Mid-twelfth-century Poland between East and West – confl icts, alliances, marriages
Mid-twelfth-century Poland between East and West – confl icts, alliances, marriages

Summary/Abstract: Mid-twelfth century was a unique period in the history of Poland. A powerful state, which successfully stood up to the western powers and easily forged alliances with its eastern neighbour, Poland was increasingly riven by internal confl icts. It is worth noting that poised between the East and the West, Poland was a major state in twelfth-century Europe. Throughout this period, both Holy Roman Empire and the papacy, depressed by internal conflicts, remained somewhat powerless against Poland, which successfully applied a policy of avoiding open conflicts and – under threat – stood up to diplomatic interventions, and even direct invasions. On the other hand, this specific period saw strong and fruitful alliances with Rus, continuously more weakened by internal conflicts. The Polish-Rusian coalitions were suc-cessfully reinforced by marriages.

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