Medieval Poland

The relevance of this topic for our present is based on the need of every conscientious citizen of Ukraine to be acquainted with his ancient history, the sources and origins of certain socio-political processes that took place in our country during the last Millennium, and state-legal relations that accompanied them. The understanding of this peculiarity of science which is called ''History of the state and law'' gives us the perfect opportunity to use its teaching for the history exploration from the perspective of jurisprudence. Prior to carry out a comparative analysis of civil regulations in Kievan Rus' and the Halych-Volhyn' Principality, it should be noted that considering time aspect the civil law of these states was highly developed due to intensive development of crafts and trade there. While comparing the civil law of Kievan Rus' and the Halych-Volhyn' Principality it should emphasized that both law of both states have been highly developed, humanistic and progressive, still possessing common as well as distinctive features. Right of property. The sources of law of Kievan Rus' and the Halych-Volhyn' Principality did not contain general term to determine the ownership title, taking into account that the content of that title depended on who was the subject of relationships and what was the ownership object. In particular, there have been differentiated "ownership title" and "possession title" to movable and immovable things. According to the provisions of "Rus'ka Pravda" in the said countries the subjects of ownership were princes, princely and county boyars, warriors, clergy, artisans, merchants, smerds, zakups. Servants and slaves were not entitled to be the ownership subject. The law of both Kievan Rus' and the Halych-Volhyn' Principality regulated the legal status of the owner authorised to dispose of property, enter into agreements, etc. Analysis of the law of Kievan Rus' and the Halych-Volhyn' Principality shows that the object of civil law was movable and immovable property, such as land, livestock, clothing, weapons, tools, etc. After emergence of legal regulation of property relations the land became the main ownership object. Both in Kievan Rus' and the Halych-Volhyn' Principality main ways to acquire the ownership title to the land were: granting of the land for service and for the sake of service, development of vacant lands, direct seizure of communal lands, purchase, gift, exchange and inheritance. The main forms of land ownership in the above countries were: princely domain boyar patrimony, monastic patrimony, personal patrimony of the church

Artykuł analizuje formę architektoniczną korpusu nawowego kościoła Dominikanów w Krakowie, wzniesionego na przełomie XIII i XIV w., w kontekście architektury Małopolski i sąsiednich regionów. Korpus można rekonstruować jako pięcioprzęsłową pseudobazylikę o trzech nawach, z szerszą nawą główną. Artykulację wnętrza tworzyły zapewne pojedyncze cylindryczne służki, a profilowania negatywowe mogły występować w filarkach wtórnie użytych w portalu zachodnim. Świątynia mieściła się w typowym dla mendykantów nurcie, podczas gdy w równolegle powstającym korpusie mariackim wprowadzono już bardziej nowoczesne formy – gruszkowe profile, geometryzowane kapitele kielichowe i złożone żebra – adaptowane w Krakowie równocześnie z ośrodkami Austrii, Czech i Śląska. Świadczy to o wyższym poziomie lokalnej architektury ok. 1300 r., niż dotąd sądzono. Podobne nowoczesne cechy mógł wykazywać także kościół Franciszkanów, choć zachowały się jedynie fragmenty maswerku i kapitel. Z kolei chór św. Marka, z poligonalnym zamknięciem, uchodzi za najwcześniejszy tego typu w regionie. Poza Krakowem większe budowle powstawały m.in. w Sandomierzu, Olkuszu i Nowym Sączu, gdzie jednak znane są tylko proste chóry o zamknięciu prostym, zapewne pod wpływem wzorców dominikańskich. Analiza najważniejszych realizacji, w tym dominikańskiego korpusu, potwierdza aktywny udział Małopolski w przemianach języka architektury Europy Środkowej na przełomie XIII i XIV w.

The text concerns the results of recent research into the origins of recoinage in Poland. The first information about any kind of a tax in that state dates back to the 1170s, but this undoubtedly refers to the periodic and developed system of exchange. As such, its origins had to be earlier. In previous studies, it is Bolesław III the Wrymouth who has been established as the first Polish ruler to implement recoinage. The newest, detailed research proved that on the basis of the currently available data base, we can confirm this concept. But at the same time we have to move the time at which such an event occurred forward in time, because Wrymouth did not in fact start recoinage right at the beginning of his reign, but rather did so later.

The article is also freely available on the website of Brepols Publishers https://www.brepolsonline.net/action/showBook?doi=10.1484%2FM.WSA-EB.5.144042 under a Creative Commons CC 4.0: BY-NC license.

The review examines Varsói Magyar Oklevéltár (Hungarian Cartulary of Warsaw), edited by Ádám Novák and published in the Fontes Memoriae Hungariae series. The volume consolidates and revises four earlier booklets (2017–2022), presenting ninety charters with ninety-eight full-text transcriptions and Hungarian summaries. These documents, mostly in Latin but also in German and Old Church Slavonic, illuminate the multifaceted political, military, economic, and social relations between Hungary and Poland from the Angevin period to the Jagiellonian dynasty. A key strength of the publication lies in its comprehensive inclusion of sources, some of which had not been accessible in previous collections or databases. With detailed indices and integration into the Memoria Hungariae digital platform, the work greatly facilitates research and ensures long-term scholarly usability. The cartulary represents a major contribution to Hungarian-Polish medieval studies and to the wider field of Central European diplomatic history.

