Bolesław I the Brave in the context of "Poland during the Piast dynasty"

The Kingdom of Poland (Polish: Królestwo Polskie; Latin: Regnum Poloniae) was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed intermittently from the coronation of the first king, Bolesław I the Brave, in 1025, to the collapse of the state as a result of the partitions and the abdication of the last monarch, Stanisław August Poniatowski, in 1795.

Until 1320, only a few of the most powerful princes of the Piast dynasty managed to have themselves crowned as kings, due to the division of the realm among members of the ruling dynasty and the absence of a single strong center of power. For a brief period between 1300 and 1306, the Kingdom of Poland was ruled by the Bohemian kings, creating a situation of personal union between the two states. In 1320, following the coronation of Władysław the Elbow-high, subsequent Polish rulers were crowned as kings.

Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16th to 18th centuries).

The first Polish ruler whose existence is not debatable was Duke Mieszko I, who adopted Christianity under the authority of Rome in the year 966. He was succeeded by his son, Bolesław I the Brave, who greatly expanded the boundaries of the Polish state and ruled as the first king in 1025. The following centuries gave rise to the mighty Piast dynasty, consisting of both kings such as Mieszko II Lambert, Przemysł II or Władysław I the Elbow-high and dukes like Bolesław III Wrymouth. The dynasty's rule over Poland ceased with the death of Casimir III the Great in 1370. In the same year, the Capetian House of Anjou became the ruling house with Louis I as king of both Poland and Hungary. His daughter, Jadwiga, later married Jogaila, the pagan Grand Duke of Lithuania, who in 1386 was baptized and crowned as Władysław II Jagiełło, thus creating the Jagiellonian dynasty and a personal union between Poland and Lithuania.

The ethnonyms for the Poles (people) and Poland (their country) include endonyms (the way Polish people refer to themselves and their country) and exonyms (the way other peoples refer to the Poles and their country). Endonyms and most exonyms for Poles and Poland derive from the name of the West Slavic tribe of Polans (Polanie), while in some languages the exonyms for Poland to derive from the name of another tribe – the Lendians (Lędzianie).

The history of Poland spans over a thousand years, from medieval tribes, Christianization and monarchy; through Poland's Golden Age, expansionism and becoming one of the largest European powers; to its collapse and partitions, two world wars, communism, and the restoration of democracy.

The roots of Polish history can be traced to ancient times, when the territory of present-day Poland was inhabited by diverse ethnic groups, including Celts, Scythians, Sarmatians, Slavs, Balts and Germanic peoples. However, it was the West Slavic Lechites, the closest ancestors of ethnic Poles, who established permanent settlements during the Early Middle Ages. The Lechitic Western Polans, a tribe whose name denotes "people living in open fields", dominated the region and gave Poland - which lies in the North-Central European Plain - its name. The first ruling dynasty, the Piasts, emerged in the 10th century AD. Duke Mieszko I, regarded as the creator of Polish statehood, adopted Western Christianity in 966 CE. Mieszko's dominion was formally reconstituted as a medieval kingdom in 1025 by his son Bolesław I the Brave, known for his military expansions. The most successful and the last Piast monarch, Casimir III the Great, presided over a period of economic prosperity and territorial aggrandizement before his death in 1370 without male heirs.

The period of rule by the Piast dynasty between the 10th and 14th centuries is the first major stage of the history of the Polish state. The dynasty was founded by a series of dukes listed by the chronicler Gall Anonymous in the early 12th century: Siemowit, Lestek and Siemomysł. It was Mieszko I, the son of Siemomysł, who is considered the founder of the Polish state. Mieszko converted to Christianity of the Western Latin Church in an event known as the Baptism of Poland in 966. His acceptance of Christianity marked the formal beginning of Polish statehood, which was recognized by the Papacy and other Christian states of Europe. The Papal incipit titled Dagome iudex, first defined Poland's geographical boundaries and affirmed that Mieszko was under the protection of the Apostolic See. Mieszko also completed a unification of the Lechitic tribal lands that was fundamental to the existence of the new country of Poland. The ruling house then remained in power in the Polish lands until 1370.

Following the emergence of the Polish state, a series of rulers converted the population to Christianity, created a kingdom of Poland in 1025 and integrated Poland into the prevailing culture of Europe. Mieszko's son Bolesław I the Brave established a Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Gniezno, pursued territorial conquests and was officially crowned in 1025 as the first king of Poland. The first Piast monarchy collapsed with the death of Mieszko II Lambert in 1034, followed by its restoration under Casimir I in 1042. In the process, the royal dignity for Polish rulers was forfeited, and the state reverted to the status of a duchy. Duke Casimir's son Bolesław II the Bold revived the military assertiveness of Bolesław I, but became fatally involved in a conflict with Bishop Stanislaus of Szczepanów and was expelled from the country.

The Crown of Bolesław I the Brave (Polish: korona Chrobrego), also known as the Corona Privilegiata, was the coronation crown of Polish monarchs and the centrepiece of the Polish crown jewels. The original crown was made for the coronation of Ladislaus the Short in 1320 and symbolised the regalia bestowed upon Bolesław I the Brave by Emperor Otto III over three centuries earlier. Following the Partitions of Poland, the crown along with other insignia was stolen from the royal treasury at Wawel Castle in Kraków and melted down.

According to historical accounts, the crown was two-arched, made of gold and featured 474 uncut gemstones on a fleur-de-lis setting. Its near-exact replica from 2003 comprises salvaged gold from the original. In its present state, the crown is 26 centimetres (10 in) tall, 18.5 centimetres (7.3 in) in inner diameter and weighs 1.28 kilograms (2.8 lb).