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142-762: The legend links Szczerbiec with King Boleslaus I the Brave who was said to have chipped the sword by hitting it against the Golden Gate of Kiev during his intervention in the Kievan succession crisis in 1018. However, the Golden Gate was only constructed in 1037 and the sword is actually dated to the late 12th or 13th century. It was first used as a coronation sword by Ladislaus the Short in 1320. Looted by Prussian troops in 1795, it changed hands several times during

284-744: A Polish army to assist the imperial troops in invading the land of the Abodrites or Veleti in 995. During the campaign, he met the young German monarch, Otto III . Soběslav , the head of the Bohemian Slavník dynasty , also participated in the 995 campaign. Taking advantage of Soběslav's absence, Boleslav II of Bohemia invaded the Slavníks' domains and had most members of the family murdered. After learning of his kinsmen's fate, Soběslav settled in Poland. Bolesław gave shelter to him "for

426-626: A Polish church structure with a metropolitan see at Gniezno , independent from the Archbishopric of Magdeburg . Bishoprics were also established in Kraków , Wrocław , and Kołobrzeg , and Bolesław formally repudiated paying tribute to the Empire. Following Otto's death in 1002, Bolesław fought a series of wars against Otto's cousin and heir, Henry II , ending in the Peace of Bautzen (1018). In

568-418: A chamfered outer ring that is 1.3 cm (0.5 in) wide. The crossguard forms an arch that is 1.8 cm (0.7 in) wide in the middle and widens up to 3.4 cm (1.3 in) at both ends. It is 1 cm (0.4 in) thick near the grip and measures 20 cm (8 in) in length along its upper edge. The pommel and the crossguard are made of silver. The core of the grip is a brass chest encasing

710-470: A consequence, Krasiński declined Lobanov-Rostovsky's offer. Lobanov-Rostovsky ultimately sold Szczerbiec to Prince Anatoly Demidov , who kept it together with the rest of the Demidov collection in his Villa San Donato near Florence . In 1870, the sword was bought for 20,000 French francs by Alexander Basilevsky , Russian ambassador to France and great art collector. In 1878, he displayed Szczerbiec at

852-604: A detachment of Moravian knights in a diversionary attack against the Eastern March of the empire. Soon after, the imperial army, having suffered a defeat near the Bóbr marshes, retreated from Poland without any permanent gains. After this event, Bolesław's forces took the initiative. Margrave Gero II of Meissen was defeated and killed during a clash with the Polish forces in late 1015. In 1015 and 1017, Bolesław I attacked

994-663: A detailed description of a sword decorated with symbols of the Evangelists and inscriptions identical to those on Szczerbiec. According to the inventory, it was a gift from Crown Prince Jakub Sobieski to Prince Michał Radziwiłł , but the original source of the supposed replica was not given. An inventory made in 1738 of the treasure vault of the Sobieski family 's Żółkiew Castle (now Zhovkva in Ukraine) mentions "an estoc ( koncerz ) covered with golden plates bearing images of

1136-526: A devout Christian, Bolesław supported the missionary endeavours of Adalbert of Prague and Bruno of Querfurt . The martyrdom of Adalbert in 997 and Bolesław's successful attempt to ransom the bishop's remains, paying for their weight in gold, consolidated Poland's autonomy from the Holy Roman Empire . At the Congress of Gniezno (11 March 1000), Emperor Otto III permitted the establishment of

1278-432: A flat grip and an arched crossguard. The grip is 10.1 cm (4.0 in) long, 1.2 cm (0.5 in) thick, and from 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to 1.2 in) wide. It is rectangular in cross-section and its hard edges make it difficult to handle and impractical for fighting, which is indicative of the sword's purely ceremonial usage. The pommel is 4.5 cm (1.8 in) in diameter and 2.6 cm (1.0 in) thick, with

1420-570: A foreign matron and thereby commit fornication , the act is immediately avenged through the following punishment. The guilty party is led on to the market bridge, and his scrotum is affixed to it with a nail. Then, after a sharp knife has been placed next to him, he is given the harsh choice between death or castration. Furthermore, anyone found to have eaten meat after Septuagesima is severely punished, by having his teeth knocked out. The law of God, newly introduced in these regions gains more strength from such acts of force than from any fast imposed by

1562-463: A gesture of good will after being pressured by Saxon nobles. Bolesław nonetheless refused to aid the emperor militarily in his Italian expedition. This led to imperial intervention in Poland and so in 1015 a war erupted once again. The war started out well for the emperor, as he was able to defeat the Polish forces at the Battle of Ciani. Once the imperial forces crossed the river Oder , Bolesław sent

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1704-551: A large stylized letter T on top of a letter C or G (the latter could be just a decorative element of the letter T ) between the Greek letters Α and ω ( alpha and omega ) surmounted with little crosses . Below the letter T , there is another cross placed within a cloud or flower with twelve petals. On the chamfered edge around this design runs a circular Latin inscription in two rings which reads: Rec figura talet ad amorem regum / et principum iras iudicum ("This sign rouses

1846-596: A local ruler from present-day Brandenburg who was closely related to the imperial Liudolfing dynasty, or the last independent prince of the Vistulans , before their incorporation into Poland. Wiszewski dates the marriage of Bolesław and Emnilda to 988. Emnilda exerted a beneficial influence on Bolesław, reforming "her husband's unstable character", according to Thietmar of Merseburg's report. Bolesław's and Emnilda's oldest (unnamed) daughter "was an abbess" of an unidentified abbey. Their second daughter Regelinda , who

1988-588: A part of Polish territory, and also received military aid in his expedition against Rus' . Also, Bolesław (then a widower) strengthened his dynastic bonds with the German nobility through his marriage with Oda , daughter of Margrave Eckard I of Meissen . The wedding took place four days later, on 3 February in the castle of Cziczani (also Sciciani , at the site of either modern Groß-Seitschen or Zützen ). Bolesław organised his first expedition east, to support his son-in-law Sviatopolk I of Kiev, in 1013, but

2130-537: A result the symbol is still listed in the catalog of extreme-right symbols banned at Polish football stadiums. It was also banned by UEFA during Euro 2008 and 2012. The symbolic use of Szczerbiec became a bone of contention again in 2009. After a monument to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army ( Ukrayins'ka Povstans'ka Armiya ) on the Chryszczata  [ pl ] Mountain in southeastern Poland

2272-488: A souvenir of past victories venerated by Boleslaus the Brave's successors. According to Wincenty Kadłubek 's Chronicle , Boleslaus Wrymouth ( r. 1107–1138 ) had a favorite sword he called Żuraw or Grus ("Crane"). A scribe who copied the chronicle in 1450 added the word Szczurbycz above the word Żuraw , but whether these two swords were one and the same is uncertain. According to the Chronicle of Greater Poland ,

2414-645: A successor of the ancient and glorious legacy of the first king of the House of Piast . Accordingly, the coronation sword took over the name and the legend of the original Szczerbiec. The corrosion-induced slit in the blade became associated with the fabled szczerba , or notch that Boleslaus had purportedly made on his sword in Kiev. The power of tradition was so strong that when Stanislaus Augustus's court painter, Marcello Bacciarelli , who had made detailed studies of Polish crown jewels, painted an imaginary portrait of Boleslaus