Contributors:
Transcription of documents:

Benjámin Borbás (no. 29)
Attila Györkös (no. 67)
Géza Hegyi (nos. 92–93)
Gábor Pető (nos. 86, 88, 97–98)
Orsolya Tóth (nos. 65, 67, 77)
Péter Tóth (nos. 1–11, 23–24, 27, 38–40, 52–53, 56–62)

Document proofreading:

Tünde Móré
Orsolya Tóth
Péter Tóth

English translation:
Balázs Antal Bacsa

Indexes preparation:
Ádám Novák

Volume review:
Attila Bárány

[PL, for ENG see below]
Książka zawiera rachunki prokuratora generalnego Uniwersytetu Krakowskiego z lat 1507–1518.
Wydanie łacińskiego tekstu rachunków jest poprzedzone wprowadzeniem, w którym Waldemar Bukowski omawia zaplecze materialne i finanse Uniwersytetu Krakowskiego w XV i na początku XVI wieku. Aneks do tego wprowadzenia stanowi lista urzędników pełniących funkcję prokuratora generalnego Uniwersytetu Krakowskiego w XV i na początku XVI wieku. Następnie Dagmara Wójcik-Zega opisuje rękopis Biblioteki Jagiellońskiej o sygnaturze 248, który jest jedynym przekazem rachunków i stanowi podstawę edycji.
Do tekstu źródła sporządzono trzy indeksy: 1. indeks osób i miejscowości, 2. indeks rzeczowy pojęć łacińskich, 3. indeks rzeczowy pojęć niełacińskich.
Moim wkładem jest autorstwo rozdziału, kolacjonowanie, rewizja i redakcja naukowa tekstu łacińskiego, redakcja indeksów rzeczowych, redakcja naukowa tomu.

[ENG] The book contains the accounts of the proctor general of the University of Krakow from 1507 to 1518.
The Latin text of the accounts is preceded by an introduction in which Waldemar Bukowski discusses the material resources and finances of the University of Krakow in the 15th and early 16th centuries. An appendix to this introduction provides a list of officials who served as proctor general of the University of Krakow in the 15th and early 16th centuries. Next, Dagmara Wójcik-Zega describes the Jagiellonian Library manuscript with the reference number 248, which is an unique witness of the accounts and forms the basis of the edition.
Three indexes have been compiled for the source text: 1. index of persons and places, 2. subject index of Latin terms, 3. subject index of non-Latin terms.
My contribution includes authorship of the chapter, collation, revision and scientific editing of the Latin text, editing of subject indexes, and scientific editing of the volume.

[PL, for ENG see below]
Artykuł zawiera katalog 17 średniowiecznych fragmentów pergaminowych przechowywanych w Archiwum Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego. Większość fragmentów zostało zidentyfikowanych jako makulatura wtórnie wykorzystana w późniejszych rękopisach lub dokumentach (fragmenty „in situ”).
Artykuł składa się z dwóch części.
Krótka część narracyjna stanowi wprowadzenie do katalogu. W pierwszym rozdziale podkreślono znaczenie fragmentów średniowiecznych, nad którymi badania zintensyfikowały się w ostatnich latach. W rozdziale drugim i trzecim opisano dwie kolekcje znajdujące się w Archiwum Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego: kolekcję rękopisów i kolekcję spuścizn (archiwów osobistych), w których znajdują się fragmenty omówione w artykule. Rozdział czwarty przedstawia typologię zidentyfikowanych fragmentów oraz zwraca uwagę na najważniejsze odkrycia w zasobie. Szczególną wagę ma fragment pochodzący z nieznanego dotąd rękopisu prawniczego z biblioteki Tomasza Strzępińskiego ze Strzępinia, wybitnego XV-wiecznego uczonego i biskupa krakowskiego. W zakończeniu omówiono zastosowaną metodologię.
Katalog zawiera szczegółowe opisy każdego z fragmentów.
Jest to pierwsza z dwóch planowanych części katalogu fragmentów w zasobie Archiwum Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego.

[ENG] This paper presents an extensive catalogue of 17 medieval parchment fragments housed in the Jagiellonian University Archives. The primary research objective was to identify and catalogue these fragments, many of which have been reused in later manuscripts or documents ("in situ" fragments).
The brief narrative section presents an introduction to the catalogue. The first chapter underscores the significance of medieval fragments, noting that these "secondary" sources, once dismissed as mere "waste", have recently garnered scholarly attention due to advances in fragmentology, codicology, and the development of electronic databases. The second and third chapters describe the two collections within the Jagiellonian University Archives: the manuscript collection and the personal papers collection, both of which serve as the source of the fragments discussed in the paper. The fourth chapter addresses the identified fragments, providing typologies and highlighting notable discoveries. Among these is a fragment from a manuscript that once belonged to Tomasz Strzępiński of Strzępiń, a distinguished 15th-century scholar and bishop of Kraków. This introductory section closes with a presentation of the methodology used.
The subsequent catalogue provides a detailed description of each fragment: its location in the host volume, its codicological features, and the texts it contains.
This is the first of two planned parts of the fragments' catalogue, focusing on pieces from the manuscript and personal papers collections.

Using the example of a ministerial family of Fülme near Rinteln in Westphalia, which migrated to Moravia in the mid-thirteenth century, it is possible to identify the primary mechanisms characterizing the social mobility of the lower ranks of the knightly stratum from the German Reich who participated in knightly migrations and peregrinations. By juxtaposing biographical data concerning Herbord of Fülme and two generations of his descendants, and analysing them against the broader social and legal context, the article addresses the following issues: the significance of service and the feudo-vassalic relationship with Bruno of Schaumburg, Bishop of Olomouc; the status of ministerials within the changing legal and constitutional frameworks of the thirteenth century; the role of geographical mobility as a means of advancement; and, finally, the attributes of elevated status acquired through this process — including the possession of a castle, holding of an office, and entry to the landed elite in their new homeland.

