The concept of s.c unification tendencies, actively sought by scholars as early as the first half of the 13th century, has become a historiographical paradigm in Polish studies. These tendencies are believed to have intensified over time, culminating in the early 14th century with the monarchy of the last Piast rulers of Kuyavia. This process is presented as unidirectional and driven by objective historical forces. The first stage of this supposed progression is linked to the so-called monarchy of the Silesian dukes and their alleged coronation plans, as well as the development of a mature "ideology of unification" by the Dominican chronicler Vincent. This ideology is thought to have influenced Piast rulers in shaping their political programs. In this framework, unification and the royal crown are treated as synonymous, despite the first Piast coronation in the 13th century clearly contradicting this view. This paper aims to critically reassess these entrenched interpretations.

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.