Polish Kingodom of Boleslaw I the Great - 1025-2025

 Salvete Omnes,

glorious anniversary

king Mieszko II

more than a thousand years ago  some of the Polish tribes unified into one state under the their own dynasts from Greater Poland. 

Traditionally and in the Polish Christian lore and historiography duke Mieszko I is considered the first ruler of Polish realm circa 966AD, but naturally this could not be not true, as if duke Mieszko appeared from a thin smoke.
Especially since the Polish archaeologists have been digging into the soils of Greater Poland for more than a century and can reasonably show the sudden development of large strongholds around 920-40s AD within the heartlands of Polish state, i.e., Greater Poland - Wielkopolska, the center of the Polish state for the next centuries to come. It was duke Ziemomysl and his son Mieszko I who unified the tribal territories and make Polish tribes into one realm. Mieszko I chose Roman Catholic Christianity as his state's official religion in 966AD, and wed Czech princes Dobrawa for wife and mother of his children.

a chalice from Gniezno Archdiocese museum

Fast forward to duke Boleslaw I, the son and successor of Mieszko I, who after a long war against the German Empire, which he won in 1018AD.
Duke Boleslaw I was crowned king, according to the primary sources, in 1025AD. There are many ideas why and how this Piast (the name Piast as the name for the Polish dynasty was used by Polish XV century chronicler Jan Dlugosz)  dynast fought and negotiated his way to the crown.
The date of the coronation and the site are unclear - it is thought that the ceremony was performed on Easter or close to it in 1025AD, which was the 18th of April 1025. Some historians theorize that it was April 23, 1025AD.

Emperor Otto III gave this spear to duke Boleslaw I in 1000AD

Curiously the younger son of our first king, Mieszko II, was crowned king of our Polish Kingdom along with his father and lord.

Boleslaw I's coin 992-1000AD

Bolesla I's denarius

This is the greatest anniversary in Polish history - the birth of Polish Kingdom.

here you can download  Mariusz Kozik's' very high resolution of his digital painting

the beauty of  all things is that  my friend Mariusz Kozik created a digital painting, true, an imaginary scene of this coronation - Boleslaw I in the Gniezno cathedral.
(Note that Boleslaw I had this first cathedral  built before 1000AD, and created then and there the sanctuary to the martyred Saint Adalbert. 

Emperor Otto III visited the cathedral and the sanctuary in the year 1000AD. 

Gniezno Door's detail  (1170AD) - Boleslaw I pays for the body of martyred Bishop Adalbertus

Unfortunately in 1038AD Czech duke Bretislav destroyed the city and the cathedral, which was rebuild in a Romanesque style by our king Boleslaw II in 1064AD)

Polish Kingdom during the reign of Boleslaw I and Mieszko II

Maestro Mariusz Kozik made his fine work available for free to any and all - if you are teacher or aficionado of all things medieval you can download and print this digital work for free.

Vivat Polish Kingodm, vivat Polish people around the world - some say circa 65-70 million strong.

this time - the X & XI centuries were the period of the Ottonian Golden age in art

Enjoy

ps

if you understand Polish  then the Yt page of prof. Gosciwit Malinowski is a great place to visit for a great journey into the world of sources and their interpretations  

new Radek Sikora book on husaria

Salvete Omnes,
 [Polish]
dzisiaj druh moj imc pan Radoslaw Sikora oglosil na swej stronie fejsbukowej, ze w styczniu 2019 wydawnictwo Znak wyda jego najnowsza ksiazke poswiecona skrzydlatej husarii.
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Ksiazka, oprocz ogromnie ciekawego i zaiste wyjatkowego tekstu opartego na zrodlach z epoki i badaniach naukowych autora,  jest bardzo, ale to bardzo bogato ilustrowana - min mamy ilustracje z epoki, rysunki wspolczesne, oraz przede wszystkim zdjecia, doskonale zdjecia autorstwa Marka Kalisinskiego i Radoslawa Szleszynskiego, pokazujace  rekonstruktorow husarii jak i historyczne przedmioty.
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Ksiazka bedzie zawierac 5 moim ilustracji, w tym byc moze pierwsza taka grafike-rekonstrukcje husarskiego pocztu z poczatku XVIIw, czyli towarzysza husarskiego, 2 pocztowych, czeladz, wierzchowce bojowe, luzaki/konie powodne, konie czeladne i pociagowe, pojazdy i wozy, woly oraz namioty.
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 Wybuchowa ilustracja na okladce jest pedzla Mariusza Kozika, dobrze znanego ze swoich prac dla gier Total War.  Mam obiekcje co do wyboru tematu na okladke - glownie dlatego, ze widzimy towarzysza husarskiego jako nieledwie rajtara z szabla (choc faktycznie husarze rajarami bywali), a przeciez wyobraznie nasza poruszaja i wrogow serca strachem karmili  skrzydlaci husarze ze swoimi dlugimi kopiami na wspanialych rumakach.

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Byc moze te nowa praca mosci Radka, bazujaca na badaniach autora wykonanych do pracy doktorskiej jak i na badaniach ciagle prowadzonych od czasu uzyskania doktoratu do dzisiaj zostanie ktoregos dnia przetlumaczona na jezyk angielski i inne jezyki.
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[English]
today my friend Radek (Radoslaw) Sikora, Ph.D.,  announced on his Facebook page that next January 2019 his Polish publisher,  Znak, will release his new book on the winged hussars.

The book, apart from its very interesting, rich and exceptional text entirely based in primary sources and research, is profusely illustrated with period images, drawings, photos of winged husaria reenactors and historical objects related to husaria  - thses are  fine photos by Marek Kalisinski and Radek Szleszynski.
There will be 5 drawings of mine in this book, including perhaps the first ever reconstruction showing the entire winged hussar retinue from the early XVII century:   mounted winged hussar comrade, his two retainers also mounted, multiple servants both mounted and riding carts and wagons, war steeds, spare horses and draft horses,  wagons, carts, oxen and tents.

The explosive cover was done by Mariusz Kozik, well known by his Total War games artwork. My objection to this cover is that we see our winged hussar as a cuirassier with a sword (and in fact they did fight as cuirassiers at times) and not a heavy lancer with his long painted kopia (lance) who put fear in the hearts of our foes and today lance-armed winged hussar dominates our imagination.

Perhaps this new book, based in the doctoral and post-doctoral research done by the author, might get translated into English and other languages one day.

detail from my preliminary sketch

Valete