This paper examines the history, transformation, and modern revival of paganism in Poland, tracing a spiritual continuum from the polytheistic practices of the Western Slavs to the syncretic Christian-pagan culture that emerged following the Baptism of Poland in 966 and the rise of Rodzimowierstwo in the 21st century. Drawing on archaeological, ethnographic, and literary sources, the paper examines the pantheon of deities, seasonal rituals, and an animistic worldview that shaped early Polish religion, as well as the Christianisation process and subsequent Pagan Reaction. Particular attention is given to the persistence of pre-Christian customs within the Christian calendar and to the phenoEcmenon of dvoeverie ("double faith"), which preserved elements of the old religion in folk practice. The study also considers contemporary pagan movements, highlighting their pluralism, ecological focus, and cultural significance, alongside an analysis of recent documentary film portrayals of Polish paganism. By combining historical scholarship with narrative observation, beginning with an experiential introduction set in a forest ceremony, this paper argues that paganism in Poland is best understood not as a vanished belief system but as a living tradition that continues to inspire connection, community, and ecological awareness in the modern world.

The purpose of this article is to introduce the problems associated with ceremonial royal entrances in Poland. These ceremonies formed part of political ritual and were an opportunity to manifest splendour and royal power. Based on surviving source records, mainly chronicle descriptions, the royal entrances to late medieval Kraków (Cracow) were analysed. They were held on various occasions, such as coronation entries, entries of royal brides arriving for marriage or entries after victories in battle. Thanks to surviving descriptions, it was possible to trace the various entry routes and capture the city's preparations for these major events.

The paper focus on the relationship between the concept of theater as an expression of national identity officially built since the end of World War II by the communist power, and its unofficial form in the field of alternative professional theater during the Normalization of the 1980s. The area of alternative professional theater was, during the Normalization period, a kind of semi-official cultural space suffered by the superior authorities of the communist theater culture, which became an “island of freedom” for the ordinary viewer, a place for confirming personal identity
The creation of some alternative theaters was essential in this movement. With its specific philosophy of theatrical creation and poetics, the Brno Theater on a String was one of these. The medium of theater was understood by the ensemble as a system or tool in which individual performances are directed not towards aesthetic but ethical goals.
Using the example of a specific theater project from the fall of 1985 called Project 1985 - staged reading from the contemporary literature of the nations of the Soviet Union, and especially its last part called The Destruction of the Capital (premiere 17/12/1985), this paper will show the search, definition, and confirmation of the identities of artists and ordinary spectators in a time of oppression.

Kongregacja wiktorynów nie była reprezentowana na ziemiach wchodzących w skład Królestwa Polskiego. Jedynie na Pomorzu Zachodnim powstał jeden klasztor, a w planach pozostała fundacja drugiego. Nagłe i w zasadzie jednorazowe pojawienie się wiktorynów na Pomorzu Zachodnim wiąże się prawdopodobnie z planową akcją władz kościelnych zmierzających do implantacji na tym terenie tego reformatorskiego ruchu kanoniczego. Dzieje opactwa, a zwłaszcza kongregacji św. Wiktora, nie są najlepiej zbadane. Być może dalsze badania pozwolą na odkrycie nowych danych dotyczących bezpośrednich kontaktów wiktorynów z ziemiami polskimi. Ich oddziaływania pośrednie, szczególnie poprzez dzieła głównych reprezentantów „szkoły” św. Wiktora, były odczuwalne przez całe średniowiecze i miały np. swój wkład w dzieło reformy życia zakonnego. Jednak popularność w późnośredniowiecznych środowiskach monastycznych dzieł XII-wiecznych była, jak dowiódł Giles Constable, typowa.

Jadwiga Krzyżaniakowa -jedna z ważniejszych postaci poznańskiego środowiska mediewistycznego ostatnich dziesięcioleci -zmarła 24 lipca 2010 r. Odeszła nagle, podczas przygotowywania tomu swych prac wybranych, poświęconych dziejom późnego średniowiecza w Polsce 1 . Przez pół wieku służyła zawsze wiedzą i radą wielu pokoleniom poznańskich i nie tylko poznańskich historyków, tak studentów, swych uczniów, jak i przyjaciół. Była Ona obecna zawsze tam, gdzie była potrzebna, ucząc z wielką pasją poprzez dyskusje, spory i polemiki na zajęciach, a także poza nimi. Angażowała się również w prace organizacyjne na rzecz Uniwersytetu Adama Mickiewicza i całego poznańskiego środowiska historycznego. Jadwiga Krzyżaniakowa urodziła się 2 września 1930 r. w Poznaniu w rodzinie inteligenckiej -ojciec Tadeusz Wieczorek był pracownikiem banku, a matka Janina z domu Sitarska nauczycielką. Niedługo przed wybuchem wojny Jadwiga rozpoczęła naukę w prywatnej szkole księdza Piotrowskiego w Poznaniu, którą wraz z początkiem okupacji musiała przerwać. Do tego okresu swego życia w opowieściach wracała zawsze niechętnie, w rozmowach zaś, najczęściej na marginesie, wypływały tylko nieliczne wątki. Jej ojciec został zmobilizowany w sierpniu 1939 r., a podczas działań wojennych dostał się do niewoli radzieckiej. Zdołał wprawdzie z niej zbiec i przebywał na Litwie, ale w 1941 r., po wybuchu wojny niemiecko-radzieckiej, został ponownie zatrzymany i wywieziony w głąb Rosji, gdzie zmarł na Syberii zimą 1941/1942 r. Natomiast Jadwiga Krzyżaniakowa wraz matką i siostrą podczas kampanii wrześniowej opuściła Poznań, udając się w kierunku Łowicza. W pobliskiej wsi Strzelce przebywała do października 1939 r., aby wraz rodziną, przez Wrocław, na krótko powrócić do stolicy Wielkopolski. W roku 1940 rodzinę jednak wysiedlono do Warszawy i aż do zakończenia wojny przebywała ona w Świdrze, gdzie Jadwiga Krzyżaniakowa pobierała nauki. W lipcu 1944 r. zdała egzamin do gimnazjum im. Rudzkiej w Warszawie (wówczas oficjalnie była to zawodo-

