PROCEEDINGS | Scientific Symposium
Fig . 1 -Wiślica contemporary from the bird-view ; bottom : triangle shape of the Stronghold on the Meadows
Oldest written sources , which contain such phrases as “ v Vislech ” – on the Vistula , are to be understood as “ in the Vistula land ”; “ Wislelond ”, i . e . on the “ Vistulans ’ land ”, incorrectly interpreted “ in Wiślica ”, date back to the first half of the 9 th century . They refer to the early-feudal state form of the “ Land of the Vistulans ”, mentioned by the Bavarian Geographer and in the Geography of King Alfred , as well as in the Life of St . Methodius in the Pannonian Legend ( Labuda 1988 ). The nameless duke residing “ v Vislech ”, who mocked Christians , was defeated by Great Moravia and forced to accept baptism . At the beginning of the 10 th century , Great Moravia was conquered by a nomadic Hungarian tribe and Vistulans regained freedom for a short time . Soon afterwards , the new neighbour , i . e . the strong Czech state , captured today ’ s Lesser Poland and Cracow and it was only in 990 that Bolesław the Brave incorporated the areas of the former Vistulan land to the early-Piast monarchy .
Leaving the problem of the role that Wiślica played during the tribal period to a separate scientific discussion , it has to be stated that it definitely played an important role during the early-statehood period ( Gliński , 1998 ).
During the first Piast monarchy , a fortified settlement most probably existed here , the so-called ‘ stronghold on the Meadows ”, whose relics are located south-east of the town on a chalky rise in the oxbow lake of the Nida River , which is the study objective of the proposed project . The ‘ stronghold on the Meadows ” is the second oldest fortified settlement unit of Wiślica , next to another fortified settlement located in the northern part of Wiślica , on the so-called urban elevation , a place which Jan Długosz called regia , i . e . the royal domain .
An important period of Wiślica ’ s development took place during the reign of Casimir the Just , the youngest son of Boleslaus the Wrymouth . Duke Henry of Sandomierz , Casimir ’ s elder brother , gave him the Wiślica lands , and Casimir set up a small district in the form of the Wiślica Duchy in 1166 . After Henry ’ s death , Casimir moved to Sandomierz and became the ruler of the Sandomierz district , whereas the Wiślica lands were incorporated into the Sandomierz lands . Henry of Sandomierz is believed to be the founder of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary ( a church that befits ducal foundation , with a one aisle , a western gallery and a two-level presbytery enclosed by an apse ).
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