2556-509: A weapon of war. The surface of the blade is covered with deep scratches along its length, a result of intensive cleaning from rust before every coronation, probably with sand or brick powder. Inactive spots of corrosion may be also found on the entire surface. Just below the hilt, there are three perforations in the fuller of the blade. The largest is a rectangular slot that is 64 mm (2.5 in) long and 8.5 mm (0.33 in) wide. This opening, known in Polish as szczyrba or szczerba ,

2698-582: A white-and-red ribbon was adopted as a symbol of Polish nationalist organizations led by Roman Dmowski – the Camp of Great Poland ( Obóz Wielkiej Polski ), the National Party ( Stronnictwo Narodowe ), and the All-Polish Youth ( Młodzież Wszechpolska ). Their members wore it as a badge called Mieczyk Chrobrego  [ pl ] , or "Little Sword of [Boleslaus] the Brave ". The symbol

2840-556: A winged lion. Mark the Evangelist attributes are the lion in the desert ; he can be depicted as a bishop on a throne decorated with lions; as a man helping Venetian sailors. He is often depicted holding a book with pax tibi Marce written on it or holding a palm and book. Other depictions of Mark show him as a man with a book or scroll, accompanied by a winged lion. The lion might also be associated with Jesus' Resurrection because lions were believed to sleep with open eyes, thus

2982-673: Is Bolesław's epitaph, which, in part, came from the original tombstone, that is one of the first sources (dated to the period immediately after Bolesław's death, probably during the reign of Mieszko II) that gave the King his widely known nickname of "Brave" (Polish: Chrobry ). Later, Gallus Anonymus , in Chapter 6 of his Gesta principum Polonorum , named the Polish ruler as Bolezlavus qui dicebatur Gloriosus seu Chrabri . The contemporaneous Thietmar of Merseburg recorded Bolesław's marriages, also mentioning his children. Bolesław's first wife

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3124-466: Is a 98 cm-long (39 in) ceremonial sword bearing rich Gothic ornamentation, dated to the mid-13th century. It is classified as a type XII sword with a type I pommel and a type 6 crossguard according to the Oakeshott typology , although the blade may have changed its shape due to centuries of corrosion and intensive cleaning before every coronation. The hilt consists of a round pommel,

3266-519: Is a prominent part of the museum's Treasury and Armory permanent exhibition. The sword is suspended horizontally inside a glass case in the middle of the Jagiełło and Hedwig Vault located on the ground floor in the northeastern corner of the Wawel Castle . Historical accounts related to the early history of the Polish coronation sword are scant and often mixed with legend. The earliest known use of

3408-682: Is also believed to have been among the servants at the Marriage at Cana who poured out the water that Jesus turned to wine ( John 2 :1–11). According to the Coptic tradition, Mark was born in Cyrene , a city in the Pentapolis of North Africa (now Libya ). This tradition adds that Mark returned to Pentapolis later in life, after being sent by Paul to Colossae ( Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24.) Some, however, think these actually refer to Mark

3550-475: Is damaged, maintain what is rebuilt, avenge what is unjust, reinforce what is well managed," etc. Then, the king handed the sword to the Crown sword-bearer ( miecznik koronny ), who slid it into the scabbard and passed on to the primate. The primate, aided by the Crown and Lithuanian sword-bearers, fastened the scabbard to the king's belt. The king stood up and, facing onlookers, withdrew Szczerbiec, made three times

3692-600: Is distinguished from Mark the Evangelist, John Mark is celebrated on September 27 (as in the Roman Martyrology ) and Mark the Evangelist on April 25. Mark is remembered in the Church of England and in much of the Anglican Communion, with a Festival on 25 April . Mark the Evangelist is most often depicted writing or holding his gospel. In Christian tradition, Mark the Evangelist is symbolized by

3834-425: Is doubtful, its legend had a great impact on Polish historical memory and the treatment of its successor, the modern Szczerbiec. The sword currently known as Szczerbiec was forged and decorated in a style characteristic of the late 12th and 13th centuries, so it could not have belonged to any of the three great Boleslauses of the 11th and early 12th centuries. Additionally, it is a purely ceremonial sword which, unlike

3976-569: Is honoured as the founder of Christianity in Africa . According to Eusebius, Mark was succeeded by Anianus as the bishop of Alexandria in the eighth year of Nero (62/63), probably, but not definitely, due to his coming death. Later Coptic tradition says that he was martyred in 68. Modern Bible scholars (i.e. most critical scholars) have concluded that the Gospel of Mark was written by an anonymous author rather than by Mark. For instance,

4118-709: Is observed on April 25 by the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. For those Churches still using the Julian calendar , April 25 according to it aligns with May 8 on the Gregorian calendar until the year 2099. The Coptic Orthodox Church observes the Feast of St Mark on Parmouti 30 according to the Coptic calendar which always aligns with April 25 on the Julian calendar or May 8 on the Gregorian calendar . Where John Mark

4260-618: Is the title of a periodical published since 1991 by a minor radical nationalist party, the National Revival of Poland ( Narodowe Odrodzenie Polski ). In 2005, the Polish Football Association , in an attempt to fight racism among Polish football fans, prepared a blacklist of most common racist and fascist symbols to be banned from Polish football stadiums. The catalog, co-authored by independent anti-fascist organization Never Again ( Nigdy Więcej ), listed

4402-430: Is widely believed that Bolesław had to receive permission for his coronation from the newly-elected Pope John XIX . John was known to be corrupt, and it is likely that consent was or may have been obtained through bribes . However, Rome also hoped for a potential alliance to defend itself from Byzantine Emperor Basil II , who launched a military expedition to recover the island of Sicily and could subsequently threaten

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4544-670: The Ascension of Jesus , Mark travelled to Alexandria and founded the Church of Alexandria , having already been in Egypt for 4-5 years. The Coptic Orthodox Church , the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria , and the Coptic Catholic Church all trace their origins to this original community. Aspects of the Coptic liturgy can be traced back to Mark himself. He became the first bishop of Alexandria and he

4686-604: The Bohemian throne . Also in 1005, a pagan rebellion in Pomerania overturned Bolesław's rule and resulted in the destruction of the newly established local bishopric . In 1007, after learning about Bolesław's efforts to gain allies among Saxon nobles and giving refuge to the deposed duke of Bohemia, Oldřich , King Henry denounced the Peace of Poznań, which caused Bolesław's attack on the Archbishopric of Magdeburg as well as

4828-527: The Eastern March and was defeated twice by Henry the Strong and his forces. Later that year, Bolesław's son Mieszko was sent to plunder Meissen . His attempt at conquering the city, however, failed. In 1017, Bolesław defeated Duke Henry V of Bavaria . In that same year, supported by his Slavic allies, Emperor Henry once again invaded Poland, albeit once again to very little effect. He did besiege

4970-656: The Jagiellonian University of Kraków. The university lost it during the German occupation in World War II. After the war, the replica found itself in the hands of Tadeusz Janowski who smuggled it to the United States in 1947. At around that time, the short stiletto blade was replaced with a long blade of a 16th-century German sword. To imitate Szczerbiec, a slit was cut in the blade and small heraldic shields were attached to it on both sides. During

