On This Day
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Bolesław I the Brave is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland

Bolesław I the Brave (967 – 17 June 1025), less often known as Bolesław the Great, was Duke of Poland from 992 to 1025 and the first King of Poland in 1025.

Bolesław I the Brave (967 – 17 June 1025), less often known as Bolesław the Great, was Duke of Poland from 992 to 1025 and the first King of Poland in 1025. He was also Duke of Bohemia between 1003 and 1004 as Boleslaus IV. A member of the Piast dynasty, Bolesław was a capable monarch and a strong mediator in Central European affairs. He continued to proselytise Western Christianity among his subjects and raised Poland to the rank of a kingdom, thus becoming the first Polish ruler to hold the title of rex, Latin for king.

The son of Mieszko I of Poland by his first wife Dobrawa of Bohemia, Bolesław ruled Lesser Poland already during the final years of Mieszko's reign.

Historical Significance

Bolesław I the Brave (967 – 17 June 1025), less often known as Bolesław the Great, was Duke of Poland from 992 to 1025 and the first King of Poland in 1025.

Events Before

  1. King of Denmark, Cnut the Great [Canute], claims the English throne after the death of Edmund Ironside

    Cnut ( kə-NYOOT; Old Norse: Knútr; c. 990 – 12 November 1035), also known as Canute and with the epithet the Great, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway from...

  2. Battle of Pontlevoy: one of largest battles of early Medieval France won by Fulk the Black and Hebert I of Maine against

    Battle of Pontlevoy: one of largest battles of early Medieval France won by Fulk the Black and Hebert I of Maine against Odo II of Blois in the Loire Valley

  3. The Holy Roman Empire and Poland conclude the Peace of Bautzen

    The Peace of Bautzen (German: Frieden von Bautzen; Polish: Pokój w Budziszynie; Upper Sorbian: Budyski měr) was a treaty concluded on 30 January 1018, between Holy Roman Emperor Henry II and Bolesław...

  4. Synod of Pavia: Emperor Henry II convicts married priest

    Synod of Pavia: Emperor Henry II convicts married priest

  5. Great Al-Andalus earthquake strikes the Umayyad Caliphate around Córdoba (modern southern Spain)

    Great Al-Andalus earthquake strikes the Umayyad Caliphate around Córdoba (modern southern Spain)

Events After

  1. Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor, founding the Salian dynasty

    Conrad II (German: Konrad II, c. 990 – 4 June 1039), also known as Conrad the Elder and Conrad the Salic, was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039.

  2. Robert II of France names his son Henry I as junior King of the Franks

    Robert II (972 – 20 July 1031), called the Pious (French: le Pieux) or the Wise (French: le Sage), was King of the Franks from 996 to 1031, the second from the Capetian dynasty.

  3. Future Byzantine empress Zoe marries Romanus Argyrus according to the wishes of the dying Constantine VIII

    Future Byzantine empress Zoe marries Romanus Argyrus according to the wishes of the dying Constantine VIII

  4. Battle of Stiklestad: Norwegian King Olaf II is killed while trying to reclaim the throne, one of the most famous Norweg

    Battle of Stiklestad: Norwegian King Olaf II is killed while trying to reclaim the throne, one of the most famous Norwegian battles

  5. Henry I succeeds father Robert II as King of the Franks (1031-60)

    Robert II (972 – 20 July 1031), called the Pious (French: le Pieux) or the Wise (French: le Sage), was King of the Franks from 996 to 1031, the second from the Capetian dynasty.

More from the 1020s

Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor, founding the Salian dynasty

Conrad II (German: Konrad II, c. 990 – 4 June 1039), also known as Conrad the Elder and Conrad the Salic, was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039.

Future Byzantine empress Zoe marries Romanus Argyrus according to the wishes of the dying Constantine VIII

Future Byzantine empress Zoe marries Romanus Argyrus according to the wishes of the dying Constantine VIII

Great Al-Andalus earthquake strikes the Umayyad Caliphate around Córdoba (modern southern Spain)

Great Al-Andalus earthquake strikes the Umayyad Caliphate around Córdoba (modern southern Spain)

Robert II of France names his son Henry I as junior King of the Franks

Robert II (972 – 20 July 1031), called the Pious (French: le Pieux) or the Wise (French: le Sage), was King of the Franks from 996 to 1031, the second from the Capetian dynasty.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on April 18, 1025?
Bolesław I the Brave (967 – 17 June 1025), less often known as Bolesław the Great, was Duke of Poland from 992 to 1025 and the first King of Poland in 1025. He was also Duke of Bohemia between 1003 and 1004 as Boleslaus IV. A member of the Piast dynasty, Bolesław was a capable monarch and a strong mediator in Central European affairs.
Why is Bolesław I the Brave is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland significant?
Bolesław I the Brave (967 – 17 June 1025), less often known as Bolesław the Great, was Duke of Poland from 992 to 1025 and the first King of Poland in 1025.

Explore More

April 18 in HistoryYear 1025