The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Korona Królestwa Polskiego;
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
: ''Corona Regni Poloniae''), known also as the Polish Crown, is the common name for the historic
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Ren ...
territorial possessions of the
King of Poland, including the
Kingdom of Poland proper. The Polish Crown was at the helm of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
from 1569 to 1795.
Major political events
The Kingdom of Poland has been traditionally dated back to c. 966, when
Mieszko I and his
pagan Slavic realm joined
Christian Europe (
Baptism of Poland), establishing the state of Poland, a process started by his
Polan Piast dynasty ancestors. His oldest son and
successor, Prince
Bolesław I Chrobry,
Duke of Poland, became the first crowned King of Poland in 1025.
Union of Krewo
The
Union of Krewo was a set of prenuptial agreements made in the
Kreva Castle
Kreva Castle ( be, Крэўскі замак, lt, Krėvos pilis, pl, zamek w Krewie) is the ruins of a major fortified residence of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania (Gediminas and Algirdas) in the village of Kreva, Belarus. The village lies abov ...
on August 13, 1385. Once
Jogaila confirmed the prenuptial agreements on August 14, 1385, Poland and Lithuania formed a
personal union
A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interli ...
. The agreements included the adoption of Christianity, repatriation of lands "stolen" from Poland by its neighbours, and ''terras suas Lithuaniae et Russiae Coronae Regni Poloniae perpetuo applicare'', the clause which formed the personal union. After being baptized at the
Wawel Cathedral in
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...
on February 15, 1386, Jogaila began to formally use the name Władysław. Three days after his baptism, the marriage between
Jadwiga
Jadwiga (; diminutives: ''Jadzia'' , ''Iga'') is a Polish feminine given name. It originated from the old German feminine given name ''Hedwig'' (variants of which include ''Hedwiga''), which is compounded from ''hadu'', "battle", and ''wig'', "figh ...
and Władysław II Jagiełło took place.
Union of Lublin
The
Union of Lublin created the single state of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
on July 1, 1569 with a
real union
Real union is a union of two or more states, which share some state institutions in contrast to personal unions; however, they are not as unified as states in a political union. It is a development from personal union and has historically be ...
between the Crown and the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...
. Before then, the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania only had a
personal union
A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interli ...
. The Union of Lublin also made the Crown an elective monarchy; this ended the
Jagiellonian dynasty
The Jagiellonian dynasty (, pl, dynastia jagiellońska), otherwise the Jagiellon dynasty ( pl, dynastia Jagiellonów), the House of Jagiellon ( pl, Dom Jagiellonów), or simply the Jagiellons ( pl, Jagiellonowie), was the name assumed by a cad ...
once
Henry de Valois was elected on May 16, 1573 as monarch.
On May 30, 1574, two months after
Henry de Valois was crowned King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania on February 22, 1574, he was made
King of France, and was crowned King of France on February 13, 1575. He left the throne of the Crown on May 12, 1575, two months after he was crowned King of France.
Anna Jagiellon
Anna Jagiellon ( pl, Anna Jagiellonka, lt, Ona Jogailaitė; 18 October 1523 – 9 September 1596) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania from 1575 to 1587.
Daughter of Polish King Sigismund I the Old and Italian duchess Bona ...
was elected after him.
Constitution of 1791
The Constitution of May 3, 1791 is the second-oldest, codified national constitution in history, and the oldest codified national constitution in Europe; the oldest being the
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...
. It was called the Government Act (''Ustawa Rządowa'') Drafting for it began on October 6, 1788, and lasted 32 months.
Stanisław II Augustus was the principal author of the Constitution, and he wanted the Crown to be a constitutional monarchy, similar to the one in Great Britain. On May 3, 1791, the
Great Sejm convened, and they read and adopted the new constitution. It enfranchised the bourgeoisie, separated the government into three branches, abolished
liberum veto, and stopped the abuses of the
Repnin Sejm.
