We start with the legendary beginnings of the Polish state, face down an army of rats intent on exacting justice, and set the stage for entering the historical era.

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We jump from the legendary past into the era of recorded Polish history and meet up with a man named Mieszko, the first historical ruler of Poland. We'll join him as he establishes the original state of Poland, fights against the rascally nobleman Wichmann, and begins the process of converting Poland to Latin Christianity.

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Mieszko continues to turn Poland from an Eastern Pagan state into a Western Christian state. It won't be perfectly smooth sailing, but by the end of his life Mieszko will have left his mark on both Poland and Europe.

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Mieszko is gone and the seat of power in the early Polish state lies vacant, only to be filled by Mieszko's son Bolesław. His reign will feature some of the most daring exploits for a state that has only recently been formed, but before we get to that, let's get to know a little bit more about Bolesław, his early years, and about a friend he made named Adalbert.

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Adalbert sets off towards Prussia where he meets some fellows who are not at all enthusiastic to see him or his companions. Not to spoil anything, but by the end of his trip I'm guessing that he wished he had brought along those guards Bolesław had lent him.

Silver lining: The Congress of Gniezno is the result of Adalbert's missionary journey, which we'll also be covering this week.

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Bolesław mourns his old friend Emperor Otto III, tries to intervene in the succession crisis in the Empire, picks the losing side, and then ends up in a two-decade war with the Holy Roman Empire that ends with no clear winner.

It's a long slog for Bolesław, but luckily for us we get to enjoy it from the comfort of our favorite podcast app.

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Speaking of podcast apps, if you're enjoying the History of Poland podcast there are a few things you can do! First, you can leave a review on iTunes here, or you can follow us on Twitter here, or if you're feeling really adventurous you can send me an email at historyofpolandpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Bolesław takes a break from his on-again, off-again war with the Holy Roman Empire to take up arms and invade the territory of the Kievan Rus. Along with his army, his mercenaries, and his ill-advised son-in-law Sviatapolk, Bolesław conquers the city of Kiev.

His reign doesn't last for long, but it's a memorable episode in Bolesław's life.

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As I mentioned in the show, if you're enjoying the History of Poland podcast I'd love it if you left a nice review on iTunes here.

You can also follow us on Twitter here (where you'll see those cool coins), or if you're feeling really adventurous you can send me an email at historyofpolandpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Bolesław is a mixed bag as far as rulers go, so spend some time with us as we take a minute to evaluate his reputation, how "good" of a ruler he was, and what his legacy is.

PS. As I mentioned, I have a new microphone that's quite nice. But, it's also got a lot of settings I'm still figuring out. At one point in the episode I changed a setting (without realizing it) and started recording more background noise. Fortunately, it wasn't a siren or cars, but there is a gentle noise of birds lightly chirping in the background for about a minute. Hopefully it's nice? Who knows!

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And as I mentioned, check out our new website at historyofpolandpodcast.com, get in touch at historyofpolandpodcast@gmail.com, or follow us on Twitter @historyofpoland.

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