5112-701: The Mieczyk Chrobrego as one of the extreme right symbols that are often displayed at the Polish stadiums. The catalog listed other racist and fascist symbols like the Nazi swastika , the Celtic cross , and the Confederate Flag . After a protest by MEP Sylwester Chruszcz of the League of Polish Families, additional consultations were held with historians, academic researchers and other experts and as

5254-575: The National Armed Forces ( Narodowe Siły Zbrojne ) and the National Military Organization ( Narodowa Organizacja Wojskowa ). After the fall of communism in Poland , the Mieczyk Chrobrego symbol was readopted by new or reactivated nationalist and far-right organizations, including League of Polish Families ( Liga Polskich Rodzin ), All-Polish Youth and the Camp of Great Poland . Additionally, Szczerbiec

5396-547: The Papal States from the south. Stanisław Zakrzewski put forward the theory that the coronation had the tacit consent of Conrad II and that the pope only confirmed that fact. That is corroborated by Conrad's confirmation of the royal title to Mieszko II, his agreement with the counts of Tusculum and the papal interactions with Conrad and Bolesław. According to Cosmas of Prague , Bolesław I died shortly after his coronation on 17 June 1025. Already in advanced age for

5538-543: The Red Strongholds , later called Red Ruthenia , lost by Bolesław's father in 981. Historians dispute the exact date of Bolesław's coronation . The year 1025 is most widely accepted by scholars, though the year 1000 is also likely. According to an epitaph , the crowning took place when Otto bestowed upon Bolesław royal regalia at the Congress of Gniezno . However, independent German sources confirmed that after Henry II's death in 1024, Bolesław took advantage of

5680-525: The War of the Polish Succession , supporters of King Stanislaus I concealed the jewels in a Warsaw church for three years to prevent Augustus III from using them in his coronation. In 1764, they were sent to Warsaw again, to be used in a coronation for the last time – that of Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski . They were returned to Kraków afterwards. During a typical Polish coronation ceremony in

5822-644: The World's Fair in Paris . By that time, the scabbard had been lost and the sword itself was presented as of Teutonic origin. It was seen by several Polish visitors who speculated whether it could be the Polish coronation sword. In 1884, the entire Basilevsky collection was purchased by Emperor Alexander III of Russia for the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg . Both Polish and other experts at

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5964-568: The communist rule in Poland , the Polish American community of Chicago treated the replica as a symbol of Poland's independence. In 1968, it was demonstrated to U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy while he was meeting with Polish Americans during his presidential campaign . Janowski returned the sword to the Jagiellonian University in 2003. In the interwar period, a simplified image of Szczerbiec wrapped three times in

6106-542: The episcopal see of Alexandria , which was one of the five most important sees of early Christianity . His feast day is celebrated on April 25, and his symbol is the winged lion . According to William Lane (1974), an "unbroken tradition" identifies Mark the Evangelist with John Mark , and John Mark as the cousin of Barnabas . However, Hippolytus of Rome , in On the Seventy Apostles , distinguishes Mark

6248-477: The interregnum in Germany and crowned himself king in 1025. It is generally assumed that the coronation took place on Easter Sunday although Tadeusz Wojciechowski believes that the coronation took place prior to that, on 24 December 1024. The basis for this assertion is that the coronations of kings were usually held during religious festivities. The exact place of the coronation is also highly debated, with

6390-489: The sign of the cross with it, and wiped it against his left arm before replacing it in the scabbard. The king's sword-wielding abilities were closely watched by his new subjects during this part of the ritual. When Augustus III betrayed his poor fencing skills at his coronation, nobles joked that they were going to have "a peaceful lord". After Szczerbiec, a bishop handed the sovereign the Grunwald Swords symbolizing

6532-549: The tang of the blade. It was probably made in the 19th century to replace an original organic core, which had decomposed. At the same time the tang was riveted to the top of the pommel. The head of the rivet, which is 0.5 cm (0.2 in) in diameter, rests atop a rectangular washer measuring 1.1 cm × 1.4 cm (0.43 in × 0.55 in). All parts of the hilt are covered with golden plates, which are engraved with sharp or rounded styli and decorated with niello , or black metallic inlay that contrasts against

6674-512: The traditional hair-cutting ceremony at the age of seven and a lock of his hair was sent to Rome . The latter act suggests that Mieszko wanted to place his son under the protection of the Holy See . Historian Tadeusz Manteuffel says that Bolesław needed that protection because his father had sent him to the court of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor in token of his allegiance to the emperor. However, historian Marek Kazimierz Barański notes that

6816-484: The "Prince's Law" and sponsored the construction of churches, monasteries, military forts as well as waterway infrastructure. He also introduced the first Polish monetary unit , the grzywna , divided into 240 denarii , and minted his own coinage. Bolesław was born in 966 or 967, the first child of Mieszko I of Poland and his wife, the Bohemian princess Dobrawa , known in Czech as Doubravka. His Epitaph , which

6958-599: The 19th century until it was purchased in 1884 for the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg . The Soviet Union returned it to Poland in 1928 as part of war reparations for their loss against Poland in the Polish-Soviet war . During the Second World War , Szczerbiec was evacuated to Canada and did not return to Kraków until 1959. In the 20th century, an image of the sword was adopted as a symbol by Polish nationalist and far-right movements. Szczerbiec

7100-544: The 22-year-old emperor's "death with greater grief than Bolesław". In 1000 Bolesław issued a law prohibiting hunting beavers and created a office called "Bobrowniczy" whose task was to enforce prince's ordinances. Three candidates were competing with each other for the German crown after Otto III's death. One of them, Duke Henry IV of Bavaria , promised the Margraviate of Meissen to Bolesław in exchange for his assistance against Eckard I, Margrave of Meissen who

7242-409: The Brave, he chose to depict Szczerbiec so that its appearance agreed with legend rather than reality. The images of the coronation crown and sword are overall meticulously accurate, but Bacciarelli's Szczerbiec lacks the slit and has a chipped edge instead. In 1794, during the failed Kościuszko Uprising which led to the final partition of Poland a year later, Prussian troops captured Kraków. In

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7384-569: The Cousin of Barnabas ), and serving with him in Rome (2 Timothy 4:11); from Pentapolis he made his way to Alexandria . When Mark returned to Alexandria, the pagans of the city resented his efforts to turn the Alexandrians away from the worship of their traditional gods . In AD 68, they placed a rope around his neck and dragged him through the streets until he was dead. The Feast of St Mark

7526-582: The Emperor's visit in Gniezno, Poland started to develop into a sovereign state, in contrast with Bohemia, which remained a vassal state, incorporated in the Kingdom of Germany . Thietmar of Merseburg condemned Otto III for "making a lord out of a tributary" in reference to the relationship between the Emperor and Bolesław. Gallus Anonymus emphasised that Otto III declared Bolesław "his brother and partner" in

7668-517: The Evangelist Mark the Evangelist ( Koinē Greek : Μᾶρκος, romanized : Mârkos ), also known as John Mark ( Koinē Greek : Ἰωάννης Μάρκος, romanized : Iōannēs Mârkos; Aramaic : ܝܘܚܢܢ, romanized: Yōḥannān ) or Saint Mark , is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark . Modern Bible scholars have concluded that the Gospel of Mark was written by an anonymous author rather than an identifiable historical figure. According to Church tradition, Mark founded

