Polish Monarchs
A history of Polish dukes and monarchs.
Contents
Duchy of Poland
The duchy was intermittently a kingdom. Boleslaw I was raised to a king in 1025; Mieszko II inherited the title but was deposed in 1031, and Bezprym did not claim the title. Boleslaw II was raised to a king in 1076.
Boleslaw III divided his kingdom between his sons.
Duchy of Krakow
The Seniorate Province, also known as the high duchy of Krakow, went to Wladyslaw II.
Leszek I was the last high duke, after which Krakow became a simple duchy.
The duchy was incorporated into the kingdom of Poland by Wladyslaw I as the Krakow voivodeship.
Duchy of Silesia
The duchy of Silesia also went to Wladyslaw II. When Boleslaw IV deposed Wladyslaw II, he claimed this duchy for himself.
Frederick Barbarossa conquered the duchy for the sons of Boleslaw IV, and they fragmented it further.
Duchies of Silesia
The fragmented duchy of Silesia created dozens of smaller duchies.
- Bernstadt
- Bielsko
- Buchwald
- Brzeg
- Bytom
- Coschok
- Cosel
- Crossen
- Falkenberg
- Freudenthal
- Freystadt
- Gleiwitz
- Glogow
- Glubczyce
- Goldberg
- Grottkau
- Grunberg
- Haynau
- Hirschberg
- Jawor
- Krnov
- Legnica
- Lowenberg
- Loslau
- Luben
- Munsterberg
- Namslau
- Nysa
- Oels
- Ohlau
- Opole
- Oswiecim
- Parchwiz
- Prudnik
- Pless
- Raciborz
- Rybnik
- Siewierz
- Sprottau
- Steinau
- Strehlitz
- Swidnica
- Teschen
- Tost
- Troppau
- Wohlau
- Wroclaw
- Zator
- Zagan
The duchy of Troppau, also known as the principality of Opava, would be effectively added to this list when it was merged with Raciborz from 1337 until 1464. A short lived (1420 - 1460) duchy of Glogowek and Prudnik was the result of a personal union.
The duchies of Silesia were vassalized to John of Bohemia in 1335.
Duchy of Mazovia
The duchy of Mazovia went to Boleslaw IV.
Over generations the duchy was further fragmented.
- Belz
- Czersk
- Dobrzyn
- Kuyavia
- Plock
- Rawa
- Warsaw
Only in the 16th century did Mazovia fully return to the kingdom of Poland, under the Rawa, Plock, and Masovian voivodeships.
Duchy of Greater Poland
The duchy of Greater Poland went to Mieszko III.
Through land wars the duchy fragmented into the duchies of Poznan, Kalisz, and Gniezno.
The duchy were reunited by Przemysl II in 1279. Although the kingdom of Przemysl II would not survive him, Greater Poland was re-incorporated into the kingdom of Poland by Wladyslaw I as the Poznan and Kalisz voivodeships.
Duchy of Sandomierz
The duchy of Sandomierz went to Henry.
In 1166, Henry died without an heir. The duchy was temporarily partitioned (until 1173), with the short lived duchy of Wislica being gifted to the youngest brother Casimir II.
The duchy was incorporated into the kingdom of Poland by Wladyslaw I as the Sandomierz voivodeship.
Duchy of Pomerania
Kingdom of Poland
Przemysl II recreated the kingdom of Poland in 1295, although he was assassinated just a year later and the kingdom was conquered by Wenceslaus II of Bohemia.
Wladyslaw I was crowned king of Poland in 1320, although Pope John XXII justified this coronation as being the creation of a new kingdom, separate from that of Przemysl II.
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Dynasties
Piast
Premyslid
Angevin