III: Forging the realm
Contemporary sources consistently portray Siemowit as a beast in human skin. While both Gierolt’s death and his grandchildren being sold to slavery could be seen as personal tragedies, the Vistulan
kniaź did a lot to get back at life. Any sign of defiance of dissent towards his rule was met with steel and fire – and those unlucky enough to survive were sure to meet their fates either as goods on slave market, or locked up in a cages for Siemowit’s amusement.
Curiously enough, the seemingly personal interest Siemowit took in slavery and selling out plundered goods resulted in Vistulan merchants gaining contacts in several exotic places, from Arabia to India. While Slavic lands were far from the Silk Road or other prominent trade routes of the 8th century, word of their reaches gradually spread, resulting in quite a few caravans taking a northern detour through Crimea and the steppe, hoping to reach Siemowit’s court.
Interestingly enough, the exchange seemed to be more than just purely material – sources from the mid-780s mention several foreigners settling permanently in Vistulan lands.
One of them was Supayagalay (usually transcribed as Supjaga in Slavic sources); a Myanma noble woman who became bethroted to Siemowit’s third son, Bezprym. Another was Narazeya (Narziej or Naraziej), also hailing from distant Myanma, who became a champion on Siemowit’s court and his personal bodyguard. Apparently the foreigner's wit equaled his prowess, as at some point he managed to be nominated as Siemowit’s representative in the
gród of Lublin, at the eastern outskirts of Vistulan domain.
At roughly the same period, Siemowit left his lands and ventured east, to the sacred groves of Kiev. Unfortunately, very little is known about Slavic pilgrimages and the exact character of rites associated with them; what we know, however, is that shortly after his return, Siemowit embarked on an ambitious effort – one that would outlive him by many centuries.
In 789, Siemowit called upon all tribal lords and ladies recognizing his suzerainty, summoning them to Wiślica. Such meetings were not an uncommon event in Slavic tribal practice; what made that particular congress unprecedented was its scale. For the first time in Vistulan history, White Croatians from Chrobatia also sent their representatives. Lendian chieftans from
gróds of Chełm and Przemyśl have also been present, sitting together with their western and southern bretheren. There, Siemowit demanded that all his subjects renewed their oaths of fealty, recognizing him as
wielki kniaź – the supreme overlord of all the tribes.
*
The next few years saw Siemowit’s realm expand rapidly in several directions – by 791, the majority of Chrobatia had been brought under the Vistulan heel. The last independent ruler of those lands – Dragomir, commanding the tribes of Transcarpathia – bent his knee in 793, making Siemowit the undispited hegemon.
On the other side of Slavic lands, the conflict with Pomeranians still simmered throughout the 780s and early 790s; people on both sides were taken captive and sold to slavery, armies clashed and villages got torched. During one such skirmish Siemowit managed to capture prince Przemysł’s war banner.
Repeated defeats and humiliations finally broke the Pomeranian ruler; according to the later
Latopis Perski (Persian Chronicle), Przemysł died in 794, drinking himself to death. Siemowit's response to this news was allegedly as enthusiastic, as eccentric; according to the chronicler, he ordered an effigy of Przemysł to be made out of cloth and hay, filled up with wine and then beheaded - all that as he drank himself into stupor, proving his health was no match to his late rival's.
Finally, the conquest of Chrobatian lands opened a new frontier for Siemowit and the Vistulans; beyond the Carpathian mountains lied the vast Pannonian basin, inhabited by nomadic Avars, ruling over vestigial Slavic tribes. Unfortunately, we have no first-hand source that would describe the first contact between those two peoples. What we do know, however, is that Siemowit was most eager to organise expeditions into Avar lands, leading two incursions in 793 and 794.
Both attacks coincided with a period of young khagan Rastate’s illness and thus encountered little resistance. Apparently, among the plunder acquired was one item of particular significance; a supposed morsel of saint David, most likely acquired when ransacking a caravan or some from the saddlebags of some unfortunate catholic missionary. Once again, Siemowit’s contacts proved most useful in making the most out of this gain; upon his return to Wiślica, the relic was sold to Arabian merchants, most likely mistaken for a remnant of Israeli king David.
Compared to that, the second incursion was rather uneventful; according to sources, Siemowit's most prized trophy was a certain Güdeş, a diviner and Tengri “wise woman”, taken into custody in one of many villages dotting the steppe. According to the Persian Chronicle, Siemowit developed a deep interest in Güdeş, hoping to use her skills in ruling his newfound state.
All this was in naught, however; during his return to Vistulan lands, somewhere between the lands of Spisz and Sącz, Siemowit suddenly fell ill and died in pain. Many theories exist regarding the exact circumstances of his demise; natural death due to age or illness is definitely possible, as is assassination by fearful retainers, worried that the rash and ruthless ruler would blame them for the meager plunder they carried. Finally, it cannot be excluded that it was Güdeş herself who killed the
kniaź in an attempt to regain her freedom.
Regardless of the exact reason, just five years after his proclamation, Siemowit left the throne vacant. His fearsome reputation of a dragon incarnate protected the Vistulan realm from foreign incursions and internal strife as long as he lived – but what lied beyond remained to be seen.
* – funnily enough, without Charlemagne (whose reign was very uneventful in this game, to the point of him being outlived by Karloman), no Slavic language would have the OTL word for king; be it Polish
król, Czech
král or Croatian
krȃlj, they all are derived from Old Slavonic
korľь, which is in turn a distorted version of Karl. For the time being, I decided to settle for
wielki kniaź (grand duke) – which is the title used in Polish historiography for OTL rulers of Kievan Rus’.
760?-789 (as kniaź)
