Matthew Patay's
Note of the Month
June 2003
Map and flag images provided by Graphic Maps
This month's featured note
is from Poland.
The denomination is 20 Zlotych and the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money
(SCWPM) Number is P-174.
The note is dated 1994 (The note was actually placed in circulation in 1995).
(obverse)
The banknote is purple and deep blue on multicolored under print. King
Boleslaw I Chrobry ('Boleslaus the Brave') (born 966/967, died 1025), is at
center right.
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The following information
was obtained from:
WIKIPEDIA WEB SITE
King Boleslaw I Chrobry ('Boleslaus the Brave')
(born 966/967, died 1025)
Boleslaw I Chrobry ('Boleslaus the Brave'), duke of Poland 992- and in 1025 king, probably the son of Mieszko I and his first wife, the Czech princess Dubrawka.
In 984 Boleslaus married Rikdaga, the daughter of the margrave of Meissen, followed by an unnamed Hungarian princess, then Enmilda, the daughter of one Dobromir, a Lusatian prince; and Oda, daughter of the margrave of Meissen. His wives bore him sons including Bezprym, Mieszko II and Otton, and a daughter, Mathilde.
In 997 Boleslaus sent St. Adalbert of Prague to Prussia on the Baltic Sea to attempt to convert the Prussians to Christianity. In 990 he conquered Silesia. By this time he was already in possession of Pomerania with its main city of Danzig, and of Little Poland with its main city of Cracow, and of Slovakia.
In A.D. 1000, while on a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Adalbert at Gniezno, the emperor Otto III invested Boleslaus with the title Frater et Cooperator Imperii ("Brother and Partner of the Empire"). On the same visit Otto III raised Gnesen/Gniezno to the rank of an archbishopric.
After the untimely death of Otto III in 1002 at the age of 22, Boleslaus conquered Meissen and Lusatia (German Lausitz), in an attempt to wrest imperial territory for himself during the disputes over the throne; he and his father had both backed Henry the Quarrelsome against Otto earlier, and he accepted the accession of Henry II of Germany, the earlier Henry's son.
Boleslaus conquered and made himself duke of Bohemia and Moravia in 1003-1004; he defeated the Russians and stormed Kiev in 1018, annexing Grody Czerwienskie and making prince Sviatopelk his vassal there. The intermittent wars with Germany were terminated with the Peace of Bautzen, Budziszyn in 1018, which left Meissen and Lausitz temporarily in Polish hands.
Boleslaus was forced by the next emperor, Henry II, to give a pledge of allegiance again for the lands he held in fief. When Henry died in 1024, Boleslaus made himself king, passing the title to his successors.
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(reverse)
Depiction of denar, silver coin
from reign of Boleslaus I the Brave, in centre area.
The following information
was obtained from:
The
National Bank of Poland
Predominant colours: violet, pink
Front design:
Portrait of King Boleslaus I
the Brave in centre area, with inscription, "BOLESLAUS I CHROBRY", in decorative
medallion. Left of portrait - at top, inscription, "NARODOWY BANK POLSKI"; below
that - depiction of eagle, emblem of Polish Republic; below that - inscription,
"WARSZAWA 25 MARCA 1994 r."; below that - inscription, "PREZES", and signature;
below that - inscription, "GLOWNY SKARBNIK", and signature. In background of
inscriptions and emblem - outline of Romanesque portal, with bricks above. On
left-hand side of note, in area of watermark - composition of guilloche lines.
In top left-hand corner, arranged vertically - number "20", with line underneath
and inscription below, "DWADZIESCIA ZLOTYCH". In bottom left-hand corner -
marking for the visually impaired, consisting of circle with raised edge.
Right-hand side of note contains two separate fields, upper and lower. Upper
field bears number "20", with drawing of crown in oval below and four "20"s
around crown, and stylised drawing of oak underneath. Numerical denomination of
note in top left-hand corner, line below that, marking for the visually
impaired, and upper and lower right-hand fields are all filled with white
ornamentation. Background of front of note consists of guilloche mesh with
intersecting lines of light violet, light pink, orange, olive green and beige.
Back design:
Depiction of denar, silver coin from reign of Boleslaus I the Brave, in centre area. At top, against ribbon background - inscription, "NARODOWY BANK POLSKI". Below denar - rectangular field of ornamentation bearing number "20" to left and inscription, "DWADZIESCIA ZLOTYCH", to right. To left of denar - drawing of rotunda, with crown in oval above and four "20"s around crown. To right of denar - drawing of lion rampant on floral osier, with legend below, "BANKNOTY EMITOWANE PRZEZ NARODOWY BANK POLSKI SA PRAWNYM SRODKIEM PLATNICZYM W POLSCE". In background of crown and rotunda, and also of lion and legend - composition of guilloche lines making up repeated number "20". On right-hand side of note, at top, above guilloche ribbon - number "20" filled with white ornamentation. In bottom right-hand corner - initials "NBP". In area of watermark - composition of guilloche lines.
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