Poland in Christian Civilization

Poland in Christian Civilization - Jerzy Braun

The history of Polish Christianity began in 966 when Duke Mieszko was converted through his wife, a Bohemian princess, and the first bishopric was established in Poznan in 968. The faith grew and flourished under Mieszko's son, Boleslaw I the Brave, who gained recognition as king from Emperor Otto III. The expansion of Christianity owed much to the work of missionaries from the German Empire, as well as the legacy of St. Adalbert of Prague, who was martyred at the hands of the Prussian pagans. In 1000 Gniezno, Adalbert's burial place, was made an independent archepiscopal see with three suffragan bishoprics, and Boleslaw promoted the church's organizational structure in his expanding realm. The death of Boleslaw ushered in a period of turmoil, in which the church began to disintegrate along with the kingdom. Pagan attacks on churches brought the deaths of Christians, and later conflicts between king and church led to the death of Bishop Stanislaus of Cracow.