7810-402: The Evangelist ( 2 Timothy 4 :11), John Mark ( Acts 12 :12, 25; 13:5, 13; 15:37), and Mark the cousin of Barnabas ( Colossians 4 :10; Philemon 24). According to Hippolytus, they all belonged to the "Seventy Disciples" who were sent out by Jesus to disseminate the gospel ( Luke 10:1ff.) in Judea . According to Eusebius of Caesarea , Herod Agrippa I , in his first year of reign over

7952-420: The Evangelist with John Mark , as well as that he was one of the Seventy Disciples sent out by Jesus (Luke 10:1), as Hippolytus confirmed. Coptic tradition also holds that Mark the Evangelist hosted the disciples in his house after Jesus's death, that the resurrected Jesus came to Mark's house ( John 20 ), and that the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples at Pentecost in the same house. Furthermore, Mark

8094-442: The Four Evangelists; Skanderbek's." Based on this record, historian Aleksander Czołowski hypothesized that a replica of Szczerbiec was forged as early as 1457 and awarded to George Kastrioti Skanderbeg , the national leader of Albania, in recognition of his victory over the Ottoman forces (see Battle of Ujëbardha ). After King John III Sobieski defeated the Ottomans in the Battle of Vienna in 1683, Albanians presumably returned

8236-407: The Great , was Duke of Poland from 992 to 1025, and the first King of Poland in 1025. He was also Duke of Bohemia between 1003 and 1004 as Boleslaus IV . A member of the Piast dynasty , Bolesław was a capable monarch and a strong mediator in Central European affairs. He continued to proselytise Western Christianity among his subjects and raised Poland to the rank of a kingdom , thus becoming

8378-438: The Hermitage. Some experts suspected that the sword possessed by the Russian imperial museum was in fact the Nieśwież replica, not part of the original royal insignia. Another historically notable replica of Szczerbiec was produced probably in Dresden , Saxony , at the time when the original was in Prussian hands. It is modest and inexact; the handle is carved in bovine bone and the niello is imitated with black paint. Designs on

8520-417: The Holy Roman Empire, also calling Bolesław "a friend and ally of the Roman people". The same chronicler mentioned that Otto III "took the imperial diadem from his own head and laid it upon the head of Bolesław in pledge of friendship" in Gniezno. Bolesław also received "one of the nails from the cross of our Lord with the lance of St. Maurice " from the Emperor. Gallus Anonymus claimed that Bolesław

8662-517: The Holy See to obtain the pope's sanction to the establishment of the new archdiocese. Unger , who had been the only prelate in Poland and was opposed to the creation of the archdiocese of Gniezno, was made bishop of Poznań , directly subordinated to the Holy See. However, Polish commoners only slowly adopted Christianity: Thietmar of Merseburg recorded that Bolesław forced his subjects with severe punishments to observe fasts and to refrain from adultery: If anyone in this land should presume to abuse

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8804-406: The Hungarian territories is 1003 or 1015 and this area stayed a part of Poland until 1018. King Henry allied himself with the pagan Lutici , and broke into Lusatia in February 1004, but heavy snows forced him to withdraw. He invaded Bohemia in August 1004, taking the oldest brother of the blinded Boleslaus III of Bohemia, Jaromír , with him. The Bohemians rose up in open rebellion and murdered

8946-574: The Pious, then he could have inherited it. If it had belonged to any of the two Boleslauses who had ruled from Kraków as high dukes of all Poland, then Ladislaus could have simply found it in the Wawel Cathedral . Thereafter, Szczerbiec became an integral part of the Polish Crown Jewels , shared their fate, and was the principal ceremonial sword used in coronations of all Polish kings until 1764, except Jogaila (1386), Stephen Báthory (1576), Stanislaus I Leszczyński (1705), and Augustus III Wettin (1734). Szczerbiec, together with other crown jewels,

9088-472: The Polish garrisons in the major towns. Bolesław left Prague without resistance, and King Henry made Jaromír duke of Bohemia on 8 September. Bolesław's ally Soběslav died in this campaign. During the next part of the offensive King Henry retook Meissen and in 1005, his army advanced as far into Poland as the city of Poznań where a peace treaty was signed. According to the peace treaty Bolesław lost Lusatia and Meissen and likely gave up his claim to

9230-399: The actual construction of the Golden Gate in 1037. It is plausible, though, that Boleslaus did chip his sword by striking it against an earlier gate in Kiev. His great-grandson, Boleslaus the Bold ( r. 1058–1079 ), hit the Golden Gate with a sword in 1069, which would indicate that it was a customary gesture of gaining control over a city. It is also possible that this sword was preserved as

9372-412: The author of the Gospel of Mark knew very little about the geography of the region (having apparently never visited it), "was very far from being a peasant or a fisherman", was unacquainted with Jewish customs (unlikely for someone from Palestine), and was probably "a Hellenized Jew who lived outside of Palestine". Mitchell Reddish does concede that the name of the author might have been Mark (making

9514-424: The bishops During the time the Emperor spent in Poland, Bolesław also showed off his affluence. At the end of the banquets, he "ordered the waiters and the cupbearers to gather the gold and silver vessels ... from all three days' coursis, that is, the cups and goblets, the bowls and plates and the drinking-horns , and he presented them to the emperor as a toke of honor ... [h]is servants were likewise told to collect

9656-439: The blade was forged from unevenly carburized semi-hard bloomery steel. Apart from iron , the material contains, by weight, 0.6 percent of carbon , 0.153 percent of silicon , 0.092 percent of phosphorus , and other elements. Numerous slag inclusions found in the steel are typical for medieval iron smelting technology. Part of the blade was hardened by quenching . Unlike the hilt, the blade would have been fully functional as

9798-425: The bone fragments in his ancestral mausoleum in Poryck (now Pavlivka ) in the Volhynia region; the other two were given to Princess Izabela Flemming Czartoryska , who placed them in her recently founded Czartoryski Museum in Puławy . After many historical twists, the burial place of Bolesław I ultimately remained at Poznań Cathedral, in the Golden Chapel. The content of his epitaph is known to historians. It

9940-440: The border in July and on 23 July at the banks of the Bug River , near Wołyń , he defeated the forces of Yaroslav the Wise , Prince of Kiev , in what became known as the Battle of the River Bug . All primary sources agree that the Polish prince was victorious in battle. Yaroslav retreated north to Novgorod , opening the road to Kiev . The city, which suffered from fires caused by the Pecheneg siege, surrendered upon seeing

10082-407: The cathedrals of Gniezno or Poznań being the most probable locations. Poland was thereafter raised to the rank of a kingdom before its neighbour, Bohemia . Wipo of Burgundy in his chronicle describes the event: [In 1025] Boleslaus [of the Slavic nation], duke of the Poles, took for himself in injury to King Conrad the regal insignia and the royal name. Death swiftly killed his temerity. It

