Talk:Origins of Prussia/Sandbox

Prussia and the new neighbors since the 10th century
In 966, with the baptism and conversion to Christianity of Mieszko I, duke of the Slavic tribe of the Polans, the Polish state was born. By the time his son, Bolesław the Brave, became King of Poland in 1025, Poland was one of the strongest powers in Eastern Europe, and Catholic. When Adalbert, of Prague, went to Prussia to convert the pagan Old Prussians in 997, Bolesław I sent soldiers with him to protect him. Nevertheless, Saint Adalbert was killed by the Prussians.



In 1064 Pomeranians, who were also constantly attacked by Poland, together with Prussians retaliated in Greater Poland. Boleslaw II won a bloody victory and again forced the Pomeranians to temporarily submit.

It took till 1091, when Polish forces under Władysław I Herman invaded Pomerania with the goal of reestablishing Polish overlordship. Despite the victories (taking Nakło/Nakel, victory near Drzycim/Driesen) Poles were unable to subdue the Pomeranian uprising. They regained their independence from Poland with the aid of the Prussians.

In 1124, at the request of Boleslaw III, Bishop Otto of Bamberg undertook a mission to Pomerania to convert the Prussians there. This brought on a new danger for the Prussians. Starting with 1147 Polish duke Boleslaw IV the Curly (securing help of Rusin troops) tried to subdue Prussia, supposedly as punishment for close cooperation of Prussians with Wladyslaw II the Exile. The only source is unclear about the results of his attempts, vaguely only mentioning that the Prussians were defeated. Whatever were the results in 1157 some Prussian troops were supporting Polish army in fight against Frederick I (Barbarossa). 1166 two Polish dukes, Boleslaw and his younger brother Henryk came into Prussia, again over the Ossa river. Prussians prepared and they led the Polish army, under leadership of Henry of Sandomir, brother of the duke, into an area of marshy morass. Whoever did not drown, was felled by an arrow or by throwing clubs. Nearly all Polish military perished.

1191-1193 Casimir II the Just invaded Prussia, this time along the river Drwęca. He forced some of Prussian tribes to paying tribute and then withdrew.

Several attacks by Konrad of Masovia in the early 1200's were also successfully repelled by the Prussians. In 1209 Pope Innocent III commissioned the Cistercian monk Christian of Oliva with the conversion of the still-pagan Prussians. Christian afterwards was installed as the first bishop of Prussia. The Polish duchy of Masovia, and especially old Polish region of Culmerland, had become an object of constant Prussian counter-raids and invasion. In reaction Konrad called on the pope several times, founded a military order, the Brothers of Dobrin and then called the Teutonic Order. The results were edicts calling for Northern Crusades against the "marauding, heathen" Prussians. Many of Europe's knights joined in these Crusades, which lasted sixty years.

In 1224 at Catania the Emperor Frederick II issued a proclamation that he himself and the empire took the population of Prussia, Samland, Livonia, Esthonia, Semgallen and neighboring provinces under protection and declared the inhabitants Reichsfreie, to be subordinated directly to the church and the empire only, and exempted them from service to and the jurisdiction of other dukes.

The Teutonic Order, subject to the popes directly and at the same time Reichsfürsten (imperial dukes), took control of much of the Baltic, establishing their own state the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights in Prussia.

In the latter half of 1242, Pope Honorius announced the appointment of William of Modena as Papal Legate for Prussia, Livonia, and the related territories. In 1243, William divided Prussia into four bishoprics &mdash; Culmerland, Pomesania, Ermland, and Sambia &mdash; under the archbishopric of Riga.