeared about a powerful Slavic state with strong power and a well-trained army. Therefore, it is generally accepted that the Polish state was formed in the X century, when the Polish possessions were significantly expanded and strengthened, and the prince and his squad converted to Christianity.
Adoption of christianity
Without the adoption of Sack I Christianity in 966, the formation of the Polish state would have been impossible. The prince’s expansive foreign policy has aggravated relations with neighboring states. Emperor Otton I repelled the attempts of the glades to conquer the lands of the Lubushans, and Meshko I agreed to pay tribute to this ruler. At the same time, the prince also developed Polish-Czech relations. To consolidate relations with the Czech kingdom, Meshko marries the daughter of the Czech king, Princess Dubravka. Two powerful neighbors - the Holy Roman Empire and the Czech Republic, led the prince to a decision to adopt Christianity. Prince Meshko accepted the baptism in the Latin rite in 966. The adoption of Christianity gave an impetus to the fact that the first Polish state was 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 approximately 250 thousand square meters. km It is impossible to say more precisely, since the borders of the newly formed country were constantly changing. Most of the population was engaged in agriculture. The most numerous stratum of the population was Kmets, free peasants. The Kmets lived in large family and neighborhood communities. After the unification of the tribes, differences between the communities persisted, which gave rise to the administrative division of Polish lands, and later the adoption of Christianity, the same principle laid down the division of the territory into dioceses.
Administrative division
The smallest step in administrative division was the Grodsky okrug. It was under the control of representatives of the prince, who possessed all the full administrative, military and judicial powers. Mention has been made of four such centers in the cities of Gniezno, Poznan, Göce and Wloclawek. It was here that the military gatherings of shield - bearers and armored men took place, which formed the backbone of the Polish army. If necessary, detachments also gathered from all free peasants. In terms of armament and military training, such detachments were inferior to the soldiers of the princely squad, but were successfully used in reconnaissance and in partisan sorties. According to historians, at the beginning of the 11th century, the total number of troops of Meshko I amounted to over 20 thousand people.
Economics of ancient Poland
The maintenance of a large and combat-ready army required a constant flow of funds. To ensure the country's defense and retain captured lands, Prince Meshko I created an established fiscal apparatus, which was involved in the collection and distribution of taxes. The tax was paid by the entire rural population of the country, in the form of livestock and agricultural products. Another financial lever was the distribution of “regalia” - various rights to conduct particularly profitable branches of economic activity. Regalia were: minting coins, mining of 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 require a constant influx of labor, and the growing influence of the church prohibited human trafficking. Therefore, the slave trade after XI ceased to be an element of export, and later completely stopped.
The end of the reign of Meshko І
As in other European states, the rights to the princely throne were inherited. However, the birthright has not yet been entrenched in 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 senior position. Dying, Meshko I left part of the state in the hands of the first-born son of Boleslav. This son went down in history as Boleslav the Brave. He inherited from his father a developed, rich, vast country with great international influence. And after a long series of victories and defeats, Boleslav the Brave became the first king of the Polish state.