10224-514: The chronicle of Adémar de Chabannes recorded, decades after the events, that Bolesław also accompanied Emperor Otto from Magdeburg to Aachen where Otto III had Charlemagne 's tomb reopened and gave Charlemagne's golden throne to Bolesław. An illustrated Gospel, made for Otto III around 1000, depicted four women symbolising Roma, Gallia, Germania and Sclavinia as doing homage to the Emperor who sat on his throne. Historian Alexis P. Vlasto writes that "Sclavinia" referred to Poland, proving that it

10366-469: The cities of Głogów and Niemcza , but was unable to conquer them. The imperial forces once again were forced to retreat, suffering significant losses. Taking advantage of the involvement of Czech troops, Bolesław ordered his son to invade Bohemia , where Mieszko met very little resistance. On 30 January 1018, the Peace of Bautzen was signed. The Polish ruler was able to keep the contested marches of Lusatia and Sorbian Meissen not as fiefs , but as

10508-522: The city of Lubusz (Lebus). In 1013, a peace accord was signed at Merseburg . As part of the treaty, Bolesław paid homage to King Henry for the March of Lusatia (including the town of Bautzen) and Sorbian Meissen as fiefs . A marriage of Bolesław's son Mieszko with Richeza of Lotharingia , daughter of the Count Palatine Ezzo of Lotharingia and granddaughter of Emperor Otto II ,

10650-403: The city. It was the notch that appeared on the edge of the blade which gave the sword its name. This account, written three centuries after the events it describes, is implausible not only because of the customary reference to the sword's supernatural origin (compare Excalibur ), but also because Boleslaus's intervention in the Kievan succession crisis took place in 1018, or about 19 years before

10792-441: The claim that Bolesław was sent as a hostage to the imperial court is disputed. Bolesław's mother, Dobrawa, died in 977; his widowed father married Oda of Haldensleben who had already been a nun. Around that time, Bolesław became the ruler of Lesser Poland , through it is not exactly clear in what circumstances. Jerzy Strzelczyk says that Bolesław received Lesser Poland from his father; Tadeusz Manteuffel states that he seized

10934-523: The committee's efforts resulted in the return to Poland of, among other national treasures, Szczerbiec, which, after 133 years, was deposited back in the Wawel Castle. On 3 September 1939, two days after Germany invaded Poland triggering the Second World War , began the evacuation of the most precious national treasures, including Szczerbiec, from the Wawel Castle. The cargo was transported on barges, wagons, buses and trucks to Romania. From there, it

11076-529: The decisive engagements were to take place in 1018 after the Peace of Bautzen was already signed. At the request of Sviatopolk I, in what became known as the Kiev Expedition of 1018, the Polish duke sent an expedition to Kievan Rus' with an army of 2,000–5,000 Polish warriors, in addition to Thietmar 's reported 1,000 Pechenegs , 300 German knights, and 500 Hungarian mercenaries . After collecting his forces during June, Bolesław led his troops to

11218-402: The decorative plates were several times dismounted and placed again on the hilt in variable configurations. The current composition, with the symbols of the Evangelists duplicated on each side of the hilt, matches that known from the earliest preserved depiction drafted by Johann Christoph Werner in 1794. It is possible, though, that the original placement of the golden plates was different, with

11360-575: The duke's identity: "Boleslaus, Duke of Poland, Masovia , and Łęczyca " – except that no duke of this name and titles ever existed. Historians have variously identified the duke in question as Boleslaus the Curly ( r. 1146–1173 ), Boleslaus the Chaste ( r. 1226–1279 ), Boleslaus I of Masovia ( r. 1229–1248 ) or Boleslaus the Pious of Greater Poland ( r. 1239–1247 ). As a coronation sword, Szczerbiec

11502-519: The eastern borderlands of Bolesław's realm. However, the pagans murdered him on 23 April 997. Bolesław ransomed Adalbert's remains, paying its weight in gold, and buried it in Gniezno . He sent parts of the martyr bishop's corpse to Emperor Otto III who had been Adalbert's friend. Emperor Otto III held a synod in Rome where Adalbert was canonised on the emperor's request on 29 June 999. Before 2 December 999, Adalbert's brother, Radim Gaudentius ,

11644-715: The emperor bore the inscription Gnezdun Civitas, showing that he regarded Gniezno as his capital. The name of Poland was also recorded on the same coins referring to the Princes Polonie [ sic ]. The title princeps was almost exclusively used in Italy around that time, suggesting that it also represented the Emperor's idea of the renewal of the Roman Empire. However, Otto's premature death on 23 January 1002 put an end to his ambitious plans. The contemporaneous Bruno of Querfurt stated that "nobody lamented"

11786-399: The emperor when he arrived: the ranks first of the knights in all their variety, and then of the princes, lined up on a spacious plain like choirs, each separate unit set apart by the distinct and varied colors of its apparel, and no garment there was of inferior quality, but of the most precious stuff that might anywhere be found." Bolesław took advantage of the emperor's pilgrimage. After

11928-417: The first Polish ruler to hold the title of rex , Latin for king. The son of Mieszko I of Poland by his first wife Dobrawa of Bohemia , Bolesław ruled Lesser Poland already during the final years of Mieszko's reign. When the country became divided in 992, he banished his father's widow, Oda of Haldensleben , purged his half-brothers along with their adherents and successfully reunified Poland by 995. As

12070-502: The first inscription is only known from an old replica of Szczerbiec which once belonged to the Radziwiłł family (see Historical replicas below) . The full inscription read: Iste est gladius Principis et haeredis Boleslai Ducis Poloniae et Masoviae, Lanciciae ("This is a sword of Hereditary Prince Boleslaus, Duke of Poland, Masovia , and Łęczyca "). The identity of this Duke Boleslaus is uncertain. Use-wear analysis indicates that

12212-506: The following year, on King Frederick William II 's orders, the treasure vault of the Wawel Castle was looted and the crown jewels taken to Breslau (now Wrocław in Poland), then to Berlin , and finally to Königsberg (now Kaliningrad in Russia). Between 1809 and 1811 most of the jewels were melted down, but some, including Szczerbiec, were put up for sale. The coronation sword was acquired by

12354-593: The following year. From 1919 to 1921, the two states fought the Polish–Soviet War which was concluded with the Peace of Riga . Article 11 of the peace treaty required that the Soviet side return all culturally significant collections and items that had been removed from Poland since the First Partition in 1772. A special bilateral committee was set up to carry out the restitution of cultural goods. In 1928,

12496-506: The future Russian minister of justice, Prince Dmitry Lobanov-Rostovsky , who probably hoped to resell it to one of Polish aristocrats. In 1819, he approached General Wincenty Krasiński , speaker of the Sejm (parliament) of the "Congress" Kingdom of Poland . The prince did not disclose the actual source of the sword and claimed to have bought it in Moscow from an Armenian merchant who had found

12638-403: The golden background. Each plate is 1 mm (0.04 in) thick and made of about 18- carat gold. The niello designs include inscriptions written in late Romanesque majuscule (with some uncial additions), Christian symbols , and floral patterns. The floral ornaments are in negative, that is, golden against a black, nielloed background. On the obverse side of the hilt, the pommel bears

12780-637: The gospel possibly homonymous), but the identity of this Mark is unknown. Similarly, "Francis Moloney suggests the author was someone named Mark, though maybe not any of the Marks mentioned in the New Testament". The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Historical Jesus takes the same approach: the author was named Mark, but scholars are undecided who this Mark was. The four canonical gospels are anonymous and most researchers agree that none of them

