18. Tiara on the Vistula: Papal Authority in Medieval Poland (11th-15th Centuries)
The authority exercised by the Medieval Papacy was multifaceted: spiritual (e.g., granting dispensations, indulgences, privileges), jurisdictional (e.g., adjudicating disputes between institutions and private individuals), administrative (e.g., participating in the creation of new ecclesiastical structures) etc. To assert its authority, the Holy See developed a range of instruments through which its power could extend to the peripheries of Christendom (e.g., legations, privileges, bulls). The interventions by the Bishops of Rome were not always arbitrary attempts to impose their supremacy; sometimes, on the contrary, they were desired and anticipated. The purpose of the papers in this panel is to illustrate the various methods used by the Papacy to exercise its authority in the Polish lands and to present the complex dynamics of the relationships between the Holy See and Polish rulers, ecclesiastical institutions, communities, and private individuals. Demonstrating the multidimensional nature of this intricate issue requires that the papers be interdisciplinary and characterized by diverse methodological approaches.
The issue covered in the title of the proposed paper has not yet been comprehensively, multidimensionally and modernly studied in the form of a uniform monograph, either in Polish or foreign historiography. Meanwhile, this is an important problem that undoubtedly deserves thorough study and presentation within an appropriately broad analytical framework, using universal historical analogies. In my speech, I intend to share with the audience the results of my over ten-year research on the visits of legates and envoys of the Holy See to Poland during the reign of the Piast dynasty. Since my research is aimed at a future monograph on the subject, it seems reasonable to collect in one place and in a synthetic form what has been established so far through collective effort, and then indicate which topics still require reflection and discussion. I will conclude my paper with a presentation of the project of the planned dissertation together with the research method and its questionnaire.
In the year of the thousandth anniversary of the first Polish royal rituals of 1025, it is worth reconsidering the question of papal approval of royal coronations during the Piasts' inauguration rites in the 11th century. This paper re-examines the role of the papacy in legitimising monarchs in the early and high Middle Ages, examining legal, theological, and political aspects. Analysing sources and historiography, it explores how rulers dealt with papal approval and its regional variability. This study reassesses the papal role in coronations, offering new insights into medieval power dynamics, especially in medieval Poland.
Around the year 1126, the papal legate Ides of Tusculum arrived in Poland. The envoy primarily focused on organizing the diocesan structure of Christianized Pomerania. He also established two new bishoprics in Lubusz and Włocławek, which, of course, involved the reorganization of certain Polish dioceses. During his legation, the papal envoy also confirmed the holdings of the Tyniec Monastery and may have participated in the consecration of the Kraków Cathedral. The legation of Ides of Tusculum will be presented in the context of other papal legations, which, from the 1060s onwards, became an extremely important instrument in the politics of the Holy See towards provincial churches.
The papal court session in Gdańsk, which most likely took place in 1342, was one of the episodes in the conflict between the Bishopric of Kamień and the Archbishopric of Gniezno regarding control over the Pomeranian Church. Representatives from both the Polish and Pomeranian sides appeared before the papal legate, Galhard de Carceribus. A note of the proceedings has survived to this day, detailing the arguments presented by the Pomeranians, which they believed supported the long-standing independence of the Pomeranian bishopric from Poland. The paper will discuss these arguments in the broader context of the Polish-Pomeranian dispute and the emerging sense of Pomeranian identity.
One of the legal institutions provided by the Holy See for the defense of the rights of institutions, and sometimes individuals, was the office of conservators (iudices conservatores), a special type of papal delegate judge. They were appointed to defend the rights and welfare of a given institution threatened by other entities, both ecclesiastical and secular. This institution, independent of customary jurisdiction, presents an interesting example of the judicial power of the Holy See. The paper aims to discuss the state of research on the office of conservators both in Poland and Europe, as well as to present potential research perspectives for the future.
Three sources have been preserved presenting the position taken by the Holy See regarding the holiness of Hedwig of Silesia. All of them were created on the day of canonization or shortly before. The basis for these texts were materials sent by the Polish side. To some extent, it is possible to determine what was in these materials. The aim of this paper is to answer the question whether and to what extent the Silesian hagiographer, when he wrote Vita maior of St. Hedwig around 1300, took into account the views of the papal curia. While it can be assumed that the canonization bull of the Duchess of Silesia was known to him, while it is possible that the author of the Life of Anna knew it, it is unlikely in relation to the authors of the Life of St. Salome and the Life of St. Kunegunde. The analysis of these last three works will focus on confronting the papacy's views on holiness with the opinions of relevant hagiographers.
