Crowned by the German emperor? How was it with the Brave

On Saturday, April 12, 2025 The march passed through the streets of Warsaw On the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the Kingdom of Poland and the 500th anniversary of the Prussian homage. The event took place under the auspices of President Andrzej Duda. Many Law and Justice politicians took part in it – Jarosław Kaczyński, Przemysław Czarnek, Piotr Gliński and Patryk Jaki. There was also Karol Nawrocki, a candidate of this party in the presidential election. After the march, he gave a speech from the stage at Castle Square.

The campaign nature of the event could not be missed. He was reported by the media, including the Zero channel, which belongs to another candidate for the office of president, Krzysztof Standowski. “How long was Bolesław Chrobry was the king?” – The participants of the march from the channel journalist heard the question. He also asked them to Karol Nawrocki. “1000 years after coronation today. In 1025 this coronation took place. Anyway, just like Mieszko II” – Nawrocki began his answer. “And how long was he a king? It is not known?” The journalist asked. Karol Nawrocki replied: “Well, I would have to go back to his memory, to my historical processor, but I will not play in accurate determination now. I think that if we could talk longer, in 20 seconds I could give it thoroughly.”

Nawrocki's answer from the Zero channel video was later commented on in the Polish network. “Pity! This is apparently a historian by profession, after all, this is a primary school knowledge …”; “Apparently a doctor of historical sciences”; “Nawrocki played the role of Mateusz Morawiecki for a moment and began to pour water in response” – commented on the words of the President of the Institute of National Remembrance Facebook users.

But the evasive answer of Karol Nawrocki is not the only thread that appeared in a public discussion after Saturday's march. Many PiS politicians shared recordings and photos from the event on social media. One of them was Patryk Jaki, who made available on the X website a fragment of the material of Telewizja Republika, which shows the participants of the march recorded from the bird's eye view. “I am pleased to inform you that there are about 100,000 Poles on the march on the occasion of #1000 years” – wrote (Spelling of all entries original).

Jakub Bierzyński, head of the OMD Poland group, publicist and public life commentator, reacted to the entry of the politician on the same day. In the past, he also advised politicians, including Ryszard Petru and Robert Biedroni. “It is interesting that the right -wing such anti -German 'Patriots' celebrate the act of coronation of Bolesław the Brave at the hands of Otto III Emperor of the Roman Empire of the German nation, giving him the title of 'brother and collaborator' '' Frater et cooper commented In the post on X.

Bierzyński's entry generated over 300,000 views. Some commentators shared the criticism of the journalist directed towards Law and Justice deputies. “They know nothing about Bolesław the Brave, the backstage of coronation and Otton III. Their understanding are learned: God, honor, homeland, patriots, cursed soldiers, JPII, and preferably everything together and everything devaluated to slogans”; “They are celebrating because the priest, president or master's degree on just television said. The ruminants do not read books that require independent analysis.”

However, a significant proportion of Internet users drew attention to the lack of convergence of dates between the coronation and the death of Otto III: “this coronation 1000 years ago, during which Otton III had been dead for over 20 years?”; “You graduated from primary school with your own strength? If so, I would like to find out how …”; “I understand that you can mistake the year 1025 of 1000, and the emperor with the Pope. But you know, there is something that is called Google. There is also Wikipedia. You could try. They have the potential to change your life. And certainly save compromise.”

The next day, the Law and Justice MP Radosław Fogiel responded to the entry of the journalist. “Otton III died in 1002, but he managed to crown the Brave in 1025. These people want to explain the world to us …” – replied to Bierzyński's entry, accusing him of a complete mistake of dates.

“Knowledge taken from the new Nowacka textbook”; “Half -intelligence in a nutshell”; “They should give either money or diplomas. Because both went in sand”; “Mr. Jakub is known for his political preferences and passionate to preach the world that he does not sin with intelligence and knowledge” – commented on the words of Bierzyński under the entry of Fogl Internet users. However, some of them accused the MP. “You, however, get on”; “As usual, you showed ignorance and adequate”; “However, you don't know the story, right?” – they wrote.

“So who crowned him?” – asked one of Fogl and Bierzyński commenting on the discussion. So we remind you if any of them made a mistake and what happened in 1000 and what in 1025.