12922-533: The handle are patterned on those of the genuine Szczerbiec, except that the crosses and letters on the pommel were replaced with the coat of arms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . The blade was initially shorter than that of the original, actually typical for a stiletto . It was purchased in Dresden by art historian Edward Rastawiecki , who in 1869 donated it to the archeological collection of

13064-596: The king of conspiracy against him. In retaliation, he seized and burned Strehla and took the inhabitants of the town into captivity. Duke Boleslaus III of Bohemia was dethroned and the Bohemian lords made Vladivoj , who had earlier fled to Poland, duke in 1002. The Czech historian Dušan Třeštík writes that Vladivoj seized the Bohemian throne with Bolesław's assistance. After Vladivoj died in 1003, Bolesław invaded Bohemia and restored Boleslaus III who had many Bohemian noblemen murdered. The Bohemian lords who survived

13206-579: The king's opponents, including Henry of Schweinfurt to whom he sent reinforcements. King Henry defeated Henry of Schweinfurt, forcing him to flee to Bohemia in August 1003. Bolesław invaded the Margraviate of Meissen, but Margrave Gunzelin refused to surrender his capital. It is also likely that Polish forces took control of Moravia and the northern parts of the Kingdom of Hungary (present-day mostly Slovakia) in 1003 as well. The proper conquest date of

13348-512: The love of kings and princes, the wrath of judges"). The grip bears the symbols of two of the Four Evangelists : the lion of Saint Mark and the ox of Saint Luke , as well as an Agnus Dei ( Lamb of God ). The crossguard bears the following Latin inscription: Quicumque hec / nomina Deii secum tu/lerit nullum periculum / ei omnino nocebit ("Whoever will carry these names of God with him, no danger will harm him"). The reverse side of

13490-399: The main Polish force on 14 August. The entering army, led by Bolesław, was ceremonially welcomed by the local archbishop and the family of Vladimir I of Kiev . According to popular legend Bolesław notched his sword ( Szczerbiec ) hitting the Golden Gate of Kiev. Although Sviatopolk lost the throne soon afterwards and lost his life the following year, during this campaign Poland re-annexed

13632-495: The marriage without any political value. Bolesław "took a Hungarian woman" as his second wife. Most historians identify her as a daughter of the Hungarian ruler Géza , but this theory has not been universally accepted. She gave birth to a son, Bezprym , but Bolesław repudiated her. Bolesław's third wife, Emnilda , was "a daughter of the venerable lord, Dobromir ". Her father was a West Slavic or Lechitic prince, either

13774-507: The massacre "secretly sent representatives" to Bolesław, asking "him to rescue them from fear of the future", according to Thietmar of Merseburg. Bolesław invaded Bohemia and had Boleslaus III blinded. He entered Prague in March 1003 where the Bohemian lords proclaimed him duke. King Henry sent his envoys to Prague, demanding that Bolesław take an oath of loyalty and pay tribute to him, but Bolesław refused to obey. He also allied himself with

13916-530: The monarch's reign over the two constituent nations of the Commonwealth. Throughout the period from Casimir the Great ( r. 1333–1370 ) to Stanislaus Augustus, Polish crown jewels were commonly believed to date back to the times of Boleslaus the Brave. This conviction helped maintain a sense of continuity of Polish statehood and provide legitimacy for the nation's kings, implicitly making each Polish monarch

14058-460: The name "Szczerbiec" appeared in the Chronicle of Greater Poland at the turn of the 14th century. According to this source, the sword was given to King Boleslaus the Brave (reigned 992–1025) by an angel; Polish kings were supposed to always carry it in battle to triumph over their enemies. During Boleslaus's invasion of Kievan Rus' , he hit it against the Golden Gate of Kyiv while capturing

14200-565: The opposite ends of the crossguard, there are again the symbols of Saints John and Matthew. The circumference of the pommel is decorated with a rhombic pattern, while the upper side of the crossguard – with a similar triangular pattern. The narrow sides of the grip used to be embellished with inscribed silver plates, which, however, were lost in the 19th century. These lost inscriptions are partly known from graphical documentation made by King Stanislaus Augustus's court painter, Johann Christoph Werner , in 1764 and by Jacek Przybylski in 1792. One of

14342-536: The original Szczerbiec, was never used in combat. It was originally used as a sword of justice ( gladius iustitiae ), or insignia of the sovereign's judicial power, by one of the many local dukes during Poland's Age of Fragmentation . A silver plate, now lost, on the sword's grip bore an inscription which indicated a duke by the name Boleslaus as its original owner. An inscription on the Radziwiłłs' replica of Szczerbiec, now also lost, could provide an additional hint as to

14484-492: The plates had already been broken by that time with only part of the inscription preserved: Liste est glaud... h Bolezlai Duc... ("This is a sword of... Duke Boleslaus..."); the inscription on the other plate continued: Cum quo ei D[omi]n[us] SOS [ Salvator Omnipotens Salvator ] auxiletur ad[ver]sus partes amen ("With whom is the Omnipotent Lord and Savior, to help him against his enemies. Amen"). The missing part of

14626-459: The plates on the pommel and the crossguard were made by the same artist, while the plates on the grip were added later. The latter – obverse and reverse – were probably decorated in the same workshop and using the same tools, but by two different craftsmen. Moreover, a side plate with a rhombic pattern was added in the 19th century to replace one of the lost inscribed side plates. Preserved images of Szczerbiec from various points in time indicate that

14768-471: The pommel is decorated with a vine bush surrounded by a wreath of vine leaves. On the reverse of the grip, there are the eagle of Saint John and the angel of Saint Matthew , and another Agnus Dei . The crossguard bears, above another pattern of vine leaves, an inscription in corrupted Hebrew in Latin script: Con citomon Eeve Sedalai Ebrebel ("Fervent faith incite the names of God: Sedalai and Ebrehel"). On

14910-627: The province from his father with the local lords' support; and Henryk Łowmiański writes that his uncle, Boleslav II of Bohemia , granted the region to him. Mieszko I died on 25 May 992. The contemporaneous Thietmar of Merseburg recorded that Mieszko left "his kingdom to be divided among many claimants", but Bolesław unified the country "with fox-like cunning" and expelled his stepmother and half-brothers from Poland. Two Polish lords Odilien and Przibiwoj, who had supported Oda and her sons, were blinded on Bolesław's order. Historian Przemysław Wiszewski says that Bolesław had already taken control of

15052-575: The re-occupation of the marches of Lusatia, though he stopped short of retaking Meissen. The German counter-offensive began three years later (previously, Henry was occupied with rebellion in Flanders), in 1010, but it was of no significant consequence. In 1012, another ineffective campaign by archbishop Walthard of Magdeburg was launched, as he died during that campaign and, consequently, his forces returned home. Later that year, Bolesław once again invaded Lusatia . Bolesław's forces pillaged and burned

15194-607: The river Elbe", and also Bautzen , Strehla and Meissen . At the end of July, he participated at a meeting of the Saxon lords where Henry of Bavaria, who had meanwhile been crowned king of Germany, only confirmed Bolesław's possession of Lusatia, and granted Meissen to Margrave Eckard's brother, Gunzelin , and Strehla to Eckard's oldest son, Herman . The relationship between King Henry and Bolesław became tense after assassins tried to murder Bolesław in Merseburg, because he accused