Jadwiga Krzyżaniakowa -jedna z ważniejszych postaci poznańskiego środowiska mediewistycznego ostatnich dziesięcioleci -zmarła 24 lipca 2010 r. Odeszła nagle, podczas przygotowywania tomu swych prac wybranych, poświęconych dziejom późnego średniowiecza w Polsce 1 . Przez pół wieku służyła zawsze wiedzą i radą wielu pokoleniom poznańskich i nie tylko poznańskich historyków, tak studentów, swych uczniów, jak i przyjaciół. Była Ona obecna zawsze tam, gdzie była potrzebna, ucząc z wielką pasją poprzez dyskusje, spory i polemiki na zajęciach, a także poza nimi. Angażowała się również w prace organizacyjne na rzecz Uniwersytetu Adama Mickiewicza i całego poznańskiego środowiska historycznego. Jadwiga Krzyżaniakowa urodziła się 2 września 1930 r. w Poznaniu w rodzinie inteligenckiej -ojciec Tadeusz Wieczorek był pracownikiem banku, a matka Janina z domu Sitarska nauczycielką. Niedługo przed wybuchem wojny Jadwiga rozpoczęła naukę w prywatnej szkole księdza Piotrowskiego w Poznaniu, którą wraz z początkiem okupacji musiała przerwać. Do tego okresu swego życia w opowieściach wracała zawsze niechętnie, w rozmowach zaś, najczęściej na marginesie, wypływały tylko nieliczne wątki. Jej ojciec został zmobilizowany w sierpniu 1939 r., a podczas działań wojennych dostał się do niewoli radzieckiej. Zdołał wprawdzie z niej zbiec i przebywał na Litwie, ale w 1941 r., po wybuchu wojny niemiecko-radzieckiej, został ponownie zatrzymany i wywieziony w głąb Rosji, gdzie zmarł na Syberii zimą 1941/1942 r. Natomiast Jadwiga Krzyżaniakowa wraz matką i siostrą podczas kampanii wrześniowej opuściła Poznań, udając się w kierunku Łowicza. W pobliskiej wsi Strzelce przebywała do października 1939 r., aby wraz rodziną, przez Wrocław, na krótko powrócić do stolicy Wielkopolski. W roku 1940 rodzinę jednak wysiedlono do Warszawy i aż do zakończenia wojny przebywała ona w Świdrze, gdzie Jadwiga Krzyżaniakowa pobierała nauki. W lipcu 1944 r. zdała egzamin do gimnazjum im. Rudzkiej w Warszawie (wówczas oficjalnie była to zawodo-

Locul central în istoria militară a lui Ștefan cel Mare, ca și în politica sa externă, îl ocupă cele două războaie cu turcii din anii 1475 și 1476. În ciuda faptului că despre acestea, pe care istoriografia națională le numește "mari războaie" 1 , s-a scris foarte mult, adevărata lor istorie nu pare a fi cunoscută. Primul aspect al acestui fenomen, care trezește mari semne de întrebare, este ce i-a determinat pe turci să pornească aceste războaie, care sub aspect politic și militar par să nu aibă nici o justificare. Istoriografia fenomenului numește un singur motiv: dorința Înaltei Porți de a-l forța pe Ștefan cel Mare să reia plata haraciului, încetată în 1473 și între timp mărită de la 2 mii la 3 mii de galbeni, iar în timpul conflictelor ce au urmat, încă de două ori. O astfel de motivație nu se arată deloc convingătoare, deoarece angajarea în lupte departe în afara imperiului a unei oști numeroase era incomparabil mai costisitoare decît această plată, fără să fie luate în calcul pierderile de vieți omenești și de bunuri materiale. De altfel, după cucerirea în 1484 a Chiliei și a Cetății Albe, Ștefan cel Mare a reluat plata haraciului mult mărită, fără să aștepte ca turcii să ajungă la Suceava. Dacă ținem cont de faptul cine se afla pe atunci în fruntea Imperiului otoman este imposibil de admis că aceste acțiuni au putut fi niște aventuri fără un scop bine stabilit și fără motivații serioase. Din păcate, nimic din ceea ce s-a scris despre evenimentele respective nu lămurește această situație. Este semnificativ faptul că expedițiile din anii 1475 și 1476 sînt singurele mari campanii militare întreprinse de turci în acea vreme în adîncul teritoriului Moldovei. În general, în cazul Moldovei interesul prioritar al acestora era pentru cetățile moldovene ca puncte strategice la Dunăre, Marea Neagră și la Nistru. S-ar putea presupune că invadarea unor mari spații urmărea înglobarea acestora în frontierele Imperiului. Dar asta nu s-a întîmplat nici cu Moldova și nici cu Țara Românească, deoarece acestea îi interesau pe turci doar din punct de vedere economic, ca surse de venit, nu sub aspect militar și politic, și de fapt nici strategic, deoarece principala lor direcție de luptă urma prin Peninsula Balcanică și pe la Dunărea Centrală spre Europa 2 . Astfel că motivația celor două campanii turcești continuă să rămînă o enigmă. Citim în anumite scrieri că Turcia ar fi urmărit în aceste campanii trei obiective: "dobîndirea unor importante cetăți de hotarcapete de pod pentru viitoarele ciceriri; impunerea la tribut și recunoașterea autorității (suzeranității) sultanului; transformarea teritoriului astfel supus în provincie (vilaiet) a Imperiului otoman, însoțită de lichidarea vechii clase stăpînitoare creștine" 3 . Aceste afirmații nu rezistă în fața

