Political vs. integral history in the study of Medieval Poland

The history of diplomatic relations provides a sound basis for the study of the history of economy and culture. Single events also offer a possibility of analysing the “long lasting” processes. They also give us a chance to address some issues concerning transformations in the production process, in the structure of barter trade, social relations and culture transformations. The author has made an attempt to show some of such opportunities analysing the history of Medieval Poland.