Controversies about Preparations for the Coronation of Przemysl II

• Authors: Nikodem J.
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The author considers the establishment of the circumstances accompanying preparations for the coronation of Przemysl II by referring to heretofore proposals made in historiography. The most controversial questions, caused by sparse source material, involve discovering the reasons which persuaded the duke of Greater Poland to initiate endeavours aimed at assuming the crown, the determination of the time when this idea appeared in his plans, as well as an attempt to answer the question whether this was a one-time undertaking or a task realised in stages, and whether an active part in Przemysl's plans was played by the Apostolic See. In reference to the proposals made by E. Dlugopolski and the more recent ones formulated by T. Jurek, the author declared that the hypothesis maintaining that Przemysl II embarked upon his first efforts in 1290 remains insufficiently confirmed. The arguments cited by the two above mentioned historians are unconvincing, since they are based on exceedingly far-reaching assumptions, and remain dubious, especially if they are connected with the political situation in which Przemysl found himself after leaving Cracow. The only argument which cannot be questioned is the ideological message of the ducal seal featuring a crowned eagle. Apparently, it too does not provide sufficient foundations for claiming that the duke of Greater Poland wished to realise his project in 1290. A further part of the article refers to a hypothesis proposed by T. Jurek, who suggested that the duke returned to his interrupted coronation plans at the beginning of 1295 by exploiting changes occurring at the Apostolic See. A reference to polemical assertions, with particular emphasis on the 'Chronicle of Zbraslav', differently interpreted by the author of the article than has been the custom in heretofore historiography, led to a conclusion maintaining that if the duke of Greater Poland did proceed to win the support of Rome, he could not have pursued his plans during the pontificate of Boniface VIII. In a summary, the author asserted that it is impossible to try to unambiguously define the first attempts at winning the royal crown, made by Przemysl II, but that they should be most probably linked with the year 1294 and the duke's rule over Gdansk Pomerania. As regards the eventual part performed by the Apostolic See, the author is inclined to accept the suggestion that the coronation took place without papal consent, although this fact remains dubious, since it is negated by the 'Chronicle of Oliwa', whose message cannot be questioned. On the other hand, the 'Chronicle of Zbraslav' appears to be of little reliability. If the coronation of Przemysl did take place with the approval of the Apostolic See then efforts to win it must have taken place much earlier than proposed by T. Jurek, whose establishment of the circumstances of preparations for the coronation was judged as highly unconvincing.

Keywords

EN

'CHRONICLE OF ZBRASLAV'; PRZEMYSL'S II CORONATION

Discipline

• HISTORY: HISTORY

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Historii im. Tadeusza Manteuffla PAN w Warszawie
• Journal: Kwartalnik Historyczny
• Year: 2005
• Volume: 112
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 111-134
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Nikodem J.

• J. Nikodem, Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza, Instytut Historii, ul. sw. Marcin 78, 61-809 Poznan, Poland

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

06PLAAAA01593487