This article examines the origins and transmission of the text of the so-called Płock Genealogy, a narrative tracing the lineage of the Piast dynasty. For decades, the manuscript was believed lost during World War II, which led earlier scholarship to rely on the often ambiguous assumptions of nineteenth-century editors. This limited the ability to assess the text within its broader manuscript context. The genealogy forms an integral part of the oldest cartulary of the Płock cathedral. The manuscript was recovered and returned to Płock in 2015, allowing for a reevaluation of previously collected data. Analysis of the cartulary reveals it to be a heterogeneous chancery record, assembled between the 1280s and the 1320s. The Genealogy belongs to the final phase of its use. Research indicates that the extant version is not the original version of Genealogy but a copy explicitly prepared for insertion into the cartulary. The text we know today thus represents a transcription of an earlier source, likely intended to reinforce institutional memory and legitimize the cathedral’s ancient privileges. This suggests that the original version predates the latest strata of the cartulary. Internal evidence indicates that the genealogy was composed in the context of the Kraków succession crisis and may be linked to the political aspirations of Władysław the Short. The text’s original form likely dates to the early fourteenth century (c. 1304). This revised chronology, coupled with the identification of the text as a copy rather than an autograph, has significant implications for understanding its relationship to other historiographical works of the so-called “unification tradition”. Notably, the prototype of the Płock Genealogy may have served as a source for both the Lesser Poland Annals and the Chronicle of Dzierzwa, thereby warranting a reevaluation of its place within the landscape of early fourteenth-century Polish historiography.

A paper in the Polish Biographical Dictionary. Andrzej Śwircz of Nowodwór (d. 1510) was the son of Mikołaj Biedrzych of Biedrzychowice, castellan of Kamieniec Podolski. The biographical entry collects and organizes information on his public and economic activity, as well as his private life, relating to years that represent a relatively poorly documented period in the internal history of Podolia – the easternmost region of the medieval Kingdom of Poland.

Adam Śwircz (who died ca. 1518) belonged to a family active from the late fourteenth to the sixteenth century in Podolia, bearing the coat of arms Świerczek. His public activity was limited to the Podolian Voivodeship and the land of Halych within the Ruthenian Voivodeship, spanning the years 1471–1518. He held the office of Ensign of Kamieniec Podolski.The biographical entry gathers data on his family ties, property, and public appearances, while attempting to isolate references concerning him from among source materials pertaining to other members of the Świerczek clan who bore the same name.

A paper in the Polish Biographical Dictionary. Mikołaj Biedrzych of Biedzychowce and Nowodwór, castellan of Kamieniec Podolski (from 1467) and the most prominent representative of the Śwircz family in Podolia during the Middle Ages, was in all probability the son of Mikołaj Biedrzych, castellan of Kamieniec, who died in 1441 or 1442. The public career of the younger Mikołaj extended well beyond the boundaries of Podolia. Surviving records attest to his frequent presence at the royal court. He received numerous royal pledges from King Casimir IV Jagiellon. In 1466 he was among the Polish magnates who acted as guarantors of the Second Peace of Toruń concluded between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teutonic Order. In 1489 he took part in the military campaign of Prince John Albert against the Tatars. In Podolia he consolidated both extensive hereditary estates and royal lands held in tenure, which by the end of the fifteenth century made him one of the largest landholders on the eastern frontier of the Polish Crown.

A paper in the Polish Biographical Dictionary. Piotr Śwircz was in all likelihood the son of Adam Swerszczkowski, who belonged to the group of the earliest identifiable knights of Podolia, recorded by name in a charter issued by the Podolian princes in 1388. As ensign of Kamieniec Podolski, Piotr Śwircz represented the first generation of Podolian land officials who assumed office following the incorporation of the Polish administrative system into Podolia. The scant evidence concerning his life pertains primarily to matters of property. In 1439 he acted as a signatory to a document in which representatives of the Podolian nobility confirmed their recognition of the rights of Władysław Jagiełło’s sons to the Polish throne.

A paper in the Polish Biographical Dictionary. Jan Amor Tarnowski (castellan of Biecz 1494–1501, voivode of Ruthenia 1501– 1507, voivode of Sandomierz 1507–1514, died in 1514) belonged to one of the most prominent magnate families in late medieval Poland. He was the son of Jan Amor the Younger, castellan of Kraków. His landed estates were extensive, comprising possessions in Lesser Poland with their principal center at Tarnów, as well as holdings in the Szczebrzeszyn district of Chełm Land. In his youth, Tarnowski served as a courtier to King Casimir IV Jagiellon. The height of his political significance fell during the reign of King Alexander Jagiellon. In 1502 he organized the defense of Red Ruthenia and Podolia during the war with Moldavia. He participated in the Sejm held at Radom in 1505, at which the Nihil novi constitution was enacted – a foundational act of the Polish political system that limited the monarch’s legislative authority by requiring the consent of the Sejm for all new laws. Tarnowski also took part in the royal election of 1506, which elevated Sigismund I to the Polish throne.

