dr Karol Nabiałek

Urban officials held public functions and were aware of this. This was particularly evident in royal towns, where officials felt that they were, in a way, an extension of the monarch's power - a royal arm. Using selected Polish cities as an example, an attempt will be made to trace the terminology and means of expression used to emphasize the importance of offices and the scope of their competences.

dr hab. Agnieszka Teterycz-Puzio, prof. UP

The aim of the presentation is to present the ways in which women were defined in documents issued in the lands of the Piast and in the power of the Gryphites in the period from the late 12th to the beginning of the 14th century. This issue will be presented in relation to women belonging to the ruling dynasty, as well as to the superiors of monasteries and nuns, as well as in the sources of the chivalrous stratum. The cited title, especially in the documents of duchesses and superiors of monasteries, indicates indirectly whether and how the functions they performed could have changed the position of women in a patriarchal society. Another issue relates to the issue of women's use. Witness lists will also be looked at. The documents also provide information about legal actions that have been taken by women in the knighthood: they include specific terms used in relation to specific women, or whether women are treated in a particular way in the documents.

dr hab. Zofia Wilk-Woś, prof. Uniwersytetu WSB Merito w Toruniu

The metropolitan cross mentioned in the title of the paper as a symbol of supremacy over the ecclesiastical province of Gniezno is an important iconographic element of archbishop seal representations. The metropolitans of Gniezno continued the custom, common since the 13th century, of carrying the cross before them during processions and other ceremonies. Among the courtiers we find people who performed the function of crucifer, and carried the cross before the archbishop. The cross also appears on archbishops' tombstones, foundation tablets, and even stove tiles or as a compositional element of the initial in the archbishop's document. In addition to the cross, in late medieval sources we can also find other symbols of the power of the archbishops of Gniezno and primates (e.g. miter, pallium, seal), which will be discussed in the paper.

dr hab. Adam Krawiec, prof. UAM

The contribution addresses the problem of the possibility of reconstructing, on the base of available sources, the activities of a high medieval ruler concerning the creation of his own image, taking into consideration the fundamental issue, i.e. the relevance of the use, in relation to the Middle Ages, of contemporary terms such as ‘image strategy’, ‘image creation’, etc. The above mentioned issues will be analysed on the example of Władysław I Herman, Duke of Poland. Possible source evidence of the ruler's image-making activities from different categories of historical sources will be discussed. Particular attention will be paid to the research difficulties involved in analysing these sources and to assess to what extent these difficulties are specific to the particular case of Władysław Herman and to what extent they are of a more general nature. An attempt will also be made to reconstruct Herman's ‘image strategy’ in the light of the sources, and to estimate its effectiveness.

prof. dr hab. Anna Pobóg-Lenartowicz

prof. dr hab. Anna Pobóg-Lenartowicz

The aim of the presentation is to show how the princesses and duchesses of Upper Silesia (descending from the original line of Opole rulers) manifested their power. The seals of the rulers, their titles in documents, but also their participation in foundation politics, which was also a way of manifesting power, will be used.

dr hab. Lidia Korczak, prof. UJ

The crisis in Polish-Lithuanian relations in the last years of the reign of Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila), caused by the coronation efforts of Vytautas the Great and later by Švitrigaila’s attempts to break up the union and achieve the full sovereignty of Lithuania, resulted in the parties presenting their arguments on the international arena in the speeches of deputies at the Reichstag in Nuremberg or to the Papal Curia, but also in the correspondence circulating between the courts of rulers, manifestos issued and consilia prepared by scholars. The use of letters and manifestos as a tool to present and promote the right to power became very evident during the dispute between natural brothers Władysław II Jagiełło and Švitrigaila. And it was not a matter of convincing each other between the conflicting parties or making them aware of the situation, but of outlining their reasons before external parties. In letters addressed to the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, King Władysław II wrote about the inheritance of power from his father and referred to the Lithuanian-Ruthenian rule as his heritage, calling the Grand Duchy of Lithuania his verum et legittimum patrimonium. His youngest brother similarly defended his power by referring to its basis. In the Vitebsk manifesto of March 1433 addressed to the Council of Basel, Švitrigaila’s loyal subjects drew attention primarily to the consensual election of the prince on Jogaila's advice and guidance, completely ignoring the question of hereditary rights. Moreover, in the light of the statement of the prince's Ruthenian subjects, it was only the legitimate election of Švitrigaila that made him verus heres. One of the letters presented at the council by Švitrigaila’s spokesmen, full of misrepresentations and accusations against Jogaila, led to a clash between Polish and Teutonic (as well as Švitrigaila’s) advocates. The exchange of letters, manifestos and consilia and the discussion that took place around the arguments raised in them regarding the right to succession and power in the Jagiellonian monarchy shaped the political culture of the elites and established the role of writings in it.

