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Birth:          ABT  922 of Poznan, Poland
Death:          25 May  992 

Notes
founder of the Polish state
a Danish Viking
first Christian King of Poland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mieszko_I_of_Poland
Mieszko I (About this sound Polish (help·info); ca. 930 – 25 May 992)[1] was the ruler 
of the Polans[2] from about 960 until his death. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was 
a son of Siemomysl, and a grandchild of Lestek. He was the father of Boleslaw I the 
Brave (the first crowned king of Poland) and Gunhild of Wenden with his wife Oda.[3] 
Most sources make Mieszko I the father of Sigrid the Haughty, a Nordic queen, 
though one source identifies her father as Skoglar Toste, and the grandfather of Cnut 
the Great (Gundhild's son), and the great-grandfather of Gunhilda of Denmark, Canute 
the Great's daughter and wife of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor.

The first Christian ruler of territories later called Poland, Mieszko I is considered the 
de facto creator of the Polish state. He continued the policy of both his father and 
grandfather, who were rulers of the pagan tribes located in the area of present-day 
Greater Poland. Through both alliances and the use of military force, Mieszko 
extended ongoing Polish conquests and early in his reign subjugated Kuyavia and 
probably Gdansk Pomerania and Masovia. For most of his reign, Mieszko I was 
involved in warfare for the control of Western Pomerania, eventually conquering it up 
to the vicinity of the lower Oder river. During the last years of his life, he fought the 
Bohemian state, winning Silesia and probably Lesser Poland.

Mieszko I's marriage in 965 to the Czech Premyslid princess Dobrawa and his baptism 
in 966 put him and his country in the cultural sphere of Western Christianity. Apart 
from the great conquests accomplished during his reign (which proved to be 
fundamental for the future of Poland) Mieszko I was renowned for his internal reforms, 
aimed at expanding and improving the so-called war monarchy system.

According to existing sources, Mieszko I was a wise politician, a talented military 
leader, and a charismatic ruler. He successfully used diplomacy, concluding alliances, 
first with Bohemia, then Sweden, and the Holy Roman Empire. In foreign policy, he 
placed the interests of his country foremost, even entering into agreements with his 
former enemies. On his death, he left to his sons a country with greatly expanded 
territories, and a well-established position in Europe.

Mieszko I also enigmatically appeared as "Dagome" in a papal document dating to 
about 1085, called Dagome iudex, which mentions a gift or dedication of Mieszko's 
land to the Pope (the act took place almost a hundred years earlier).

It is roughly his borders that Poland was returned to in 1945.
Date of birth[edit]

There is no certain information on Mieszko I's life before he took control over his 
lands. Only the Lesser Poland Chronicle gives the date of his birth as somewhere 
between the years 920–931 (depending on the version of the manuscript), however, 
modern researchers don't recognize the Chronicle as a reliable source. Several 
historians on the basis of their investigations postulated the date of Mieszko I's birth 
to have been between 922–945;[4] the activity of the Duke in his final years of life 
puts the date of his birth closer to the latter year.[5]

Origin and meaning of his name[edit]

There are three major theories concerning the origin and meaning of Mieszko I's name. 
The most popular theory, proposed by Jan Dlugosz, explains that Mieszko is a 
diminutive of Mieczyslaw, a combination of two elements or lexemes: Miecz meaning 
sword and Slaw meaning famous. Today, this theory is rejected by the majority of 
Polish historians, who consider the name Mieczyslaw to have been invented by 
Dlugosz to explain the origin of the name Mieszko. Today, we know that ancient Slavs 
never formed their names using either animal names or weapon names. Ancient Slavic 
names were abstract in nature. The same explanation rules out another theory about 
the origin of the name Mieszko, which links the name with the Polish word mis/misko 
meaning bear, as no animal names were used to form honorable Polish names among 
Polish nobility.[6]

The second most popular theory about the origin and sense of Mieszko's name can be 
traced to the very old legend, firstly described by Gallus Anonymus, according to 
which Mesco (the Latinized form used by the earliest sources) was blind during his first 
seven years of life. The chronicler related this story (a typical medieval allegory) as 
follows:
At that time (after Mieszko recovered his eyesight) Prince Siemomysl urgently asked 
the elderly people of his country whether his son's blindness conveyed some 
miraculous meaning. They explained that this blindness meant that Poland was blind 
back then, but from now was going to be illuminated by Mieszko and elevated over 
the neighboring nations.
This interpretation was a clear reference to the later baptism of the Duke:
Poland was indeed blind before, knowing nothing about the true God or the principles 
of the Catholic faith, but thanks to the enlightenment of Mieszko the country also had 
become enlightened, because when he adopted the faith, the Polish nation was saved 
from death and destruction.[7]
In addition, it is known that the Slavic word "mzec" can be interpreted as "having his 
eyes closed" or "be blind". Yet again, today it is almost certain that this legend was 
used as a metaphor, in allusion to the old Slavic pagan ceremony known as the 
"postrzyzyny": During that ceremony hair cutting was performed to every boy at the 
age of seven. In that symbolic rite a child became a man. That explains that Mieszko 
wasn't blind in fact. He was blind only metaphorically. Besides his son's name was 
also Mieszko and it is hard to believe that he was also blind. In addition, as we know 
today ancient Slavs used only abstract names among nobility.[6]