A paper in the Polish Biographical Dictionary. Mikołaj Szpot (who died in 1482 or 1483) originated from a knightly family active during the 14th and 15th centuries in Lesser Poland, Kuyavia, and Masovia. He was the son of Donin of Krajewo, the chamberlain (subcamerarius) of Brześć Kujawski. His career was closely connected with the royal court of King Casimir IV Jagiellon. He was among the Polish guarantors of the peace treaty concluded in 1466 at Toruń between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teutonic Order.

A paper in the Polish Biographical Dictionary. Piotr Szpot (died in 1515) belonged to a middle-noble family rooted in the Sandomierz land. He served as a courtier to King Casimir IV Jagiellon and subsequently to King Alexander. In this capacity, he is attested as present at several sessions of the Sejm (1486, 1496, 1498, and 1501) and accompanied the monarchs on their itinerant progresses across the kingdom.

[without authors' correction, mistakes in English translation] W artykule pokrótce omówionych zostało kilka zagadnień dotyczących słowiańskich plemion Wiślan i Lędzian: grodziska na Wyżynie Częstochowskiej, początki ceramiki krakowskiej białej, obrządek pogrzebowy, w tym cmentarzysko w Wierzchosławicach z grobami typu Alt Käbelich, oraz problem, kto w dobie przedpaństwowej zamieszkiwał współczesną południowo-wschodnią Polskę. W zakończeniu wspomniano o paradoksach, jakimi są zapomnienie nazwy Wiślanie, mimo że właśnie wiślańska ziemia z Krakowem stała się już w pierwszej połowie XI w. rdzeniem państwa Piastów, oraz przeniesienie plemiennej nazwy Lędzianie w zgrubiałej i zrutenizowanej formie Lachy na mieszkańców tegoż państwa, mimo iż sami Lędzianie stali się częścią społeczeństwa ruskiego.

The aim of this article is to present the main phases of transformation of the Franciscan church in Zagan. This church is one of the best-preserved mendicant order churches in Central Europe and Silesia. Until now, it has not been the subject of detailed research. Based on the findings, it was possible to identify the oldest church as a model example of the principles described in the Narbonne Constitutions. The late Gothic vault- ing introduced during the reconstruction represents avant-garde solutions from the late 15th century. The evolution of the church interior’s forms in Zagan is presented against the backdrop of other churches in Central Europe and Poland. Special attention is given to the uniqueness of the church, which stands out among other conventual churches with its use of diamond and net vaults in the chancel and nave.

TRANSLATING IN AN AUTHORITARIAN SYSTEM IN TIMES
OF CRISIS. REPRESENTATIONS OF THE POLISH EVENTS OF
1980–1981 IN THE OFFICIAL POLISH PRESS FOR WESTERN READERS

The aim of this paper is to study the modes of representation of reality in original texts and their translations published under the constraints of an authoritarian regime in times of crisis. The study was based on the presupposition that the description of reality is filtered through the idiosyncrasies of the authors of the original texts and their translations, as well as through the constraints of the source system at a particular moment in its history. The nature of the shifts in representations of reality was tested on the example of sixteen issues of the magazine "Polska" and their English ("Poland") and French ("La Pologne") translations, reporting on the Polish events of 1980–1981. The study showed that the three language versions of the magazine "Polska", which were supposed to be identical, represented reality in slightly different ways and that these representations were the result of several superimposed subjective visions of their authors, conditioned by various factors such as the speed of change, the lack of temporal distance, the individual attitude to events or the translator’s competence.

W 2018 roku minęło 35 lat funkcjonowania European Association for Population Studies (EAPS). Powstanie tej organizacji datowane jest formalnie na 31 marca 1983 roku 1 , kiedy dokument powołania EAPS z siedzibą w Hadze podpisali prof. Guillaume Wunsch i prof. Dirk J. van de Kaa. Powołanie EAPS poprzedzone było wysiłkami wielu znanych demografów z obu stron żelaznej kurtyny dzielącej wówczas Europę, którzy pragnęli, by europejskie środowisko demograficzne było reprezentowane przez silną organizację integrującą naukowców w działaniach na rzecz rozwoju demografii i badań ludnościowych, upowszechnianiu ich wyników, wspólnego określania kluczowych kwestii dotyczących perspektyw demograficznych kontynentu oraz kierunków polityki dotyczącej ludności. Poprzednikiem EAPS było European Centre for Population Studies (ECPS) założone w Paryżu w 1953 roku. W 1968 roku organizacja ta została przeniesiona do Hagi. Stopniowo wśród jej kierownictwa rosło przeświadczenie, że ECPS wymaga wsparcia instytucjonalnego i logistycznego. Oczekiwano, że powstały w 1970 roku Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) udzieli takiej pomocy. Dr Günther Beyer, sekretarz generalny ECPS, będący także członkiem rady NIDI, przekonywał do tego prof. Dirka J. van de Kaa, dyrektora NIDI. Prof. van de Kaa 1

The research of the relations between certain rulers, territories or peoples can be considered as one of the classic topics of historiography in general and of Medieval Studies as well. The history of Polish–Hungarian contacts in the Middle Ages is no exception, several scientific and popular works have dealt with the relations of the Piasts and Árpáds, and their respective realms. Nevertheless, it is to be underlined that we can only speak indirectly about international relations concerning the High Middle Ages, the personal contacts of the rulers and the dynastic ties established between the ruling families are of great importance when studying the various elements of the relations. This paper focuses on certain episodes of the dynastic relations of the rulers of Poland and Hungary in the thirteenth century. The relation between the brothers-in-law, King Andrew II and Duke Henry I the Bearded, the case of Władysław Odonic, and his hypothetical exile in Hungary, the relation of King Béla IV to his son-in-law, Bolesław the Pious, duke of Greater Poland, the case of Leszek the Black and the marriage of King Andrew III and the Piast duchess, Fenenna are in the focus of this study.

