Dagome Iudex

''Dagome iudex'' is one of the earliest historical documents relating to Poland. Although Poland is not mentioned by name, it refers to ''Dagome'' and ''Ote'' (Mieszko I and his wife, Oda von Haldensleben) and their sons in 991, placing their land (called "Civitas Schinesghe") under the protection of the Apostolic See. The document's name derives from its opening words.

History

The ''Dagome iudex'' survives in the form of a summary, completed . It was found in a register compiled by a curial cardinal during the papacy of Gregory VII.

Most historians believe that the word ''"Dagome"'' is a melding of two names: the Christian ''"Dago"'', for " Dagobert" (Mieszko's hypothetical baptismal name), and the ''"Me,"'' for pagan "Mieszko." The Latin word ("judge") could refer to "prince." Another interpretation is that ''"Dagome iudex"'' is a corruption of ''"Ego Mesco dux"'' ("I, Prince Mieszko"). In the Vatican copy, the e of Dagome might have an ''s adscriptum'' (similar to cedilla), although the Vatican copyist read ''iudex'' literally, relating it to Sardinia and its four "judges".

Place names are misspelled by the writer who made the summary. He was apparently unaware that the document related to territory later called Poland.

The boundaries of the "Gniezno" state are described as those that extended to the "Long Sea" (the Baltic), Prussia, Rus', Kraków, Moravia and the Oder River. Lesser Poland is included by the mention of its capital, Kraków ("craccoa"). Between ''alemura'', probably Olomouc and Upper Lusatia region of the Milceni (''terra mileze'') a straightened border could include Silesia.

The text seems to use ''civitas schinesghe'' as a synonym of Greater Poland. Otherwise, the boundary description would be more logical if ''schenisghe'' meant the city of Szczecin. Of the other regions and places in Mieszko's territory, it mentioned only Kraków and Lusatia, both without ''fines'' (border). The regions outside Mieszko's rule, ''pruzze'' (Prussia) and ''russe'' (Ruthenia) were mentioned with the word ''fines''.

The ''Dagome iudex'' is of critical importance to Polish history, since it provided a general description of the future Polish state in that period. It, however, left many questions unanswered. First, it did not explain ''why'' Mieszko I placed his state under the Pope's protection. Also, it is unclear why the document did not mention Mieszko's eldest son, Bolesław I the Brave. Instead, his sons by his second wife (except the third), Oda, were mentioned instead. Finally, Mieszko I is not referred to as "''Dagome''" in any other document.

Historians suppose that Bolesław's absence from the document might be explained by an old custom whereby children received their inheritance as soon as they reached the age of majority. Thus, Bolesław the Brave might have received Kraków as his part of his father's legacy before the ''Dagome iudex'' was written.

Text of the ''Dagome iudex''

* In Latin:

:

* In English translation:

: "Also in another volume from the times of Pope John XV, Dagome, lord, and Ote, lady, and their sons Misico and Lambert (I do not know of which nation those people are, but I think they are Sardinians, for those are ruled by four judges) were supposed to give to Saint Peter one state in whole which is called Schinesghe, with all its lands in borders which run along the long sea, along Prussia to the place called Rus, thence to Kraków and from said Kraków to the River Oder, straight to a place called Alemure, and from said Alemure to the land of Milczanie, and from the borders of that people to the Oder and from that, going along the River Oder, ending at the earlier mentioned city of Schinesghe."

External links

Alternative translation

Notes

Notes based on interpretations by the Polish historian Gerard Labuda:

''a.'' When Lusatia came in sight of medieval writers, the lived only in Lower Lusatia, the Milceni in Upper Lusatia. Later on, the term ''Lusatia'' (Lausitz, Lužice) was spread to the south. Therefore, nowaday's term Lusatian Mountains does not totally fit with the history of settlement.

''b.'' "Dagome" is commonly identified as Mieszko I. However, the question remains open whether this was a misspelling or his Christian name. If the latter, it might correspond to the names " Dago", "Dagon" or " Dagobert".

''c.'' In classical Latin, the term ''iudex'' was used to refer to "a person who is ordered to do some work on behalf of others" and was identical in meaning to the Byzantine '' archont''. However, in medieval Latin ''iudex'' could also mean a sovereign ruler. Princes of Slavic tribes were sometimes referred to as ''iudices''. Nevertheless, some historians claim that this was a misspelling of the Latin '' dux'' ("duke" or "prince").

''d.'' Literally, "lady-senator". Cf. "senate".

''e.'' It is unclear why Bolesław I the Brave, Mieszko's eldest son and his successor, is not mentioned while the children from Mieszko's marriage to Ote are.

''f.'' Scribe's note, only in the Vatican copy; the four is written non-classical as iiii.

''g.'' The origin of the name ''Schinesghe'' is unclear. Some historians argue that it is a corruption of "Gniezno", then Poland's capital. Others identify it with the town of Szczecin.

''h.'' "Long sea": Some historians identify it with the Baltic Sea, others with the province of Pomerania (the Baltic coast), a part of Poland ca. 990.

''i.'' ''Alemure'' might be the city of Olomouc, in Moravia. However, this is uncertain.

References

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10th-century documents
10th century in Poland
991
10th-century writers in Latin