1.
Congress of Gniezno
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The Congress of Gniezno was an amical meeting between the Polish Duke Bolesław I Chrobry and Emperor Otto III, which took place at Gniezno on March 11,1000. Scholars disagree over the details of the made at the convention. After his death in 997 during a mission among the pagan Prussian tribes, Bishop Adalbert of Prague was quickly canonized by the effort of Duke Bolesław I. Thus, Adalbert became the first Slavic bishop to become a saint and his body, bought back by Bolesław from the Prussians for its weight in gold, was put into a tomb at Gniezno Cathedral, which became the ecclesiastical center of Poland. According to the chronicles of Thietmar of Merseburg, Otto III, as part of this policy he also invested Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary with the kings crown. The Polish Piast dynasty under Mieszko I had extended their domains beyond the Oder river, after his defeat by Geros troops in 963, Mieszko I decided to come to terms with Emperor Otto I and agreed to pay tribute for this part of his lands. In turn he gained the title of amicus imperatoris and the acknowledgment of his position as a Dux of Poland, as a precaution however, shortly before his death in 992 he placed his realm under the protection of Pope John XV according to the dagome iudex regest. When his son Bolesław succeeded him, Poland remained an ally of the Empire in the campaigns against the Polabian Lutici tribes, Emperor Otto II, father of Otto III, died at age 28 in 983 and his widow Theophanu and grandmother reigned for the child-king Otto III. In 996 Otto III was crowned as Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, by the time of the congress at Gniezno in 1000 AD, he was 20 years old. On the pilgrimage to Gniezno, Emperor Otto III was received by Bolesław at the Polish border on the Bóbr river near Małomice, Bishop Unger of Poznań escorted him to Gniezno. Whether the act implemented an elevation of Bolesław to the status of king has not been conclusively established, in any case, Bolesław had himself crowned King of Poland at Gniezno Cathedral in 1025. On the same visit, Otto III raised Gniezno to the rank of an archbishopric, three new dioceses subordinate to Gniezno were created, the Bishopric of Kraków, the Bishopric of Wrocław and the Bishopric of Kołobrzeg in Pomerania. St. Adalberts brother Radzim Gaudenty became the first archbishop of Gniezno, Otto III gave Bolesław a replica of his Holy Lance, part of the Imperial Regalia, and Bolesław presented the Emperor with a relic, an arm of St. Adalbert in exchange. However, generally, the congress is seen as having established complete ecclasiastical independence of the Polish church from Magdeburg, Bolesław subsequently accompanied Otto III on his way back to Germany. Both proceeded to the grave of Charlemagne at Aachen Cathedral, where Bolesław received Charlemagnes throne as a gift, both arranged the betrothal of Bolesławs son Mieszko II Lambert with the Emperors niece Richeza of Lotharingia. Due to Ottos early death in 1002, his policies were not fully realized. King Henry II, Ottos successor, changed the empires policies, during a meeting with Henry II in Merseburg, Bolesław was attacked by Henrys men and narrowly escaped with his life. It wasnt until Henrys death in 1024, that Bolesław was able to acquire the consent for his coronation as Polish king
2.
Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor
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Otto III was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his early death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the son of the Emperor Otto II. Otto III was crowned as King of Germany in 983 at the age of three, shortly after his fathers death in southern Italy while campaigning against the Byzantine Empire, though the nominal ruler of Germany, Otto IIIs minor status ensured his various regents held power over the Empire. His cousin Henry II, Duke of Bavaria, initially claimed regency over the young king, Otto III was then still a child, so his grandmother, the Dowager Empress Adelaide of Italy, served as regent until 994. In 996, Otto III marched to Italy to claim the titles King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor, Otto III also sought to reestablish Imperial control over the city of Rome, which had revolted under the leadership of Crescentius II, and through it the papacy. Crowned as Emperor, Otto III put down the Roman rebellion and installed his cousin as Pope Gregory V, after the Emperor had pardoned him and left the city, Crescentius II again rebelled, deposing Gregory V and installing John XVI as Pope. Otto III returned to the city in 998, reinstalled Gregory V, when Gregory V died in 999, Otto III installed Sylvester II as the new Pope. Otto IIIs actions throughout his life further strengthened imperial control over the Catholic Church, from the beginning of his reign, Otto III faced opposition from the Slavs along the eastern frontier. Following the death of his father in 983, the Slavs rebelled against imperial control, Otto III would fight to regain the Empires lost territories throughout his reign with only limited success. While in the east, Otto III strengthened the Empires relations with Poland, Bohemia, returning to Rome in 1001, Otto III faced a rebellion by the Roman aristocracy, which forced him to flee the city. While marching to reclaim the city in 1002, however, Otto III suffered a sudden fever, with no clear heir to succeed him, his early death threw the Empire into political crisis. Otto III was born in June or July 980 somewhere between Aachen and Nijmegen, the only son of Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu, Otto III was the youngest of the couples four children. Immediately prior to Otto IIIs birth, his father had completed military campaigns in France against King Lothar, on 14 July 982, Otto IIs army suffered a crushing defeat against the Muslim Emirate of Sicily at the Battle of Stilo. Otto II had been campaigning in southern Italy with hopes of annexing the whole of Italy into the Holy Roman Empire, Otto II himself escaped the battle unharmed but many important imperial officials were among the battles casualties. This was the first time a German ruler had been elected on Italian soil, after the assembly was concluded, Otto III and his mother Theophanu travelled across the Alps in order for Otto to be crowned at Aix, the traditional location of the coronation of the German kings. Otto II stayed behind to address military action against the Muslims, while still in central Italy, however, Otto II suddenly died on 7 November 983, and was buried in St. Peters Basilica in Rome. Otto III was crowned as king on Christmas Day 983, three weeks after his fathers death, by Willigis, the Archbishop of Mainz, and by John, news of Otto IIs death first reached Germany shortly after his sons coronation. The unresolved problems in southern Italy and the Slavic uprising on the Empires eastern border made the Empires political situation extremely unstable, with a minor on the throne, the Empire was thrown into confusion and Otto IIIs mother Theophanu assumed the role of regent for her young son
3.
Holy Lance
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The Holy Lance, also known as the Holy Spear, the Spear of Destiny, or the Lance of Longinus, according to the Gospel of John, is the lance that pierced the side of Jesus as he hung on the cross. The lance is mentioned in the Gospel of John, but not the Synoptic Gospels, the gospel states that the Romans planned to break Jesus legs, a practice known as crurifragium, which was a method of hastening death during a crucifixion. Just before they did so, they realized that Jesus was already dead, to make sure that he was dead, a Roman soldier stabbed him in the side. One of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance, and immediately came out blood. The phenomenon of blood and water was considered a miracle by Origen, the blood symbolizes his humanity, the water his divinity. In most variants of the Orthodox Divine Liturgy, the priest lances the host with a spear before it is divided in honor of the Trinity, the Theotokos. The deacon recites the relevant passage from the Gospel of John, the main piece becomes The Lamb, the host that is consecrated on the altar and distributed to the faithful for Holy Communion. A form of the name Longinus occurs on a miniature in the Rabula Gospels, in the miniature, the name LOGINOS is written in Greek characters above the head of the soldier who is thrusting his lance into Christs side. This is one of the earliest records of the name, if the inscription is not a later addition, there have been three or four major relics that are claimed to be the Holy Lance or parts of it. The Holy Lance in Rome is preserved beneath the dome of Saint Peters Basilica, a mention of the lance occurs in the so-called Breviarius at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The presence in Jerusalem of the relic is attested by Cassiodorus as well as by Gregory of Tours, in 615, Jerusalem and its relics were captured by the Persian forces of King Khosrau II. This point of the lance, which was now set in an icon, was acquired by the Latin Emperor, Baldwin II of Constantinople, the point of the lance was then enshrined with the crown of thorns in the Sainte Chapelle in Paris. During the French Revolution these relics were removed to the Bibliothèque Nationale but the point subsequently disappeared. As for the portion of the lance, Arculpus claimed he saw it at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre around 670 in Jerusalem. Some claim that the relic had been conveyed to Constantinople in the 8th century. At this time great doubts as to its authenticity were felt at Rome, as Johann Burchard records, because of the presence of other rival lances in Paris, Nuremberg and this relic has never since left Rome, and its resting place is at Saint Peters. The Holy Lance in Vienna is displayed in the Imperial Treasury or Weltliche Schatzkammer at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, in the tenth century, the Holy Roman Emperors came into possession of the lance, according to sources from the time of Otto I. In 1000, Otto III gave Boleslaw I of Poland a replica of the Holy Lance at the Congress of Gniezno, in 1084, Henry IV had a silver band with the inscription Nail of Our Lord added to it
4.
