Bolesław Chrobry

Early years

‘Chrobry’ ( pronounced ‘hrobry’) in those days at the end of the 10^th and beginning of the 11^th centuries, simply meant ‘brave’. And brave indeed he was. He was born in 967 as the first son of Mieszko I, although as a child he was only able to enjoy courtly life in the home of his parents till the age of 7. This was when he was sent to the court of the German king, Otto II, as a guarantee that his father, Mieszko I, would keep his word and respect the peace agreement that the king of Germany had negotiated. From the first he needed to show that he could be brave and independent. He did not speak German and he was just a child, but he had to find his way in a foreign land and foreign surroundings. How did he cope? We do not have his notes and letters. But we know from the writings of people who lived in those times that people grew to like this energetic boy and they were unhappy when he had to leave.

Bolesław actually learnt a lot from those who surrounded him in the German court. He learned German, he met many important aristocratic people, and he closely observed the vast empire of the great Otto II. This was probably when he first formed the idea that he, too, could be the king of a great country. And this country would be his homeland or Polonia, as it was later called in Latin.

Mission to Prussia and Saint Wojciech (St Adalberg)

Bolesław was creative and ambitious. He too, like other European rulers, wished to bring Christianity to the pagan populations. After taking over as a ruler from his father Mieszko I in 992, he organised a mission to Prussia and for this mission he appointed the Czech bishop, Wojciech (who at his confirmation adopted the name Adalbert). Wojciech was brutally killed during this mission and Bolesław Chrobry brought his body back to his home city of Gniezno. In fact, he had to pay for the body in gold – he had to give as much gold as the weight of the body! Soon after, Wojciech was made a saint and Bolesław Chrobry had been recognised as a European leader who cherished the Christian tradition.

The Gniezno Convention – Otto III’s visit to Gniezno

The greatest honour came three years later. In the year 1000 Otto III (the son of Otto II), the King of Germany and the Emperor of the Holy Empire, made a personal visit to the grave of St Wojciech and at the grave stood side by side with Bolesław Chrobry (Bolesław the Brave). This was an exceptional honour indeed, for at no time before had Otto III left his home for such a distant visit. He had to travel in winter over the Alps but he was well rewarded for this arduous journey. Bolesław Chrobry entertained the German king generously and presented him with 300 armoured warriors and other precious gifts.

What happened next was an even bigger surprise. During his visit in Gniezno, Otto III took off his crown and placed it on the head of Bolesław. He gave him a copy of the Magdeburg spear – a symbol of royal rule. Everyone understood the meaning of these symbolic gestures. Otto III believed that Bolesław Chrobry should become a king! But no one believed in this more than Bolesław Chrobry himself.

The warring years (1002 – 1018)

The beginning of the 11^th century was a difficult time for Chrobry, for his country and its people – in fact, for the whole of Europe. When Otto III died in 1002, Chrobry began a 20 year period of wars with Otto’s successor, Henry II. In those days rulers defended their lands, but also extended their territories because this is what made them and their country important. Chrobry was ambitious and he not only fought with Henry II, defended and gained the lands to the west of Gniezno and Poznan, but also fought with the Czechs (for a short time he was their ruler) in the south. He also organised an armed expedition to Kiev to help Świętopełek , his son-in-law, to restore his right to the throne. If you look on the map, Kiev is a long, long way from Gniezno. How did Bolesław and his warriors travel on horseback across the lands, the hills, the rivers – for hundreds of kilometres and organise a siege in a foreign city? One can only imagine the determination and toughness this required!

Bolesław Chrobry is crowned as king!

In medieval Europe becoming a king was not just a question of being a ruler, possessing an army and having vast stretches of land. You had to have the acceptance of the Pope and of other European kings to call yourself ‘a king’ and to call your country ‘a kingdom’. Bolesław Chrobry achieved all this. In 1025, shortly before his death, he was crowned in Gniezno as the first king of Poland. His country and its people gained the Latin name Polonia – ‘Polska’ in Polish.