It made Poland a constitutional monarchy with the King as the head of the executive branch with his
cabinet of ministers, called the
Guardians of the Laws. The legislative branch was bicameral with an elected
Sejm
The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of ...
and an appointed
Senate; the King was given the power to break ties in the Senate, and the head of the Sejm was the
Sejm Marshal. The
Crown Tribunal, the highest appellate court in the Crown, was reformed. The Sejm would elect their judges for the Sejm Court (the Crown's parliamentary court) from their deputies (
''posłowie'').
The Government Act angered
Catherine II
, en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes
, house =
, father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
, mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
, birth_date =
, birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...
who believed that Poland needed permission from the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
for any political reform; she argued that Poland had fallen prey to radical
Jacobinism that was prominent in France at the time. Russia invaded the
Commonwealth in 1792. The Constitution was in place for less than 19 months; it was annulled by the
Grodno Sejm.
Politics
The creation of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland was a milestone in the evolution of Polish statehood and the European identity. It represented the concept of the Polish kingdom (nation) as distinctly separate from the person of the monarch.
[Juliusz Bardach, Boguslaw Lesnodorski, and Michal Pietrzak, ''Historia panstwa i prawa polskiego'' (Warsaw: Paristwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1987, p.85-86] The introduction of the concept marked the transformation of the Polish government from a
patrimonial monarchy (a
hereditary monarchy) to a "quasi-
constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
" (''monarchia stanowa'')
in which power resided in the nobility, the clergy and (to some extent) the working class, also referred to as an
"elective monarchy".
A related concept that evolved soon afterward was that of
Rzeczpospolita ("Commonwealth"), which was an alternate to the Crown as a name for the Polish state after the Treaty of Lublin in 1569.
The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland was also related to other
symbols of Poland, such as the capital (
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...
), the
Polish coat of arms and the
flag of Poland.
Geography
The concept of the Crown also had geographical aspects, particularly related to the indivisibility of the Polish Crown's territory.
It can be also seen as a unit of
administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
, the
territories
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...
under direct administration of the Polish state from the Middle Ages to the late 18th century (currently part of
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
and some border counties of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
,
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
,
Moldova
Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistri ...
,
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
, and
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, among others). Parts formed part at the early
Kingdom of Poland, then, the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
until its final collapse in 1795.
At the same time, the Crown also referred to all lands that the Polish state (not the monarch) could claim to have the right to rule over, including those that were not within Polish borders.
The term distinguishes those territories federated with the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...
() from various
fiefdom territories (which enjoyed varying degrees of
autonomy or semi-independence from the King), such as the
Duchy of Prussia
The Duchy of Prussia (german: Herzogtum Preußen, pl, Księstwo Pruskie, lt, Prūsijos kunigaikštystė) or Ducal Prussia (german: Herzogliches Preußen, link=no; pl, Prusy Książęce, link=no) was a duchy in the region of Prussia establish ...
() and the
Duchy of Courland
The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia ( la, Ducatus Curlandiæ et Semigalliæ; german: Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen; lv, Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste; lt, Kuršo ir Žiemgalos kunigaikštystė; pl, Księstwo Kurlandii i Semigalii) was ...
().
Prior to the 1569
Union of Lublin, Crown territories may be understood as those of the
Kingdom of Poland proper, inhabited by
Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in ...
, or as other areas under the sovereignty of the Polish king (such as
Royal Prussia) or the
szlachta. With the Union of Lublin, however, most of present-day
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
(which had a negligible Polish population and had until then been governed by
Lithuania), passed under Polish administration, thus becoming Crown territory.
During that period, a term for a Pole from the Crown territory was ''koroniarz'' (plural: ''koroniarze'') – or Crownlander(s) in English – derived from ''Korona'' – the Crown.
Depending on context, the Polish "Crown" may also refer to "
The Crown
The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differ ...
", a term used to distinguish the personal influence and private assets of the Commonwealth's current
monarch
A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...
from government authority and property. It often meant a distinction between persons loyal to the elected king (royalists) and persons loyal to
Polish magnates (confederates).