Richeza of Lotharingia
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Richeza of Lotharingia was a German noblewoman by birth, a member of the Ezzonen dynasty. She married Mieszko II Lambert, King of Poland, becoming Queen consort of Poland and she returned to Germany following the deposition of her husband in 1031, later becoming a nun, and today is revered as Blessed Richeza of Lotharingia. Richeza had three children, Casimir I the Restorer, Ryksa, Queen of Hungary, and Gertruda. She was also noted in 2009 as the mother of Agatha, wife of Edward the Exile. From her descended the eastern rulers of the Piast, Rurikid, four of her Árpád descendants were canonized, Elizabeth, Landgravine of Thuringia, Kinga, Duchess of Kraków, and Margaret and Irene of Hungary. She was beatified with one of her descendants, Yolanda. She was the eldest daughter of Ezzo, Count Palatine of Lotharingia by his wife, Matilda, daughter of Emperor Otto II and she could be even the eldest child of Ezzo and Matilda. Through her mother, Richeza was a niece of Emperor Otto III, Adelheid I, Abbess of Quedlinburg and Sophia I, Richezas parents were married in 993, so she could be born no earlier than in 993. Polish historian Kazimierz Jasiński supposed that she was few years younger than her husband Mieszko II Lambert, in 1000 during the Congress of Gniezno, an agreement was apparently made between Bolesław I the Brave and Emperor Otto III. Among the usual political talks, they decided to strengthen ties through marriage, Ottos childlessness meant that the seven daughters of his sister Mathilde were the potential brides for Mieszko, Bolesław Is son and heir, the oldest of Otto IIIs nieces, Richeza, was chosen. The Emperor took the opportunity of a settlement with the Ezzonen family, the marriage between Mieszko and Richeza took place in Merseburg, probably during the Pentecost festivities. After the final agreement between the Holy Roman Empire and Poland, which was signed in 1018 in Bautzen, Richeza. In 1021 they participated in the consecration of part of the Bamberg Cathedral, Bolesław I the Brave died on 17 June 1025. Six months later, on Christmas Day, Mieszko II Lambert and Richeza were crowned King and Queen of Poland by the Archbishop of Gniezno, Hipolit, in the Gniezno Cathedral. Mieszkos reign was short-lived, in 1031, the invasion of both German and Kievan troops forced him to escape to Bohemia, where he was imprisoned and castrated by orders of Duke Oldrich. Mieszko IIs half-brother Bezprym took the government of Poland and began a persecution of the followers of the former King. The Brauweiler Chronicle indicated that soon after the escape of her husband, Richeza and her children fled to Germany with the Polish royal crown and regalia and she subsequently played an important role in mediating a peace settlement between Poland and the Holy Roman Empire. However, modern historians discount this account, Richeza and Mieszko II never reunited, according to some sources, they were either officially divorced or separated
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