Sacrum a ideologia władzy królewskiej pierwszych Piastów

The editor of the dedicatory letter attached to the book of rites offered by Matilda of Swabia to Mieszko II presented the Polish king as the ruler, who was elevated to royal dignity by God himself and who focused his attention primarily on the fulfilment of religious duties. He watched over proper God worship and was concerned about the salvation of his subjects. The portrayal of Mieszko II’s rule emerging from Matilda’s letter goes perfectly in line with the concept of royal authority developed in the Ottoman period. It placed the ruler, distinguished by royal anointing, in the spiritual sphere and conferred the sacred dimension to his royal power. There is no doubt that the editor of the letter did not merely refer to the notions of royal authority typical exclusively of the political culture of the Holy Roman Empire, but also directly brought up the ideological programmes formulated at the Piast court, which depicted the power exercised by the Polish rulers in sacred terms.