Editing Boleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia (section)

==Reign==

=== War with Otto I ===
Under Boleslaus’s rule, Bohemia renounced the rule of the Eastern Franks's raging war with Otto the Great, the eldest son of Henry I. This war rejuvenated a newfound sense of unity within the kingdom as they came together to fight against the East Frankish Empire pushing them out of Prague. Boleslaus stopped the payment shortly after he ascended the throne, which led to this war with King [[Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto]]. In 935, Boleslaus attacked the [[Duchy of Thuringia|Thuringian]] allies of the Saxons in the northwest and defeated two of Otto's armies (from Thuringia and [[Merseburg]]). The war then deteriorated to border raids (the general pattern of warfare in this region at the time) and reached its conclusion in 950, when King Otto besieged a castle owned by Boleslaus's son, Boleslaus II. This prompted Boleslaus to sign a peace treaty with Otto. Although he remained undefeated, he promised to resume the payment of tribute. However, because of his success against the Eastern Franks, Boleslaus would become a great ally to Otto the Great in his later conquest.

=== Military Conquests ===
[[File:Český stát v X. století za Boleslava I. a II.jpg|thumb|250px|Expansion of the Bohemian state during the reign of Boleslaus I and Boleslaus II]]
Five years after the war with Otto, Boleslaus and the armies of the Bohemians and Franks allied against the Magyars in the victorious [[Battle of Lechfeld]]. After the battle, the remainder of the huge Magyar army turned to Bohemia, where it was crushed by Boleslaus. He had also helped Otto to crush an uprising of [[Polabian Slavs|Slavic]] tribes led by the [[Obotrites|Obotrite]] princes [[Nako (Obotrite prince)|Nakon]] and [[Stoigniew|Stojgněv]] on the Lower [[Elbe]] river in the [[Battle on the Raxa]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-05-26 |title=Boje polabských Slovanů za nezávislost v letech 928 – 955 |url=https://www.e-stredovek.cz/post/boje-polabskych-slovanu-za-nezavislost-v-letech-928-955/ |access-date=2024-12-10 |website=www.e-stredovek.cz |language=cs}}</ref> The defeat of the invading Hungarians brought the same benefits to both Franks and Bohemians. Less obvious is what Boleslaus expected to gain from his participation in Otto's war against the Obotrite princes in the far north. He probably wanted to ensure that his powerful Frankish neighbors did not interfere with him in expanding the Bohemian territories to the east.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last=Štefan |first=Ivo |last2=Stránská |first2=Petra |last3=Vondrová |first3=Hana |date=2016 |title=The archaeology of early medieval violence: the mass grave at Budeč, Czech Republic |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0003598X16000296/type/journal_article |journal=Antiquity |language=en |volume=90 |issue=351 |pages=759–776 |doi=10.15184/aqy.2016.29 |issn=0003-598X}}</ref> As a result of the victory, Boleslaus freed the [[Moravia]]n lands from Magyar raids and expanded his territory, which in turn was later conquered by [[History of Poland during the Piast dynasty|Polish]] dukes and became known as [[Upper Silesia]] and [[Lesser Poland]]. By occupying the city of [[Kraków]], he controlled important trade routes from Prague to [[Kiev]] and [[Lviv]]. He even allied with Mieszko in the campaign against the Saxon count [[Wichmann the Younger]]. Boleslaus was ambitious in his conquest gaining many new territories for Bohemia. It was under Boleslaus that the “hradská soustava” system was created. In this system, strongholds are built all along the countryside. These strongholds were integral for keeping governance over the land, each castle holding importance whether militaristic, political, or religious. As the Bohemian territory expanded, so did the expansion of Christianity in those territories.

=== Religious Expansion ===
Despite his violent rise to power and aggressive ruling style that differed heavily from his predecessors, Boleslaus I kept strong ties with the Roman Catholic Church throughout his reign and played a part in further Catholicizing Eastern Europe. Similarly to his predecessors, Duke Boleslaus I had several religious institutions built throughout Bohemia.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Curta |first=Florin |title=Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages (500-1300) |date=2019 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-34257-6 |series=Brill's companions to European history |location=Leiden Boston}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> This is not only a sign of his commitment to Catholicism but monasteries also supported Bohemia through an elevated economy and the keeping of records, books, and manuscripts which are often written in monasteries.

Duke Boleslaus I made many alliances throughout his reign, and his alliance with Prince [[Mieszko I|Mieszco I]] is often accredited with converting Poland to Roman Catholicism. The alliance between Bohemia and Poland was built through the marriage of Boleslaus I’s daughter, [[Doubravka of Bohemia|Doubravka]], to Prince Miezco I of Poland. Doubravka refused to marry the Prince of Poland unless he converted to Catholicism which he eventually did.<ref name=":2" /> This marriage was not only a strong political move to create an alliance between Bohemia and Poland but also a move to further the Roman Catholic conversion of Eastern Europe.

=== Economy and Trade ===
Under Boleslaus I, Prague was a major trading center and wealthy city. A narrative from a traveling Jewish merchant illustrates a prosperous city that traded goods as well as some form of cash.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rapoport |first=Semen |date=1929 |title=On the Early Slavs. The Narrative of Ibrahim-Ibn-Yakub |journal=Slavonic Year-Book |volume=8 |issue=23 |pages=331–341}}</ref> Flour, tin, slaves, and furs were desired among the Rus, Slavs, Turks, and Jews who are recorded to have traveled to Bohemia to trade for these goods. During the reign of the Boleslaus I, Prague was a production center as well, producing items like saddles, bridles, and shields. Bohemia also produced kerchiefs which were very thin and of no functional use but were used as precious items for trading. The expansive system of trade and production in Prague indicates cultural connections and foreign relationships that existed during the reign of Boleslaus I. Trading with foreign lands and people likely contributed to the spread of Christianity to Bohemia’s trading partners, further indicating a focus on Christianization under the rule of Boleslaus I. Boleslaus I and his predecessors are also known to have built churches, monasteries, and strongholds in the city of Prague.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> Medieval religious institutions were very wealthy and important in building both the city and Bohemia’s population and economy. The growing economic strength Bohemia while Duke Boleslaus I was in power built stability and influence which he would use in his efforts to centralize Bohemian power.