The third theory links the name of Mieszko with his other name, Dagome, as it 
appeared in the document called Dagome iudex. We know this document only from a 
copy prepared by an anonymous monk who was not familiar with Polish language or 
Polish names. It is possible that while copying the document he made a mistake and 
wrote down Dagome instead of Dagomer or even Dagomir. The name Dagomir is used 
to this day and its construction is similar to other Polish names like for example: 
Wladimir/Wlodzimierz or Casimir/Kazimierz. The evolution of the "-mir" element to "-
mierz" is due to two separate developments: first, the regular change of the vowel "i" 
to "(i)e" before "r", and second, the modification of the nominative case by the 
vocative for certain names (hence, Kazimierz replaced Kazimier based on the vocative 
Kazimierze). It is debatable whether the name Mieszko is a nickname formed from the 
second part of the name *Dago-mierz, since the merger in pronunciation of "sz" with 
the devoiced "rz" which would appear in this position is quite recent. The word mir 
can be translated as peace.[6] However, some historians believe that the word 
"Dagome" is a melding of two names: the Roman Catholic "Dago," for "Dagobert" 
(Mieszko's hypothetical baptismal name), and the Slavic "Me," for "Mieszko." The 
Latin word "iudex" ("judge") would be used in the meaning of "prince." Another 
interpretation is that "Dagome iudex" is a corruption of "Ego Mesco dux" ("I, Prince 
Mieszko").[8]
***
Marriages and issue[edit]
 
According to Gallus Anonymus, before becoming a Roman Catholic Mieszko had seven 
pagan wives, whom he was required to relinquish, leaving Dobrawa as his only 
spouse. Nothing is known of the fates of any possible children from these 
relationships.[72] In 965, before his baptism, Mieszko married Dobrawa (b. 940/45 – d. 
977), daughter of Boleslav I the Cruel, Duke of Bohemia. They had two children:
1.Boleslaw I the Brave (Chrobry) (b. 967 – d. 17 June 1025).
2.Swietoslawa (Sigrid) (b. 968/72 – d. ca. 1016), married first to Eric the Victorious, 
King of Sweden and later to Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark. From her second 
marriage, she probably was the mother of Cnut the Great, King of Denmark, Norway 
and England. Some researchers,[3] comparing Scandinavian, Polish and German 
sources state it was Gunhild who was the daughter of Mieszko I and Oda (not 
Dobrawa) and who became wife of Sweyn Forkbeard, king of Denmark, England, and 
parts of Norway, mother of Cnut the Great, king of Denmark, England, Norway and 
parts of Sweden (the Anglo-Scandinavian or North Sea Empire), as well as Harald and 
Swietoslawa. She was also the grandmother of Gunhild, the wife of Henry III, Holy 
Roman Emperor.

According to one hypothesis there was another daughter of Mieszko, married to a 
Pomeranian Slavic Prince; she could be a daughter of Dobrawa or of one of the 
previous pagan wives.[73] Also, a theory exists (apparently based on Thietmar and 
supported by Oswald Balzer in 1895) that Vladivoj, who ruled as Duke of Bohemia in 
1002–1003, was a son of Mieszko and Dobrawa.[74] Although most modern historians 
reject this claim, Bohemian historiography supported the Piast parentage of Vladivoj.
[75]

In 978/79, Mieszko married Oda of Haldensleben (b. 955/60 – d. 1023), daughter of 
Dietrich of Haldensleben, Margrave of the Northern March. She was abducted by her 
future husband from the monastery of Kalbe. They had three sons:
1.Mieszko (b. ca. 979 – d. aft. 992/95).
2.Swietopelk (b. ca. 980 – d. bef. 991?).
3.Lambert (b. ca. 981 – d. aft. 992/95).

After a struggle for power between Boleslaw I and Oda with her minor sons (Boleslaw's 
half-brothers), the eldest son of Mieszko I took control over all of his father's state 
and expelled his stepmother and her sons from Poland.

Parents
____ Ziemomysl (ABT  892 - ABT  955)
----- ----- ()

Siblings
____ Mieszsko I (ABT  922 - 25 May  992)

Marriage To ----- ----- ()
    m.  

Notes


Children by ----- ----- 
OF POLAND Adelaide (ABT  952 - AFT  997)

Marriage To ____ Daubravka (ABT  931 -  977)
    m. ABT  966 his 2d

Notes

Parents
____ Boleslaw (Boleslav) I "the Cruel" (ABT  915 - 15 Jul  972)
OF STOCKOW Biagota (ABT  901 - )

Children by ____ Daubravka ABT  931 -  977
____ Boleslaw I "Chrobry" "the Brave" ( 967 - 17 Jul 1025)
OF POLAND Gunnhild (ABT  968 - 1014)

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