Provinces
After the
Union of Lublin (1569) Crown lands were divided into two
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
s:
Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a ...
(Polish: Małopolska) and
Greater Poland (Polish: Wielkopolska). These were further divided into administrative units known as
voivodeships (the Polish names of the voivodships and towns are shown below in parentheses).
Greater Poland Province
*
Brześć Kujawski Voivodeship (województwo brzesko-kujawskie,
Brześć Kujawski)
*
Gniezno Voivodeship
Gniezno Voivodeship ( Polish: ''Województwo Gnieźnieńskie'', Latin: ''Palatinatus Gnesnensis'') was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland for a short time from 1768, when it was cut from the Kalisz Voivodeship, to ...
(województwo gnieźnieńskie,
Gniezno) from 1768
*
Inowrocław Voivodeship (województwo inowrocławskie,
Inowrocław)
*
Kalisz Voivodeship (województwo kaliskie,
Kalisz)
*
Łęczyca Voivodeship (województwo łęczyckie,
Łęczyca)
*
Mazovian Voivodeship (województwo mazowieckie, of
Mazowsze,
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
)
*
Poznań Voivodeship (województwo poznańskie,
Poznań)
*
Płock Voivodeship
Płock (pronounced ) is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by GUS on 31 December 2021, there were 116,962 inhabitants in the city. Its full ceremonial name, according to ...
(województwo płockie,
Płock)
*
Podlaskie Voivodeship (województwo podlaskie,
Drohiczyn)
*
Rawa Voivodeship (województwo rawskie,
Rawa)
*
Sieradz Voivodeship
Sieradz Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by Łódź Voivodeship.
A Voivodeship is an area administered by a voivode (Governor), and the Sieradz Voivodeshi ...
(województwo sieradzkie,
Sieradz)
*
Prince-Bishopric of Warmia
Lesser Poland Province
*
Bełz Voivodeship (województwo bełzkie,
Bełz
Belz ( uk, Белз; pl, Bełz; yi, בעלז ') is a small city in Lviv Oblast of Western Ukraine, near the border with Poland, located between the Solokiya river (a tributary of the Bug River) and the Richytsia stream. Belz hosts the administ ...
)
*
Bracław Voivodeship (województwo bracławskie,
Bracław)
*
Czernihów Voivodeship
Czernihów (Chernihiv) Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo czernihowskie, links=no) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland (part of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth) from 1635 until Khmelnytsky Uprising in ...
(województwo czernihowskie,
Czernihów)
*
Kijów Voivodeship (województwo kijowskie,
Kijów)
*
Kraków Voivodeship (województwo krakowskie,
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...
)
*
Lublin Voivodeship (województwo lubelskie,
Lublin)
*
Podole Voivodeship (województwo podolskie,
Kamieniec Podolski)
*
Ruś Voivodeship (województwo ruskie,
Lwów)
*
Sandomierz Voivodeship
Sandomierz Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo Sandomierskie, la, Palatinatus Sandomirensis) was a unit of administration and local government in Poland from the 14th century to the partitions of Poland in 1772–1795. It was part of the Lesser Polan ...
(województwo sandomierskie,
Sandomierz)
*
Wołyń Voivodeship (województwo wołyńskie,
Łuck)
*
Duchy of Siewierz (
Siewierz
Siewierz is a town in southern Poland, in the Będzin County in the Silesian Voivodeship, seat of Gmina Siewierz.
History
Siewierz was first mentioned in 1125, and was administered by the Castellan of Bytom. In 1177, Casimir II of Poland grant ...
)
Royal Prussia Province (1569–1772)
''Royal Prussia'' () was a semi-autonomous province of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
from 1569 to 1772. Royal Prussia included
Pomerelia,
Chełmno Land (Kulmerland),
Malbork Voivodeship (Marienburg),
Gdańsk (Danzig),
Toruń (Thorn), and
Elbląg (Elbing). Polish historian Henryk Wisner writes that Royal Prussia belonged to the Province of Greater Poland.
