Mieszko I

born с 930

died May 25, 992

Prince or duke of Poland (963?–992).

He accepted Christianity from Rome (966) to avoid forced conversion by the Germans and the incorporation of Poland into the Holy Roman Empire. He expanded Poland southward into Galicia and northward as far as the Baltic Sea.

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▪ duke and prince of Poland

born c. 930

died May 25, 992

      Piast prince or duke of Poland (from c. 963), who brought Poland into Christendom and expanded the state to the Baltic Sea.

      Mieszko accepted Christianity from Rome in 966 in order to resist forced conversion by the Germans and the incorporation of Poland into the Holy Roman Empire—the fate of Bohemia. Mieszko expanded the Polish state southward into Galicia at the expense of Bohemia and northward to the Baltic Sea through the incorporation of Pomerania. At the height of his power, Mieszko subordinated his kingdom to the papacy (990–991) in order to guarantee its ecclesiastical independence from the German empire (later known as the Holy Roman Empire). His son Bolesław I continued his policies.

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