The aim of the paper is to provide a general overview of the relations between the Holy See and Central European countries such as Bohemia and Hungary. Different aspects of these relations will be highlighted, such as the activity of pontifical legates, the papacy’s involvement in episcopal appointments, the individual and personal privileges granted by the Apostolic Penitentiary or other institutions of the Roman Curia, as well as the collection of ecclesiastical fees, etc. The paper will be presented in English and online.
The aim of this paper is to examine the reasons why the municipal authorities of Biecz decided to petition Pope Alexander VI for a privilege for the Church of Corpus Christi. In a bull dated June 25, 1501, Pope Borgia granted permission for a Eucharistic procession to be held on one Thursday of each month, offering indulgences to its participants. Analyzing this case study will provide insight into how the authority of the Holy See was utilized by local secular and ecclesiastical elites and the channels through which they established contact with the papacy.
The date and place of the paper will be announced soon, along with the detailed schedule of the Congress.
The first decades of the christanitas, counted from the moment of the ruler's baptism and thus his sovereignty, were focused, among other things, on expanding and consolidating his position.The most important factors they used were, on the one hand, the acquisition of the crown and, on the other, the establishment of an ecclesiastical organisation based on the archbishopric.
The establishment of the metropolis was a long and multi-stage process. One of the most important decisions was the choice of the archbishop's and the bishop's seats. In the two kingdoms of the Younger Europe - Poland and Hungary - the rulers of both were baptised within a relatively short period of time and metropolises were established in their kingdoms by papal bull. However, each example is characterised by different features from the prerogatives granted to them, to the choice of seats for the various offices, to the choice of their architectural forms - cathedrals.
In my paper, I analyse testimonies from the period of the first Piast monarchy indicating the importance for Polish rulers of contacts with the Holy See, combined with selected testimonies of the significance of the cult of St Peter the Apostle (the first Bishop of Rome) for the Piasts. I compare the cited testimonies to the actions taken towards the Holy See by the Slavic rulers (including the Croatian prince Branimir and the Great Moravian prince Svatopluk) and the Bulgarian khan Boris from the 9th century, who devoted themselves ‘in servitio beati Petri’, which, in my opinion, was supposed to justify the involvement of the Holy See in the creation of an ecclesiastical organisation in their subordinate area. In comparison to this model of behaviour, I try to determine what purpose the contacts of the first Piasts (Mieszko I and later Bolesław the Brave) with the papacy served and to what extent they could relate to the actions of the ninth-century rulers.
The translation of St. Florian's relics to Poland in 1184 is first mentioned in the capitular annals. Under the year 1184, it is recorded that Idzi of Modena transferred the relics of St. Florian to Kraków, where they were ceremoniously received by the then Bishop of Kraków, Gedka. Later annals only add minor details to this account. However, all sources emphasize the significant role of the Italian cleric, who was the main intermediary between Poland and the papacy at the time. The Pope decided to grant the Polish side the entire body of the martyr, which undoubtedly contributed to raising the prestige of the Kraków center. In addition, this strengthened the position of one of the initiators of the translation – Casimir the Just.
One of the most controversial aspects of the early relations between the Piast state and the papacy is the submission of the bishoprics of the Gniezno ecclesiastical province to the Archbishopric of Magdeburg by Pope Innocent II in 1133. This event is typically interpreted as part of the political and ecclesiastical expansion of the German Empire, with particular scholarly debate surrounding the list of bishoprics included in the papal privilege. A separate issue concerns the origins of the so-called Gniezno Bull of 1136, traditionally and widely regarded as a response to Magdeburg’s claims. This paper aims to critically reassess existing interpretations of the function and pragmatics of Innocent II’s privileges from 1133 and 1136. It seeks to incorporate more recent research on post-Gregorian papacy, papal diplomatics, and a more meticulous examination of the principles of political culture and the mental frameworks of the period than has been undertaken thus so far.
The aim is to show - of course in the key points - the situation in Central Euroipe in the 1460s in contacts withe the papacy. The main complication was that the hussite king George of Podebrady ruled in Bohemia. At the same time, the papacy - especially in the person of Pius II - actively promoted a crusade against the Turks, and saw George of Podebrady as the leader of this expedition because hoped for the return of the "prodigal son" to the Church. In Silesia, we have also mobilization - supported by the papacy - against the heretic king. In turn, Casimir IV Jagiellon did not want to get involved in Silesia against George of Podebrady, because he was fighting a 13-year war with the Teutonic Knights. Showing this node, in which the papacy was an important link, deserves attention. It is important to ask a few questions here relating to the entire continent