Other holdings or fiefs
Principality of Moldavia (1387–1497)
The history of Moldavia has long been intertwined with that of Poland. The Polish chronicler
Jan Długosz mentioned Moldavians (under the name ''Wallachians'') as having joined a military expedition in 1342, under King
Władysław I, against the
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg (german: link=no, Markgrafschaft Brandenburg) was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe.
Brandenburg developed out ...
. The Polish state was powerful enough to counter the Hungarian Kingdom which was consistently interested in bringing the area that would become Moldavia into its political orbit.
Ties between Poland and Moldavia expanded after the Polish
annexation of Galicia in the aftermath of the
Galicia–Volhynia Wars and the founding of the Moldavian state by
Bogdan of Cuhea. Bogdan, a Vlach
voivode
Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the me ...
from
Maramureș who had fallen out with the Hungarian king, crossed the
Carpathian mountains in 1359, took control of Moldavia, and succeeded in transforming it into an independent political entity. Despite being disfavored by the brief union of
Angevin Poland and Hungary (the latter was still the country's overlord), Bogdan's successor
Lațcu, the Moldavian ruler also likely allied himself with the Poles. Lațcu also accepted
conversion
Conversion or convert may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman''
* "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series
* "The Conversion" ...
to
Roman Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
around 1370, but his gesture was to remain without lasting consequences.
Petru I profited from the end of the Hungarian-Polish union and moved the country closer to the
Jagiellon realm, becoming a
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerai ...
of
Władysław II on September 26, 1387. This gesture was to have unexpected consequences: Petru supplied the Polish ruler with funds needed in the war against the
Teutonic Knights, and was granted control over
Pokuttya
Pokuttia, also known as Pokuttya or Pokutia ( uk, Покуття, Pokuttya; pl, Pokucie; german: Pokutien; ro, Pocuția), is a historical area of East-Central Europe, situated between the Dniester and Cheremosh rivers and the Carpathian Mounta ...
until the debt was to be repaid; as this is not recorded to have been carried out, the region became disputed by the two states, until it was lost by Moldavia in the
Battle of Obertyn (1531). Prince Petru also expanded his rule southwards to the
Danube Delta. His brother Roman I conquered the Hungarian-ruled
Cetatea Albă in 1392, giving Moldavia an outlet to the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
, before being toppled from the throne for supporting
Fyodor Koriatovych in his conflict with
Vytautas the Great of
Lithuania. Under
Stephen I, growing Polish influence was challenged by
Sigismund of Hungary, whose expedition was defeated at
Ghindăoani
Ghindăoani is a commune in Neamț County
Neamț County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the historic region of Moldavia, with the county seat at Piatra Neamț. The county takes its name from the Neamț River.
Demographics
Populatio ...
in 1385; however, Stephen disappeared in mysterious circumstances.
Although
Alexander I Alexander I may refer to:
* Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC
* Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus
* Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome
* Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of A ...
was brought to the throne in 1400 by the Hungarians (with assistance from
Mircea I of Wallachia), this ruler shifted his allegiances towards Poland (notably engaging Moldavian forces on the Polish side in the
Battle of Grunwald
The Battle of Grunwald, Battle of Žalgiris or First Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respec ...
and the
Siege of Marienburg), and placed his own choice of rulers in Wallachia. His reign was one of the most successful in Moldavia's history, but also saw the very first confrontation with the
Ottoman Turks at Cetatea Albă in 1420, and later even a conflict with the Poles. A deep crisis was to follow Alexandru's long reign, with his successors battling each other in a succession of wars that divided the country until the murder of
Bogdan II
Bogdan II (1409 – 17 October 1451) was a prince of Moldavia from October 12, 1449 to October 17, 1451.
Family
According to some historians, he was the bastard of Alexander the Good, by an unknown mother. On the contrary, according to the other ...
and the ascension of
Peter III Aaron in 1451. Nevertheless, Moldavia was subject to further Hungarian interventions after that moment, as
Matthias Corvinus
Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several m ...
deposed Aron and backed
Alexăndrel to the throne in
Suceava. Petru Aron's rule also signified the beginning of Moldavia's
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
allegiance, as the ruler agreed to pay
tribute
A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conq ...
to Sultan
Mehmed II.
