HISTORICAL

MOMENTS

OF POLAND

THE BAPTISM OF

MIESZKO I-966

THE BAPTISM OF

MIESZKO I-966

Mieszko I is a historical ruler of Poland. A member of the Piast dynasty

He is considered the creator of the Polish state.

The baptism of Mieszko I took place in 966.The place is unknown; it could have

had happened in any of the cities of the Empire, but also in one of the Polish towns

like Gniezno or Ostrów Lednicki. The belief that the baptism was accomplished

through the Czechs in order to avoid the dependence on Germany and the German

Church is incorrect, because Bohemia would not have its own church organization

until 973. At the time of the baptism of Mieszko the existing Bohemian church

establishment was a part of the Regensburg diocese. Thus, if the Polish ruler

accepted the baptism through Prague's mediation, it had to be sanctioned in

Regensburg. However, the religious vocabulary (words like baptism, sermon,

prayer, church, apostle, bishop or confirmation) were adopted from the Czech

language and had to come from Dobrawa's entourage and the church elements that

arrived with her. Perhaps with her also came the first Polish bishop-Jordan

The Baptism in 966 put Mieszko I and his

country in the cultural sphere of Western

Christianity

The Battle of Grunwald- 1410

The Battle of Grunwald

was fought on 15 July 1410, during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King WładysławII Jagiełło(Jogaila) and Grand Duke Vytautas (Witold) decisively defeated the German–Prussian Teutonic Knights, led by Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen. Most of the Teutonic Knights' leadership were killed or taken prisoner. Although defeated, the Teutonic Knights withstood the siege of their fortress in Marienburg (Malbork) and suffered minimal territorial losses at the Peace of Thorn (1411) (Toruń). The knights never recovered their former power, and the financial burden of war reparations caused internal conflicts and an economic downturn in their lands. The battle shifted the balance of power in Eastern Europe and marked the rise of the Polish–Lithuanian union as the dominant political and military force in the region.

The battle was one of the largest battles in Medieval Europe and is regarded as

the most important victory in the histories of Poland, Belarus and Lithuania. It was

surrounded by romantic legends and was a source of national pride, becoming a

larger symbol of struggle against invaders. During the 20th century, the battle was

used in Nazi and Soviet propaganda campaigns. Only in recent decades have

historians made progress towards a dispassionate, scholarly assessment of the battle,

reconciling the previous narratives, which differed widely by nation

Polish Independence Day

11.11.1918

Józef Piłsudski was Polish statesman; Chief of State (1918–22),

"First Marshal of Poland” (from 1920), and de facto dictator (1926–

35) of the Second Polish Republic, Minister of Military Affairs. From

mid-World War I he had a major influence in Poland's politics, and

was an important figure on the European political scene.

He was the person most responsible for the creation of the Second

Republic of Poland in 1918, 123 years after it had been taken over by

Russia, Austria and Prussia.

On 11 November 1918, in Warsaw, Piłsudski was appointed

Commander in Chief of Polish forces by the Regency Council and

was entrusted with creating a national government for the newly

independent country. On that very day (which would become

Poland's Independence Day), he proclaimed an independent Polish

state.

Józef Piłsudski as a “First Marshal of Poland”