Duchy of Poland

This article is about the specific polity Duchy of Poland and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.

If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics

Was a state in central Europe ruled by the Piast Dynasty. It was the first form of the Polish state.

Summary

The Duchy of Poland emerged in the 10th century under the Piast dynasty, led by Mieszko I. Mieszko converted to Christianity in 966 and established the capital at Gniezno. His son, Boleslaus I, expanded Polish power eastward to the Dnieper River. The Piast dukes maintained Poland's independence despite conflicts with the Holy Roman Empire. Under Boleslaus III, the duchy was divided into principalities, leading to a period of dynastic struggles and internal weakness.

Establishment

January 961: Mieszko I of Poland was the first historical ruler of the Polans (later called Poland). He was responsible for the introduction and subsequent spread of Christianity in Poland. During his long reign most of the territories inhabited by Polish tribes and other West Slavs were temporarily added to his territory into a single Polish state.

Chronology

Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation

1. Bolesław I´s intervention in the Kievan succession crisis

Was a military expedition by the Polish ruler Bolesław the Brave in the Kievan Rus´.

July 1018: The army of Bolesław of Poland crossed the border in 1018 and reached Kiev later that same year. The Battle of the River Bug occurred around July 23.

August 1018: Kiev, which suffered from fires caused by the Pecheneg siege, surrendered upon seeing the main Polish army.

December 1018: It is not known how long Polish duke Bolesław remained in and around Kiev. Bolesław in fact departed within a few months and, as Thietmar died on December 1, 1018, Bolesław must have been back in Poland a good time before December.

2. Further events (Unrelated to Any War)

January 991: Silesia and Lesser Poland that were incorporated by the Duchy of Poland some time before 990.

January 993: The region of Neumark came under the sovereignty of the first Polish state during the 10th-century rule of Mieszko I (died 992) and Bolesław I (ruled 992-1025), Dukes of the Polans. Polish rulers incorporated the future Neumark territory as the Lubusz Land.

January 1001: Expansion of the Kievan Rus' by 1000 AD.

January 1003: In 1002, Boleslaus I of Poland occupied the Duchy of Bohemia.

January 1004: End of the Polis occupation of Bohemia.

January 1004: After Vladivoj died the next year, the Polish duke Bolesław I the Brave invaded Bohemia and Moravia.

January 1005: In 1004, after the Poles were expelled from Bohemia with help from Henry II, Duke Jaromír received the duchy of Bihemia in fief from the king of Germany.

January 1014: Between 1012/13, Polish Duke Bolesław I conquered the areas of the pagan Opolans, Golensizes and Wislans and was thus able to completely incorporate all of Silesia, including parts of Lusatia and Lesser Poland, into his duchy. This was the climax of the first phase of Polish rule over Silesia.

January 1018: In the Treaty of Bautzen, which was concluded between the two rulers of Poland and Meissen on January 30, 1018 after several changeable and bitter campaigns of war, Milzenerland and Mark Lusatia (today's Lower Lusatia) remained with the Duchy of Poland.

January 1019: Several western border cities including Przemysl, were annexed by the Kingdom of Poland.

Disestablishment

January 1026: In 1025, shortly before his death, Bolesław I the Brave finally succeeded in obtaining the papal permission to crown himself, and became the first king of Poland.