The principality of Moldavia covered the entire geographic region of Moldavia. In various periods, various other territories were politically connected with the Moldavian principality. This is the case of the province of
Pokuttya
Pokuttia, also known as Pokuttya or Pokutia ( uk, Покуття, Pokuttya; pl, Pokucie; german: Pokutien; ro, Pocuția), is a historical area of East-Central Europe, situated between the Dniester and Cheremosh rivers and the Carpathian Mounta ...
, the fiefdoms of
Cetatea de Baltă and
Ciceu (both in
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
) or, at a later date, the territories between the Dniester and the Bug rivers.
Towns in Spisz (Szepes) County (1412–1795)
As one of the terms of the
Treaty of Lubowla, the Hungarian crown exchanged, for a loan of ''sixty times the amount of 37,000
Prague groschen
The Prague groschen ( cz, pražský groš, la, grossi pragenses, german: Prager Groschen, pl, grosz praski) was a groschen-type silver coin that was issued by Wenceslaus II of Bohemia since 1300 in the Kingdom of Bohemia and became very commo ...
'' (approximately seven tonnes of pure silver), 16 rich salt-producing towns in the area of
Spisz (Zips), as well as a right to incorporate them into Poland until the debt was repaid. The towns affected were:
Biała,
Lubica,
Wierzbów,
Spiska Sobota,
Poprad,
Straże,
Spiskie Włochy,
Nowa Wieś,
Spiska Nowa Wieś,
Ruszkinowce,
Wielka,
Spiskie Podgrodzie,
Maciejowce,
Twarożne.
Duchy of Siewierz (1443–1795)
Wenceslaus I sold the Duchy of Siewierz to the
Archbishop of Kraków,
Zbigniew Cardinal Oleśnicki, for 6,000 silver
groats
Groats (or in some cases, "berries") are the hulled kernels of various cereal grains, such as oat, wheat, rye, and barley. Groats are whole grains that include the cereal germ and fiber-rich bran portion of the grain, as well as the endosp ...
in 1443. After that point it was considered to be associated with the
Lesser Poland Province and was the only
ecclesiastical duchy in Lesser Poland. The junction of the duchy with the Lesser Poland Province was concluded in 1790 when the
Great Sejm formally incorporated the Duchy, as part of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, into the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
.
Prince-Bishopric of Warmia (1466–1772)
The Prince-Bishopric of Warmia ( pl, Biskupie Księstwo Warmińskie,) was a semi independent
ecclesiastical state, ruled by the
incumbent ordinary of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Warmia, and a protectorate of
Kingdom of Poland, later part of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
after the
Peace of Thorn (1466–1772)
Lauenburg and Bütow Land
After the childless death of the last of the
House of Pomerania
The House of Griffin or Griffin dynasty (german: Greifen; pl, Gryfici, da, Grif) was a dynasty ruling the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637. The name "Griffins" was used by the dynasty after the 15th century and had been tak ...
,
Bogislaw XIV in 1637, Lauenburg and Bütow Land again became a ''terra'' (land, ''
ziemia'') of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. In 1641 it became part of the
Pomeranian Voivodeship of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
. After the 1657
Treaty of Bydgoszcz, which amended the
Treaty of Wehlau, it was granted to the
Hohenzollern dynasty of
Brandenburg-Prussia in return for her help against
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
in the
Swedish-Polish War under the same favorable conditions the House of Pomerania had enjoyed before. Lauenburg and Bütow Land was officially a Polish fiefdom until the
First Partition of Poland in 1772 when King
Frederick II of Prussia incorporated the territory into
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
and the subsequent Treaty of Warsaw in 1773 made the former conditions obsolete.
