Christianization of Poland

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"The Christianization of Poland 966" (oil painting by the history painter Jan Matejko , 1889)

The Christianization of Poland (Polish: Chrzest Polski ) is one of the decisive events in the early history of Poland .

Christianization from the Moravian Empire or Bohemia

At the end of the 9th century, the Wislanes and probably Silesia were hypothetically included in the Christianization of Moravia . Methodios tried to or threatened with the violent conversion [by Moravians] a " very strong pagan prince on the Vistula ", who probably ruled in Cracow or Wiślica . It is possible that there was a diocese in Krakow from around 899/900 to around 910 . The rotunda of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Krakow, built around 970, could be built under Bohemian rule because, according to a source from the late 11th century, Krakow belonged to the newly founded diocese of Prague in 973 .

Baptism of Mieszkos I.

On April 14, 966, the baptism of Mieszko I , the prince of the Piast dynasty , an ancestor of the dukes of Poland, is handed down. His wife, the Bohemian Princess Dubrawa , whom he had married a year earlier and who was herself a Christian, was obviously important for this decision .

The reasons Mieszko, to Christianity confront , no written source is handed down. For Mieszko I it was probably an important step towards stabilizing his sphere of influence: the hierarchical structure of the Christian church enabled him to strengthen his influence in society. The previous pagan religions could not do this. But turning away from the old gods could also bring legitimation problems with it, as the connection to the ancestors was cut off. The conversion to Christianity also brought the Polish ruler equality with the other Western rulers and thus enabled better relations with the state.

The exact place of the baptism of Mieszko I is being discussed: Historians have alternately argued that Ostrów Lednicki , Gnesen , Posen , Regensburg , Cologne or even Rome could have been the baptism place of Mieszko I.

Bishopric of Poznan

In 968 the diocese of Poznan was founded. It was formally subordinated to the Archdiocese of Magdeburg . How far this subordination actually existed is particularly controversial in Polish research. There is a position that the church is independent, directly subordinate to the Pope and not dependent on the imperial church. In German research, on the other hand, one does not doubt the basic fact of the subordination under Magdeburg. How far this actually went in reality is the subject of a scientific debate.

The first bishop of Poland was Jordan , who presumably belonged to Mieszko's court before. Jordan's origin is not certain. He came to Poland with the Bohemian Princess Dubrawka either from Italy or from the Rhineland . The fact that he was of Czech origin is also controversial.

The oldest ministers of the Polish Church were of Bohemian origin.

The first churches in Poland date from this period . There are partially pre-Romanesque buildings such as the chapel and church in the castle of Ostrów Lednicki , the oldest churches in Poznan, Kruszwica and others.

Archdiocese of Gniezno

In the year 1000 a new form of organization was created for the still young Polish Church. At a meeting of the Roman-German Emperor Otto III. with the Polish Duke Bolesław I , the Archdiocese of Gniezno was created by the act of Gniezno at the canonization of Adalbert of Prague . This was followed by a de facto independence from the Archdiocese of Magdeburg , to which the Polish Church had until then been formally subordinate.

Church Province of Gniezno

Spread of Christianity

The Christianization begun by Mieszko I and continued by his descendants was successful: By the 13th century, Roman Catholic Christianity was widespread throughout Poland and became the dominant religion in Poland. Norman Davies rates the adoption of Roman Catholic Christianity as "the most significant event in Polish history".

Millennium 1966

The Polish Church celebrated the “Sacrum Poloniae Millenium” (Holy Millennium for Poland) in 1966, while the People's Republic of Poland at that time celebrated “Tysiąclecie Państwa Polskiego” (1000 years of Poland).

literature

  • Paul Fridolin Kehr , The Archdiocese of Magdeburg and the first organization of the Christian Church in Poland , treatises of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences, 1920
  • Joseph Hergenröther, Joseph Cardinal Hergenröthers Handbuch der Allgemeine Kirchengeschichte , Volume 2, 1913, “The Christianization of Poland”, page 288

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Around 899/900 four bishops came from Rome to the Moravian Empire. Krakow could have been a seat.
  2. ^ Regensburg, document dated April 29, 1086 ( border description of the diocese of Prague ). In: Regesta Imperii RIplus Regg. EB Mainz 1 [after 1263] (online ; accessed on March 4, 2017): “ Wezilo ([Archbishop of Mainz] 1084-1088) ... intervener at k. Henry IV, who confirmed the unification of the Olomouc bishopric with the Prague bishopric and exactly confirmed the boundaries of the thus expanded Prague bishopric. "
  3. ↑ Jordanes Annals to 966, Posener Annalen to 960
  4. ↑ a b Jerzy Łojek: Kalendarz Historyczny. Warsaw 1994, ISBN 83-7001-856-4 , p. 12.
  5. ^ Chronicle of Thietmar von Merseburg
  6. ↑ a b c d e f Manfred Alexander : Small history of Poland. Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-15-017060-1 , pp. 19-25.
  7. ↑ a b c Maria Bugucka: Dawan Polska. Warsaw 1998, ISBN 83-85660-60-7 , pp. 30-32.
  8. ^ A b Andrea Schmidt-Rösler: Poland. Munich / Regensburg 1996, ISBN 3-7917-1521-6 , p. 15.
  9. ^ Chronicle of Thietmar von Merseburg
  10. ^ Karl Völker: Church history of Poland. Berlin / Leipzig 1930, p. 8.
  11. ^ Norman Davies, History of Poland , Beck-Verlag, Munich 2006, p. 163. ISBN 3-406-46709-1

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