15336-487: The sake of [Soběslav's] holy brother", Bishop Adalbert of Prague , according to the latter's hagiographies. Adalbert (known as Wojciech before his consecration) also came to Poland in 996, because Bolesław "was quite amicably disposed towards him". Adalbert's hagiographies suggest that the bishop and Bolesław closely cooperated. In early 997 Adalbert left Poland to proselytise among the Prussians, who had been invading

15478-624: The second year of Emperor Claudius (AD 42). Somewhere on the way, Peter encountered Mark and took him as travel companion and interpreter. Mark the Evangelist wrote down the sermons of Peter, thus composing the Gospel according to Mark, before he left for Alexandria in the third year of Claudius (AD 43). According to the Acts 15:39, Mark went to Cyprus with Barnabas after the Council of Jerusalem. According to tradition, in AD 49, about 16 years after

15620-635: The ship was sunk, at least the coronation sword could be salvaged. When the German bombing of Britain began in July 1940, the valuables were transported aboard the Polish ocean liner MS Batory to Canada and finally deposited at the Polish consulate and then other locations in Ottawa . After the war, one of the custodians of the national treasures, who remained loyal to the London -based Polish government-in-exile ,

15762-510: The slot, is 28 mm (1.1 in) in diameter, while the other measures only 1.4 mm (0.055 in). They were probably punched in the 19th century to fasten the heraldic shield to the blade. Szczerbiec is owned by the Wawel Royal Castle National Art Collection (inventory number 137) in Kraków , the former capital city of Poland. As the only preserved of Polish medieval coronation insignia, it

15904-482: The summer of 1018, in one of his expeditions, Bolesław I captured Kiev , where he installed his son-in-law Sviatopolk I as ruler. According to legend, Bolesław chipped his blade when striking Kiev's Golden Gate . In honour of this legend, the Szczerbiec ("Jagged Sword") would later become the coronation sword of Polish kings. Bolesław is widely considered one of Poland's most accomplished Piast monarchs; he

16046-490: The sword to him. His son, Jakub, possibly passed it on to Michał Radziwiłł as a present. There are doubts, however, whether the swords known to have been at Żółkiew in 1738 and at Nieśwież two years later, were in fact the same sword. The Radziwiłłs' castle was plundered by the Russian army in 1812 and the subsequent fate of their replica of Szczerbiec is unknown. This fact cast doubts over the authenticity of Szczerbiec held in

16188-509: The sword was kept in the treasury of the Wawel Cathedral . The ultimate fate of the original Szczerbiec is unknown. It may have been taken to Prague , together with other royal insignia, by King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia after his coronation as king of Poland in Gniezno in 1300. What happened with these insignia thereafter remains a mystery. Although Boleslaus the Brave's notched sword has not been preserved and even its very existence

16330-440: The symbols of Saints John and Matthew on the obverse of the grip, so that each side of the hilt displayed the symbols of all four of the Evangelists. The blade is 82 cm (32 in) long, up to 5 cm (2 in) wide (about 5 cm from the crossguard) and 3 mm (0.1 in) thick. The fuller is about 74 cm (29 in) long and, on average, 2 cm (0.8 in) wide. Metallographic analysis has shown that

16472-596: The time expressed doubts as to the authenticity of Szczerbiec held in Russia's largest museum (see Historical replicas below) . An international museum congress held in Saint Petersburg in 1913 pronounced the sword a 17th-century replica. In 1917, as a result of the October Revolution , Russia became a communist state. In the aftermath of World War I , Poland reemerged as an independent country in

16614-594: The time, the true cause of death is unknown and remains a matter of speculation. Chronicler Jan Długosz (and followed by modern historians and archaeologists) writes that Bolesław was laid to rest at the Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul in Poznań. In the 14th century, Casimir III the Great reportedly ordered the construction of a new, presumably Gothic , sarcophagus to which he transferred Bolesław's remains. The medieval sarcophagus

16756-523: The times of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , the king-elect received Szczerbiec after his anointment and before being crowned and enthroned . The primate of Poland , that is the archbishop of Gniezno , picked up the unsheathed sword from the altar and handed it to the kneeling king. At the same time, he recited a formula which asked the monarch to use the sword to rule justly, defend the Church, fight evil, protect widows and orphans, and to "rebuild what

16898-546: The wall-hangings and the coverlets, the carpets and tablecloths and napkins and everything that had been provided for their needs and take them to the emperor's quarters", according to Gallus Anonymus. Thietmar of Merseburg recorded that Bolesław presented Otto III with a troop of "three hundred armoured warriors". Bolesław also gave Saint Adalbert's arm to the Emperor. After the meeting, Bolesław escorted Otto III to Magdeburg in Germany where "they celebrated Palm Sunday with great festivity" on 25 March 1000. A continuator of

17040-542: The weapon somewhere between Belgrade and Rusçuk (now Ruse in Bulgaria) during the recent Russo-Turkish War . Krasiński, who was a known antique weapon collector, suspected it could be Szczerbiec, but asked Prof. Sebastiano Ciampi , a historian of the Warsaw University , for opinion. Ciampi examined the lithography Krasiński had had made of the sword, but was unsure whether it was the actual Szczerbiec. As

17182-519: The whole of Judea (AD 41), killed James, son of Zebedee and arrested Peter , planning to kill him after the Passover . Peter was saved miraculously by angels , and escaped out of the realm of Herod (Acts 12:1–19). Peter went to Antioch , then through Asia Minor (visiting the churches in Pontus , Galatia , Cappadocia , Asia , and Bithynia , as mentioned in 1 Peter 1 :1), and arrived in Rome in

17324-568: The whole of Poland by 992; Pleszczyński writes that this only happened in the last months of 995. Bolesław's first coins were issued around 995. One of them bore the inscription Vencievlavus, showing that he regarded his mother's uncle Duke Wenceslaus I of Bohemia as the patron saint of Poland. Bolesław sent reinforcements to the Holy Roman Empire to fight against the Polabian Slavs in summer 992. Bolesław personally led

17466-541: Was "gloriously raised to kingship by the emperor" through these acts, but the Emperor's acts in Gniezno only symbolised that Bolesław received royal prerogatives, including the control of the Church in his realm. Radim Gaudentius was installed as the archbishop of the newly established Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gniezno . At the same time, three suffragan bishoprics, subordinated to the see of Gniezno—the dioceses of Kołobrzeg , Kraków and Wrocław —were set up. Bolesław had promised that Poland would pay Peter's Pence to

17608-504: Was a daughter of Rikdag , Margrave of Meissen . Historian Manteuffel says that the marriage was arranged in the early 980s by Mieszko I who wanted to strengthen his links with the Saxon lords and to enable his son to succeed Rikdag in Meissen. Bolesław "later sent her away", according to Thietmar's Chronicon . Historian Marek Kazimierz Barański writes that Bolesław repudiated his first wife after her father's death in 985 which left

