Editing Mieszko I (section)

===Marriage and conversion to Christianity===
{{See also|Baptism of Poland}}
[[File:Ostrów Lednicki - ruiny palatium - MF-IMG 6221.JPG|thumb|[[Ostrów Lednicki]], ruins of palatium and chapel]]

Probably in 964 Mieszko began negotiations with [[Boleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia]]. As a result, in 965 Mieszko married his daughter [[Dobrawa of Bohemia|Dobrawa]] (also named ''Dobrava'', ''Doubravka'' or ''Dąbrówka'').<ref>G. Labuda, ''Mieszko I'', pp. 43–45.</ref> This political [[Polish-Bohemian alliance]] is likely to have been initiated by the Polish ruler. It is probable that the marriage was officially arranged in February 965.<ref>G. Labuda, ''Mieszko I'', p. 92</ref>

The next step was the baptism of Mieszko. There are different hypotheses concerning this event. Most often it is assumed that it was a political decision, intended to bring Mieszko's state closer to the [[Czech (people)|Czech]]s and to facilitate his activities in the [[Polabian Slavs]] area. At the same time, the baptism decreased the likelihood of future attacks by German margraves and deprived them of the opportunity to attempt Christianization of Mieszko's lands by force. An additional reason could be Mieszko's desire to remove from power the influential pagan priest class, which may have been blocking his efforts to establish a more centralized rule.<ref>G. Labuda, ''Mieszko I'', chap. IV.3.</ref>

A different hypothesis is linked with the above-mentioned acceptance of the veracity of Gero's invasion of Poland. According to it, it was the attack of the Margrave that forced the Catholicization, which was to be an act of subordination to the Emperor, done without the mediation of the Pope.<ref>H. Łowmiański, ''Początki Polski'', pp. 342–345.</ref>

[[File:Gladius Sancti Petri, Poznań (2).png|thumb|left|The [[Sword of Peter]], a religious relic gifted by [[Pope John XIII]] to Mieszko or [[Jordan (bishop of Poland)|Jordan]], the first Polish bishop. It arrived in Poland in around 968, following Mieszko's conversion.]]

Still other motives were responsible according to [[Gallus Anonymus]], who claimed that it was Dobrawa who convinced her husband to change his religion. Likewise chronicler Thietmar attributes Mieszko's conversion to Dobrawa's influence. There are no reasons to negate Dobrawa's role in Mieszko's acceptance of Roman Catholicism; however, crediting rulers' wives with positive influence over their husbands' actions was a common convention at that time.

It is generally recognized that the baptism of Mieszko I took place in 966.<ref>Between 965–967 according to the ''Monumenta Poloniae Historica'' ed. by A. Bielowski, vol. II, Lwów 1872; in 966 according to Tadeusz Wojciechowski.</ref> The place is unknown; it could have had happened in any of the cities of the [[Holy Roman Empire|Empire]] (possibly [[Regensburg]]), but also in one of the Polish towns like [[Gniezno]] or [[Ostrów Lednicki]].<ref>G. Labuda, ''Mieszko I'', pp. 92–97.</ref> The belief that the baptism was accomplished through the Czechs in order to avoid the dependence on Germany and the German Church is incorrect{{Citation needed|date=October 2022|reason=The previously stated soruce doesn't exist anymore and it's copy in Internet Archive doesn't support that claim}}, 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 (Bishop of Poland)|Jordan]]. It could be that the reason for the Czech preference of Mieszko was the existence in Bohemia of a mission which followed the precepts of the [[Byzantine Greek]] brothers and later [[saints Cyril and Methodius]], who developed and performed the liturgy in the Slavic rite, more readily understood by Mieszko and his subjects. The Slavic rite church branch had survived in Bohemia for another hundred years after Mieszko's baptism.