Mieszko I of Poland at Gniezno, Poznań, Ostrów Lednicki and elsewhere. The existence of the missionary diocese emphasized the individuality and independence of the Polish state. At the time of the reign of Mieszko, there was no single place serving as the capital, instead, he built several "palatiums" around his country. The most important locations were Poznań (Ostrów Tumski), Gniezno and Ostrów Lednicki. The latter was a ring-fort some 500 meters in circumference, containing the country's first monumental architecture, a stone palace used as the duke's residence. The Catholicization also led to political changes. The emergent power structures were independent of the traditional tribal
Mieszko I of Poland been between 922–945; the activity of the Duke in his final years of life puts the date of his birth closer to the latter year. There are three major theories concerning the origin and meaning of Mieszko I's name. The most popular theory, proposed by Jan Długosz, explains that Mieszko is a diminutive of "Mieczysław", a combination of two elements or lexemes: "Miecz" meaning sword and "Sław" meaning famous. Today, this theory is rejected by the majority of Polish historians, who consider the name Mieczysław to have been invented by Długosz to explain the origin of the name Mieszko. Today,