Christianization of Poland

The Baptism of Poland (Polish: Chrzest Polski) refers to an event in 966 that signified the beginning of the Christianization of people of territory later called Poland, commencing with the baptism of Mieszko I, who was the first ruler of the Western Polans. The next significant step towards creation of Poland through adoption of Christianity was the establishment of various ecclesiastical organs in the country during the 10th and 11th centuries. This included the building of cathedrals and the appointment of clergy. This date should not be confused as the independence day of Poland.

In adopting Roman Catholic Christianity as religion, Mieszko sought to achieve several personal goals. He saw Poland's baptism as a way of strengthening his hold on power over vast conquered territories and various people (through the use of the religion's medieval divine right doctrine), as well as using it as a unifying force for creation of Polish people.

The exact place of Mieszko's baptism is disputed, historians have alternately argued that Gniezno, Poznań, Cologne or even Rome was the site of the event.

Mieszko's action proved highly successful; by the 13th century, Roman Catholicism had become the dominant religion in Poland.

Norman Davies in his book God's Playground writes about the 1000 years aniversary in 1966, when Communist Poland's church celebrated the "SACRUM POLONIAE MILLENIUM" A 1000 years of Christianity.

However the Communist Polish State Officials took this to celebrate "TYSIACLECIE PAN-STWA POLSKIEGO (A 1000 years of Polish State) and in the western part gained from Germany in 1945 "A Thousand Years of Poland on the Odra- on the Baltic Sea. Davies points out, both were plain mis-statements of facts and explaines "there was no state, in the modern sense, there was no "Poland". There is no hard evidence for a separate and distinct Polish linguistic community before the 12th century.

See also