dr hab. Zenon Piech, prof. UJ

Medieval seals were an important instrument of power representation and a key component of historical communication systems. They formed part of the broader set of symbols of authority. Research on the iconography of seals used by princes and kings of the Piast dynasty fully confirms this observation. It is now time to pose similar questions regarding the seals of Piast duchesses, which, from this perspective, remain disproportionately less explored. The author aims to determine what types of seals were used by Piast duchesses and what messages were conveyed through the imagery depicted on them. To what extent did these images reflect historical realities, and to what extent did they shape them? This paper contributes to the study of Piast duchesses, examining their status, value systems, aspirations, material and spiritual culture (including religiosity) through the lens of their seals.

lic. Kacper Pielat

Among the various gaps in the study of cartularies within Polish historiography, one of the most notable is the lack of adequate consideration given to the form of these still insufficiently recognized chancery records. The term 'cartulary' can encompass a broad spectrum of diverse source types, from single parchment sheets to large, illuminated codices. Recently, Anna Adamska has emphasized the significance of the charter’s appearance and layout in this context. In the case of cartularies, the problem can be observed on two levels: the organization of the graphosphere of the cartulary itself, as well as the reproduction of the graphic features of a particular charter. This paper will look at several examples to explore these overlooked aspects of source studies and to highlight the prestigious, symbolic and ceremonial roles that some cartularies may have played in expressing authority and institutional identity.

mgr Jagna Rita Sobel

The period of the pontificate of Henry of Wierzbna, spanning the years 1302-1319, was a time of stabilization and strengthening of episcopal authority in the Wrocław diocese after the turbulent conflict between Thomas II and Henry IV Probus, which is visible, among others, in the formation of an independent episcopal principality in the Nysa-Otmuchów land. These processes seem to be reflected in the documents issued by the ordinary, not only in their content but also in their external features. The aim of the paper will therefore be to try to answer the question of how Bishop Henry's diplomas served to manifest and communicate his power. For this purpose, we will analyze the diplomatic formulas used in documents (most of all intitulatio, dating clause, and witness list), visual elements (e.g. initials, type of writing), the sizes of parchment cards, and, finally, episcopal seals.

dr Ilona Matejko-Peterka

The aim of this paper is to analyze symbolic inspirations in medieval sphragistics of Silesian dukes, with particular emphasis on their role as a tool for building power prestige and as an example of cultural transfer. The discussion will focus on selected ducal seals, created as consciously constructed carriers of ideological and political content, which served to legitimize power and create an image of the ruler corresponding to his needs, ambitions, and aspirations. The main emphasis will be placed on the borrowings and adaptations of patterns from Western European culture that appear in their iconography. A detailed analysis of these elements will allow us to determine both the extent to which individual Silesian rulers drew upon external iconographic patterns and adapted them to the local political and cultural context of Silesia, as well as the purposes their use was intended to serve.

dr Tomasz Zawadzki

The tombstone currently located in the town hall in Lwówek is one of the most exquisite and mysterious medieval examples of sepulchral art in Silesia. It depicts a couple, a man and a woman, holding hands in a gesture of marital love. For many years, researchers have wondered who this monument represents. Various proposals have been made, but today the dominant view is that the tombstone belonged to Henry of Jawor (1312-1346) and his wife Agnes, daughter of King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia. This view, however, remains speculative. By examining the ways power is manifested in the heraldry and sphragistics of Henry and his family, my paper will present evidence that the plate belonged to him. I will also attempt to answer why the Duke of Jawor was buried in Lwówek.