The research of the relations between certain rulers, territories or peoples can be considered as one of the classic topics of historiography in general and of Medieval Studies as well. The Polish-Hungarian contact in the Middle Ages is no exception, several scientific and popular works have dealt with the relations of the Piasts and Árpáds, and their respective realms. Nevertheless, it is to be underlined that we can only speak indirectly about international relations concerning the High Middle Ages, the personal contacts of the rulers and the dynastic ties established between the ruling families are of great importance when studying the various elements of the relations. This paper focuses on an interesting and controversial episode of the matrimonial history of the Piasts of Poland and the Árpáds of Hungary. In my opinion, despite the poor state of the sources, it can be assumed that King Béla II of Hungary and Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth of Poland in 1135-1136, in order to put an end to their hostilities, concluded an agreement on a double marriage between their dynasties. Only one of the two planned matrimonies were realized, yet I believe that the hypothesis formulated in this two-part study can be supported by a thorough analysis of the remaining sources and the political conditions of the 1130s.

Andrei Mirea, Recenzie în limba română la cartea Liviu Pilat, Moldova, Sfânta Coroană și Regii Jagielloni. Vasalitate, putere și gândire politică (1387–1526), Târgoviște, Editura Cetatea de Scaun, 2023, 414 p., în „Studii Clasice”, vol. LIII–LIV, 2024–2025, p. 229–238.

A female princely 10th-century tomb was discovered in 1966 in the first Wawel King's Castle Cathedral in Kraków, Poland. This Church - a two-apse rotunda was built in the 10th century.  Under the gallery of this extraordinary building, in the southwestern apse a Scandinavian tomb was discovered, covered with a stone slab with the Gotland cross.

This volume has two aims. The first is empirical. We aim to comparatively
explore, through a broad panorama of topics, the means and uses of symbolic power that were employed by religiopolitical elites in order to assert their legitimacy and dominance in two polities: Poland and Norway. It is our
contention that the key to understanding the means and dynamics of political order in the peripheral polities during the era of Europeanization (1000–1300) lies in exploring how the peripheral elites sought to legitimize themselves. wojtek jezierski, hans jacob orning, and grzegorz pac18
The volume thus focuses on the period between the moment Poland and
Norway and their ruling elites joined the Latin Christendom and thus were
influenced by European culture around the year 1000 and the end of the
thirteenth century, when both countries coalesced as stable kingdoms. The
second aim is more general and occasionally experimental. By reflecting on
the similarities and differences between the Polish and Norwegian examples,
which are seldom considered outside their traditional geographical context,
we seek to identify novel ways of understanding the conditions and factors
that shaped religiopolitical behaviour on the peripheries and influenced
relations between the peripheral elites and European centres.

This chapter explores the following questions: what symbolically legitimizing stories did the Polish and Norwegian medieval elites tell their domestic and foreign audiences about the ancient origins of their countries, elites, and people? To which stories about ancient or biblical pasts did Latin chroniclers and saga authors attach their own, or model themselves on, and in what ways did the peripheral elites and polities attach their pasts to the roots of universal history? And, finally, what does the comparison between these two ways of using the resources of ancient traditions and distant pasts tell us about the political fantasies of these authors and the ways of being a periphery in the high Middle Ages? To answer these questions, we specifically focus on three themes in Polish and Norwegian medieval historiography which are studied in order to understand the importance of the symbolic elevation and legitimation of the elites: 1. the perceptions of the ethnogenesis of the elites and the domestic populations stretched between allochthonous or autochthonous origins, 2. the use of constructed ancient genealogies and biblical parallels for the members of the elites, and 3. the ways in which the trope of translatio imperii was employed in the local intellectual traditions.

Between the years 1000 and 1300, the two developing polities of Norway and Poland often followed similar trends. Both realms were located on what was considered the periphery of Europe, both joined Latin Christendom — and with it, the wider sphere of European cultural influence — at the turn of the first millennium, and both, by the end of the thirteenth century, had largely coalesced as stable kingdoms. Yet while the histories of these two countries have long been studied along national lines, it remains rarer for them to be considered outside of their traditional geographical context, and studied via comparison with events elsewhere.

This innovative volume seeks to explore the means and uses of symbolic power that were employed by religiopolitical elites in order to assert their legitimacy and dominance by taking an explicitly comparative approach and dual perspective on these two polities. What stories did elites tell themselves and others about their deservedness to rule, what spaces and objects did they utilize in order to project their elevated status, and how did struggle and rivalry form part of their societal dominance? Formed from chapters co-written by experts in Polish and Norwegian history, this unique volume not only reflects on the similarities and differences between events in these two polities, but also more broadly offers conceptual tools and comparative frameworks that can enhance our wider understanding of the conditions and factors that shaped religiopolitical behaviour on the peripheries.

The Lithuanian-Polish unions formed the legal framework of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a state that dominated Eastern Europe for centuries during the Early Modern period. The study of these treaties helps to characterize the relations between the two member states of the union during its first decades of existence. The translation of these documents—pioneering in Catalan and among the first in any language—offers broader access to all those interested in this entity who do not know Latin or Polish. The philological commentary on the texts provides insights into the scribes and their Latin, often infused with the three dominant languages of the union (Polish, Lithuanian, and Ruthenian), while the historical contextualization highlights the reception of these acts and the implications they had in the political climate of late 14th- and early 15th-century Europe, as well as the circumstances under which they emerged and the problems they sought to address. These documents marked the decline of paganism in Europe through the baptism of Lithuania and would shape the political future of the entire Old Continent.