17750-473: Was also performed. During the brief period of peace on the western frontier that followed, Bolesław took part in a short campaign in the east, towards the Kievan Rus' territories. In 1014, Bolesław sent his son Mieszko to Bohemia in order to form an alliance with Duke Oldrich against Henry, by then crowned emperor . Oldrich imprisoned Mieszko and turned him over to Henry, who, however, released him in

17892-487: Was also sewn onto the left sleeve of the sand shirt which was part of the Camp of Great Poland uniform. Among the politicians who wore the badge before World War II were Roman Dmowski, Władysław Grabski , Wojciech Korfanty , Roman Rybarski , and Wojciech Jaruzelski . It was banned in 1938 during the " Sanation " period. During World War II, the badge was used by right-wing anti- Nazi and anti-Soviet military resistance groups,

18034-401: Was an able strategist and statesman , who transformed Poland into an entity comparable to older Western monarchies and arguably raised it to the front rank of European states. Bolesław conducted successful military campaigns to the west, south and east of his realm, and conquered territories in modern-day Slovakia , Moravia , Red Ruthenia , Meissen , Lusatia , and Bohemia . He established

18176-431: Was born in 989, was given in marriage to Herman I, Margrave of Meissen in 1002 or 1003. Mieszko II Lambert who was born in 990 was Bolesław's favorite son and successor. The name of Bolesław's and Emnilda's third daughter, who was born in 995, is unknown; she married Sviatopolk I of Kiev between 1005 and 1012. Bolesław's youngest son, Otto , was born in 1000. Bolesław's fourth marriage, from 1018 until his death,

18318-435: Was consecrated "Saint Adalbert's archbishop". Otto III made a pilgrimage to Saint Adalbert's tomb in Gniezno, accompanied by Pope Sylvester II 's legate , Robert, in early 1000. Thietmar of Merseburg mentioned that it "would be impossible to believe or describe" how Bolesław received the emperor and conducted him to Gniezno. A century later, Gallus Anonymus added that "[m]arvelous and wonderful sights Bolesław set before

18460-409: Was first specifically mentioned by Jan Długosz in his account of the crowning of King Casimir IV ( r. 1447–1492 ), but it was probably first used in a coronation ceremony by King Ladislaus the Short ( r. 1288–1333 ) in 1320, by which time he had reunited most of the core territories of Poland. If Szczerbiec had previously belonged to his uncle, Boleslaus I of Masovia, or his father-in-law, Boleslaus

18602-487: Was originally caused by rust and, in the 19th century, polished into a regular shape. A small heraldic shield colored with oil paint is fastened to the slot. It is roughly triangular in shape, with the sides measuring from 4 to 4.5 cm (1.6 to 1.8 in). The shield, bearing the White Eagle of Poland, was originally attached to the scabbard , or sheath. The Gothic scabbard, with a golden or silver locket and chape,

18744-402: Was partially damaged on 30 September 1772 during a fire, and completely destroyed in 1790 due to the collapse of the southern tower. Bolesław's remains were subsequently excavated from the rubble and moved to the cathedral's chapter house . Three bone fragments were donated to Tadeusz Czacki in 1801, at his request. Czacki, a notable Polish historian, pedagogue, and numismatist, placed one of

18886-497: Was probably created in 1320 and lost between 1819 and 1874. The shield is the only preserved element of the sheath. It was tilted to the left – from the onlooker's point of view – while it was fastened to the scabbard's locket, but today it is aligned with the blade. The eagle on the red field of the shield is white, with a golden crown, bands across the wings, ring on the tail, and talons. The two other perforations are round holes, 24 mm (0.94 in) apart. The upper one, just below

19028-477: Was regarded as one of the Christian realms subjected to the Holy Roman Empire in accordance with Otto III's idea of Renovatio imperii —the renewal of the Roman Empire based on a federal concept. Within that framework, Poland, along with Hungary, was upgraded to an eastern foederatus of the Holy Roman Empire, according to historian Jerzy Strzelczyk . Coins struck for Bolesław shortly after his meeting with

19170-542: Was reluctant to return them to Poland, which had fallen under communist rule and Soviet influence. After lengthy negotiations, the first batch of the most important objects, including Szczerbiec, was ultimately returned in 1959; the rest followed in 1961. Since then, the Polish coronation sword has been on permanent display in the treasure vault of the Wawel Castle. A treasury inventory of the Radziwiłł family 's Nieśwież Castle (now Nesvizh in Belarus) made in 1740 includes

19312-500: Was removed from the Wawel Hill on several occasions during that period. After his Polish coronation in 1370, King Louis I of Hungary took the crown jewels with him to Buda ; his successor on the Hungarian throne, Emperor Sigismund , rendered them to Poland in 1412. On two occasions, in mid-17th and early 18th centuries, they were evacuated across Poland's southern border to protect them from invading Swedish armies. In 1733, during

19454-455: Was shipped by sea to France and later to Britain. On the way from Bordeaux to Falmouth , the ship carrying Polish national treasures came under fire from the Luftwaffe . Karol Estreicher , who oversaw the evacuation, decided then to remove Szczerbiec from a chest and sandwich it between two wooden planks, and to attach to them an explanatory message in a bottle – so that in the event that

19596-571: Was the most powerful contender. However, Eckard was murdered on 30 April 1002, which enabled Henry of Bavaria to defeat his last opponent, Herman II, Duke of Swabia . Fearing that Henry II would side with elements in the German Church hierarchy which were unfavorable towards Poland, and taking advantage of the chaos that followed Margrave Eckard's death and Henry of Bavaria's conflict with Henry of Schweinfurt , Bolesław invaded Lusatia and Meissen. He "seized Margrave Gero's march as far as

19738-544: Was to Oda ( c. 995–1025), daughter of Margrave Eckard I of Meissen . They had a daughter, Matilda ( c. 1018–1036), betrothed (or married) on 18 May 1035 to Otto of Schweinfurt . Predslava, a daughter of Vladimir the Great and Rogneda , whom, along with her sister Mstislava, he had taken from Kiev in 1018, was his concubine. Marriages and Issue: Oda/Hunilda?, daughter of Rikdag Unknown Hungarian woman (sometimes identified as Judith of Hungary ): Emnilda , daughter of Dobromir: Oda of Meissen Mark

19880-584: Was vandalized, authorities of the Ukrainian city of Lviv demanded the removal of an image of Szczerbiec from the local Polish military cemetery . The Ukrainians, recalling the legendary use of the original sword in a Polish invasion of Kiev, argued it was a Polish nationalist, militaristic and anti-Ukrainian symbol. Boleslaus I the Brave Bolesław I the Brave ( c.  967  – 17 June 1025), less often known as Bolesław

20022-540: Was written by eyewitnesses. Evidence for Mark the Evangelist's authorship of the Gospel of Mark that bears his name originates with Papias ( c.  60  – c.  130 AD ). Scholars of the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School are "almost certain" that Papias is referencing John Mark . Modern mainstream Bible scholars find Papias's information difficult to interpret. The Coptic Church accords with identifying Mark

20164-416: Was written in the middle of the 11th century , emphasised that Bolesław had been born to a "faithless" father and a "true-believing" mother, suggesting that he was born before his father's baptism . Bolesław was baptised shortly after his birth. He was named after his maternal grandfather, Boleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia . Not much is known about Bolesław's childhood. His Epitaph recorded that he underwent

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