Why is Polish historiography obsessed with the idea of royal coronations of the first Piast rulers? An essay on differences in the perception of royal power and its function in newly converted West-Slavic Lands and Scandinavia

This paper looks at the ways in which the royal power functioned in newly converted Scandinavia and in the West Slavic Lands. It pinpoints the differences between them and emphasises that contrary to the general understanding, the coronations of the first three Polish kings were not symbols of sovereignty, but dependence on the Holy Roman Empire.

This paper gives details on a feature uncovered during archaeological research in Ostrów Tumski in Poznań, which yielded crucibles with particles of gold, fragments of gold foil, filigree, rivets, semi-finished products and finished products and beads from decorative stones. The feature was identified as a goldsmith’s workshop and attempts were made to determine the origin of the raw materials and where the artisans came from.