Little is known about the coronation of the first Polish king Bolesław the Brave. “No chronicler from the era, and we are only rely on the reluctant Polish rulers of German messages, he did not provide the daily date or the place of this event,” he writes Polish History Museumand, which, moreover, on the anniversary of the coronation of the first king of Poland prepared a temporary exhibition “1025. The birth of the kingdom“” Based on indirect data, it can be indicated with high probability on April 18, 1025, which was the day this year was Easter, and as a place of coronation – the Archcathedral in Gniezno, associated with the cult of Saint Wojciech ” – we read on the MHP website.

There, we also find the answer to the question about the role of the German king and Roman emperor Otto III. Well, in fact, the official coronation took place in 1025, i.e. after the death of Otto III (he died in 1002). However, earlier, in 1000 during the Gniezno congress, Prince Bolesław received the crown for the first time. As MHP describes before 1025, “the splendor of the royal crown accompanied the prince for a quarter of a century”, because “at the memorable Gniezno congress in 1000 Emperor Otto III symbolically imposed on his temple his own tiara, which later Polish tradition interpreted as the right moment of coronation” (original spelling). However, after the Gniezno congress, the coronation process released. The attempt to obtain the Pope's consent to coronation was prevented by the actions of the opponents of the Polish ruler. MHP writes that “the already prepared crown was awarded to the Hungarian prince Stefan Saint”. In addition, the coronation of the Brave stopped the death of Otto III and the conflict with his successor – Henry II.

So the coronation took place a quarter of a century later. “Bolesław the Brave skillfully took advantage of the uncertain situation of the empire after the death of his longtime enemy Henry II in 1024, as well as the almost simultaneous death of Pope Benedict VIII, that – probably not even asking for the consent of their successors – complete the anointing and coronation ceremony, crowning many years of efforts” – informs MHP. The museum also answers the question that Karol Nawrocki did not answer in an interview with the Zero Canal journalist. Well, the coronation of the first king of Poland, whose anniversary is coming, took place about two months before his death.

MHP The importance of coronation from 1025 describes: “The first coronation of 1025, making the monarch of God's anointed, was also a political act, a manifestation of the will of the independence and sovereignty of the young Polish state. Poland began to be described and described as a kingdom, although the dignity of its rulers would eventually consolidate only after the coronation of Władysław Łokietek in 1320 year “.

Jakub Bierzyński also writes about the events of 1000, to which Jakub Bierzyński referred to in his post. “In a symbolic sense, it was the events of 1000 that were remembered and worked on the imagination of the then people” – we read on the portal Kronyjiejow.pl. “Independent sources of German provenance clearly confirm that Bolesław, using a short interregnum in Germany, was ordered to be corrupted in 1025 but the exact date, nor the place is known. On the other hand, others believe that in 1025 only coronation was renewed from 1000 – multiple coronations are found at that time” – he writes Historykon.pl (original spelling).

We asked dr. Michał Pilerski, a historian and spokesman for the Polish History Museum. The expert explained that both dates are relevant in the discussion about the Kingdom of Poland, and in the historical environment you can find different opinions about the one that was really more important. – The year 1000 was a breakthrough, because Bolesław the Brave visited Emperor Otto III in Gniezno and he symbolically treated him as an actually equal ruler. Bolesław's tiara, which was given at the time, was referred to as a trace of the de facto coronation of the Polish ruler. Most historians agree, however, that the date of the actual coronation is 1025 – says Dr. Pilerski in an interview with Zasta24.

Then the historian explains what various interpretations of the history of the first Polish king are: – Because we are talking about the Middle Ages and the space in which we have scanty sources, requiring interpretation, in this case we are dealing with two divergent interpretations. Simplifying, the first of them says that the year 1000 and the Gniezno congress is more important – by ties with the empire, with the secular authorities. In the second interpretation, 1025 is more important – you can emphasize the sovereignty aspect. In 1025, the Brave was de facto against the Empire, and in 1000 it would be elevated at the imperial grace – explains the expert.

– In the statement of each of the parties to the discussion we will find real elements, but the dispute itself, especially when it comes to the form, I consider it unnecessary – sums up the exchange of sentences between Radosław Foglem and Jakub Bierzyński, Dr. Pilerski.