I just discovered through reandom online research that the Polish people spoke out against the crusades, and led the first movement for human rights, including the rights of pagans to exist peacefully and posess land.
However, this blows the theory as to where my surname came from … MORE
It also makes me wonder why Poland sided with the North in the Civil War … perhaps the slavery issue took precedence over self-determination, but I doubt it, as the North didn’t abolish slavery until AFTER the war. Who knows.