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (Courland) (1562–1791)
The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia is a
duchy in the
Baltic region
The terms Baltic Sea Region, Baltic Rim countries (or simply the Baltic Rim), and the Baltic Sea countries/states refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea, mainly in Northern Europe. ...
that existed from 1562 to 1791 as a vassal state of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...
and later the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
. In 1791 it gained full independence, but on March 28, 1795, it was annexed by the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
in the
Third Partition of Poland. The duchy also had
colonies
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...
in
Tobago
Tobago () is an island and ward within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger island of Trinidad and about off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. It also lies to the southeast of Grenada. The offic ...
and Gambia
Duchy of Prussia (1569–1657)
The ''Duchy of Prussia'' was a
duchy in the eastern part of
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
from 1525 to 1701. In 1525 during the
Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...
, the
Grand Master of the
Teutonic Knights, Albert of Hohenzollern, secularized the Prussian
State of the Teutonic Order, becoming
Albert, Duke in Prussia
Albert of Prussia (german: Albrecht von Preussen; 17 May 149020 March 1568) was a German prince who was the 37th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, who after converting to Lutheranism, became the first ruler of the Duchy of Prussia, the secu ...
. His duchy, which had its capital in
Königsberg
Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was ...
(
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...
), was established as a fief of the
Crown of Poland, as had been Teutonic Prussia since the
Second Peace of Thorn in October 1466. This treaty had ended the War of the Cities or
Thirteen Years' War and provided for the Order's cession of its rights over the western half of its territories to the Polish crown, which became the province of
Royal Prussia, while the remaining part of the Order's land became a fief of the
Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569). In the 17th century King
John II Casimir of Poland submitted
Frederick William to regain Prussian suzerainty in return for supporting Poland against Sweden. On July 29, 1657, they signed the
Treaty of Wehlau in
Wehlau
Znamensk (; ; lt, Vėluva; pl, Welawa) is a rural locality (a settlement) in Gvardeysky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Pregolya River at its confluence with the Lava River east of Kaliningrad. Popula ...
(Polish: Welawa; now Znamensk), whereby Frederick William renounced a previous Swedish-Prussian alliance and John Casimir recognised Frederick William's full sovereignty over the Duchy of Prussia.
[ Henryk Rutkowski, 'Rivalität der Magnaten und Bedrohung der Souveränität', in: ''Polen. Ein geschichtliches Panorama'', Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Interpress, 1983, pp. 81–91, here p. 83. ] Full sovereignty was a necessary prerequisite for upgrading the Duchy to
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...
in 1701.
Duchy of Livonia (Inflanty) (1569–1772)
The ''Duchy of Livonia'' was a territory of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...
– and later a joint domain (
Condominium) of the Polish Crown and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Protectorates
Caffa
In 1462, during the expansion of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
and the Crimean Tatars, Caffa placed itself under the protection of King
Casimir IV of Poland. The proposition of protection was accepted by the Polish king but when the real danger came, help for Caffa never arrived.
[Historia Polski Średniowiecze, Stanisław Szczur, Kraków 2002, s. 537.]
See also
*
Administrative division of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
*
Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen
*
Lands of the Crown of Saint Wenceslaus
Notes
References
* Henryk Litwin,
Central European Superpower', ''BUM Magazine'', October 2016.
* Jan Herburt, ''Statuta Regni Poloniae: in ordinem alphabeti digesta,'' Cracoviae (Kraków) 1563.
* Jan Dąbrowski, ''Korona Królestwa Polskiego w XIV wieku:studium z dziejów rozwoju polskiej monarchii stanowej,'' Zakład im. Ossolińskich, 1956.
* Stanisław Szczur, ''Historia Polski Średniowiecze'' (History of Poland – Middle Ages), Wydawnictwo Literackie 2002,
Further reading
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crown Of The Kingdom Of Poland
.
Geographic history of Poland
Polish–Lithuanian union
Subdivisions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Political history of Poland
Former monarchies of Europe
1385 establishments in Europe
1569 establishments in Europe
14th-century establishments in Poland
1795 disestablishments in Poland
States and territories disestablished in 1795
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...