Born on 6th March 1932 in Warsaw. Studied History at the University of Warsaw and in Paris (until 1954), in 1960 completed his PhD. Afterwards academic career at the History Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, where intermittently he headed the Research Department. He was granted a post-doctoral degree in 1972 and was later granted a professorship (1989). At the beginning of the nineties he was Professor at the College of France in Paris. He published several works, amongst others on medieval Polish and European history. From 1976 he was involved in dissident circles, he belonged from 1980 to the circle of advisors of Lech Wa??sa, the leader of the independent trade union Solidarno??, and developed into one of the leading opposition civil rights activists. At the beginning of the eighties he was arrested on several occasions. At the elections in 1989 he was elected Member of Parliament for Solidarno??, where, as Chairman of the Commission on Foreign Affairs and Constitutional Issues, he campaigned for an orientation to the West and for the membership of Poland in the European Union. Later he joined the reform-oriented Freedom Union (UW) and was once again voted into Parliament at the elections in 1997. In October 1997 he became Polish Foreign Minister (until 2000). After Poland had become a Member of the EU he became Member of the European Parliament in 2004. Died on 13th July 2008.