Artykuł przybliża mało znaną, a niezwykle interesującą historię najwcześniejszych odkryć archeologicznych w Ciepłem (pow. tczewski, woj. pomorskie), ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem działalności pionierów archeologii w XIX wieku. W centrum uwagi znajduje się Godfryd Ossowski – samouk i prekursor nowoczesnej archeologii na ziemiach polskich – oraz Rudolf Fibelkorn, lokalny pasjonat i kolekcjoner, którego działalność została ponownie odkryta dzięki kwerendom archiwalnym.

This article discusses two newly discovered artefacts, i.e. a bronze mace head and an iron axe head, unearthed in 2022 in Żory, Śląskie Voivodeship, during archaeological excavations carried out in the town’s market square. The mace head belongs to a group of star-shaped examples with a long socket. It can be dated to the period from the second half of the 13th to the end of the 15th century. According to metallographic research, it was made of tin-lead copper alloy. Furthermore, it was found out that the shaft of the weapon was made of ashwood. An axe head is a more common find, but ornamented specimens are much rarer. Axes of this type were used from the first half of the 13th century until the 17th century, but it seems that the example from Żory was made during the late medieval period. It is impossible to determine where this artefact was made, but local production cannot be ruled out.

The entirety of the surviving archives requires thorough and lengthy research. Thus, this paper is a test survey, based on sources related to Hetman Jan Tarnowski's Moldavian expedition of 1531. At that time, Tarnowski commanded around six thousand soldiers, which seems to be a sufficiently large research sample. We aim to show the sheer regularity of soldier movements/migrations, especially as this issue is essentially absent from Polish military-historical literature.

كانت الأرامل المجتمع البولندي خلال العصور الوسطى، تمثل حالة اجتماعية فريدة، فقد كانت تجمع ما بين التحديات والمكانة الاجتماعية المتأثرة بالعادات والتقاليد والأعراف السائدة آنذاك. فالأرامل كنّ يشكلن شريحة كبيرة من النساء اللواتي فقدن الدعم الاقتصادي والعائلي المباشر بعد وفاة أزواجهن، مما جعلهنّ عرضةً لظروف معيشية قد تكون قاسية في بعض الأحيان. ومع ذلك، كانت الأرملة تُمنح بعض الحقوق والامتيازات، التي تختلف وفقًا للطبقة الاجتماعية والموقع الجغرافي الذي تأتى منه الأرملة. تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى تحليل الوضع القانوني للأرامل في مملكة بولندا خلال العصور الوسطى، من خلال تناول مجموعة من المحاور الرئيسة، وهي: الحق في المهر والميراث، وحق الاحتفاظ بمسكن الزوجية وتوفير الغذاء، وحقها في إدارة ممتلكاتها الشخصية، إضافة إلى الحق في المطالبة بدية الزوج، والوصاية على الأبناء، والحق في الزواج الثاني. ولتحقيق هذه الأهداف، اعتمدت الدراسة على المنهج التاريخي لتحليل التطورات القانونية والاجتماعية، والمنهج الوصفي لتفسير الظواهر واستخلاص النتائج. وقد خلُصت الدراسة إلى أن الأرامل في المجتمع البولندي خلال العصور الوسطى تمتعن بمجموعة من الحقوق، التي ساعدت على تحقيق الاستقرار الاجتماعي والاقتصادي لهن.
The Polish widow represented a unique social group, living between the hammer of age-old customs and traditions, and the anvil of losing her economic and familial foundation following her husband's death. With his passing, the woman lost not only her life partner but also the source of her financial and social security. This often rendered her life fraught with hardships and harsh conditions. Despite these challenges, the Polish widow was not deprived of certain legal rights, the most prominent of which was her right to the dowry. This study aims to shed light on the legal status of the Polish widow during the second half of the fourteenth Century, with a particular focus on the issue of the dowry. To achieve this, the study addresses several main themes, beginning with a definition of the dowry, passing through its various forms and the methods of documenting it. It also explores the mechanisms by which the Polish widow could reclaim her dowry, the conditions under which she might forfeit it, and its fate in the presence of her husband's debts. Furthermore, the research does not overlook the impact of the widow's remarriage on her eligibility for the dowry and concludes by discussing her right to freely manage her personal property. The researcher relied on the historical method, through collecting material from various sources and references, analysing it, and deriving conclusions from it.

The article examines the relationship between the first Polish rulers and the German kings and emperors between the 10 th and the 12 th century, through the example of the court assemblies in Merseburg. The author discusses the relevance of fealties for shaping political relations in the High Middle Ages and tries to find an alternative explanation beyond feudal law.

The article analyzes the role of entertainment and its providers in late medieval Krakow, based on an examination of the Liber proscriptionum et querelarum civitatis Cracoviensis (1360–1422) – the oldest quasi-criminal record book from this city. The author highlights the connections between entertainment circles and urban criminality, using proscription entries to reflect on the forms, locations, and participants of bourgeois entertainments. The study examines individuals and spaces associated with leisure, including musicians, gamblers, and prostitutes, as well as taverns, bathhouses and brothels. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis, the research explores how these groups and places intersected with urban justice and societal norms. It situates the findings within broader social, cultural and legal contexts, providing insights into the tensions surrounding leisure and morality in late medieval Krakow’s urban society.