The states of eastern and northern Europe

In April 1075 Pope Gregory VII wrote to Boleslaw II the Bold, Duke of Poland, expressing his satisfaction that Your Excellency is sincerely devoted to St Peter, prince of the Apostles, and that you are showing your reverence with eager enthusiasm, namely, the fact that you have desired to make him your debtor by honoring him with liberal offerings and, as we trust in God, have earned this reward. The letter, he said, was accompanied by papal representatives who would confer with him on the best ways of improving the care and organisation of the Church in his lands, which he believed to be as yet inadequate, for the bishops were too few for a region of such size. Give heed to their advice, warns Gregory, for the time will soon come when Boleslaw will have to render account before God for the way that he has exercised the power vested in him ( Emerton 1966 :77–8). The papal legates were evidently impressed by Boleslaw’s co-operation, for at Christmas 1076 he was crowned king by Bogumil, Archbishop of Gniezno (see Table 16 ). The Polish Church was reorganised with Gniezno re-established as the metropolitan see, presiding over the four dioceses of Poznań, Cracow, Wrocław and Plock.