1.
Crown of the Kingdom of Poland
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The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, or simply the Crown, is the common name for the historic Late Middle Ages territorial possessions of the King of Poland, including Poland proper. The kingdom has been dated back to c. 966, when Mieszko I and his pagan Slavic realm joined Christian Europe and his oldest son and successor, Prince Bolesław I Chrobry, Duke of Poland, became the first crowned King of Poland in 1025. The creation of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland was a milestone in the evolution of Polish statehood and it represented the concept of the Polish kingdom as distinctly separate from the person of the monarch. A related concept that evolved soon afterward was that of Rzeczpospolita, the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland was also related to other symbols of Poland, such as the capital, the Polish coat of arms and the flag of Poland. The concept of the Crown also had a geographical aspects, particularly related to the indivisibility of the Polish - Crown -territory. It can be seen as a unit of administrative division. Parts formed part at the early Kingdom of Poland, then, at the same time, the Crown also referred to all lands that the Polish state 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 Crown Grand Duchy of Lithuania from various fiefdom territories, such as the Duchy of Prussia and the Duchy of Courland. Prior to the 1569 Union of Lublin, Crown territories may be understood as those of Poland proper, inhabited by Poles, with the Union of Lublin, however, most of present-day Ukraine, passed onto Polish administration, thus becoming Crown territory. During that period, a term for a Pole from the Crown territory was koroniarz - or Crownlander in English - derived from Korona - the Crown and this often meant a distinction between persons loyal to the elected King and persons loyal to Polish magnate. Crown lands were divided into two provinces, Lesser Poland and Greater Poland and these were further divided into administrative units known as voivodeships. Royal Prussia included Pomerelia, Chełmno Land, Malbork Voivodeship, Gdańsk, Toruń, Polish historian Henryk Wisner writes that Royal Prussia belonged to the Province of Greater Poland. The towns affected were, Biała, Lubica, Wierzbów, Spiska Sobota, Poprad, Straże, Spiskie Włochy, Nowa Wieś, Spiska Nowa Wieś, Ruszkinowce, Wielka, Spiskie Podgrodzie, Maciejowce, Twarożne. Wenceslaus I sold the Duchy of Siewierz to the Archbishop of Kraków, Zbigniew Cardinal Oleśnicki, after that point it was considered to be associated with the Lesser Poland Province and was the only ecclesiastical duchy in Lesser Poland. In 1641 it became part of the Pomeranian Voivodeship of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Duchy of Livonia was held as a condominium with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was held as a condominium with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, jan Herburt, Statuta Regni Poloniae, in ordinem alphabeti digesta, Cracoviae 1563. Jan Dąbrowski, Korona Królestwa Polskiego w XIV wieku, studium z dziejów rozwoju polskiej monarchii stanowej, stanisław Szczur, Historia Polski Średniowiecze, Wydawnictwo Literackie 2002, ISBN 83-08-03272-9
2.
Czersk, Masovian Voivodeship
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Czersk is a settlement in the administrative district of Gmina Góra Kalwaria, within Piaseczno County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It lies approximately 2 kilometres south-east of Góra Kalwaria,19 km south-east of Piaseczno, the village also lies on the Czersk Lake, which is an oxbow lake of the Vistula. Czersk was an important settlement in the past and is one of the oldest Mazovian cities, the village currently has a population of about 590, but in the past, it was a royal town of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. In 1247-1526, it was the capital of the Duchy of Czersk, after incorporation of Mazovia into Poland, the duchy was turned into the Czersk Land, part of Masovian Voivodeship. The Land of Czersk was divided into four counties - those of Czersk, Grójec, Garwolin, Czersk itself was the seat of castellans, who also were senators of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Czersk was first mentioned in the Laurentian Codex, in which under the date 1142, in Polish-language sources, it was spelled Cirnsk, Cyrnsko, Czyersko, and later, Czyrnsk or Czyrnsko. These forms were later simplified into Czyrsko, which in late Middle Ages changed into Czersk, the name probably comes from the Czarna river, a tributary to the Vistula River. First Slavic gord was established on a hill in the 11th century, in a location of a 7th-century settlement. In the same year, Czersk was named a capital of a Mazovian duchy, officially, Czersk received town charter in 1350, but long before that time, it had an urban character, with a mid-13th century market square. In 1388, Duke of Mazovia Janusz I of Warsaw ordered conctruction of a Gothic castle with two towers and a tower gate, the castle was completed in 1410. Three years later, the capital of the duchy was moved to better located Warsaw, furthermore, in the 14th century the Vistula river bed moved eastwards, and the town found itself located a few kilometers away from the strategic river. During the reign of King Czersk Sigismund I the Old, Czersk became one of places of his wife. She spent a lot of time here, and on her initiative, a brewery was opened, trade flourished, local produce was very popular across Mazovia. The town prospered until the Swedish invasion of Poland, when, after the Battle of Warka, Czersk, the town never recovered from the destruction, in 1762-1766 Crown Marshall Franciszek Bieliński tried to rebuild the castle, but his project was not completed due to Partitions of Poland. In 1815, Czersk became part of Russian-controlled Congress Poland, and in 1869, as a punishment for the January Uprising, Czersk was stripped of its town rights, becoming a village. Once one of the largest medieval towns of Poland, and second largest town of Mazovia, Czersk now is a small village, Czersk still has a medieval grid plan, with a large market square in the middle. In the 11th century, during the reign of either Bolesław III Wrymouth or Władysław I Herman, the gord later became administrative center of the Duchy of Czersk, mentioned in 1224 in the documents of Castellan of Czersk, Piotr Pilch. In 1229, Duke Konrad I of Masovia imprisoned here Duke Henry I the Bearded, in 1239, Konrad imprisoned here another Duke, Bolesław V the Chaste
3.
Warsaw
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Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It stands on the Vistula River in east-central Poland, roughly 260 kilometres from the Baltic Sea and 300 kilometres from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population is estimated at 1.750 million residents within a metropolitan area of 3.101 million residents. The city limits cover 516.9 square kilometres, while the area covers 6,100.43 square kilometres. Once described as Paris of the East, Warsaw was believed to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world until World War II. On 9 November 1939, the city was awarded Polands highest military decoration for heroism, Warsaw is one of Europe’s most dynamic metropolitan cities. In 2012 the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Warsaw as the 32nd most liveable city in the world, in 2017 the city came 4th in the “Business-friendly” category and 8th in the “Human capital and life style”. It was also ranked as one of the most liveable cities in Central, Warsaw is considered an Alpha– global city, a major international tourist destination and a significant cultural, political and economic hub. The city is a significant centre of research and development, BPO, ITO, the Warsaw Stock Exchange is the largest and most important in Central and Eastern Europe. Frontex, the European Union agency for external security, has its headquarters in Warsaw. Together with Frankfurt, London and Paris, Warsaw is also one of the cities with the highest number of skyscrapers in the European Union, the city is the seat of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra and the University of Warsaw. The historic city-centre of Warsaw with its picturesque Old Town in 1980 was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, buildings represent examples of nearly every European architectural style and historical period. Warsaw provides many examples of architecture from the gothic, renaissance, baroque, neoclassical and modern periods, furthermore, the city is positioning itself as Europes chic cultural capital with thriving art and club scenes and renowned restaurants. Folk etymology attributes the city name to a fisherman, Wars, according to legend, Sawa was a mermaid living in the Vistula River with whom Wars fell in love. In actuality, Warsz was a 12th/13th-century nobleman who owned a village located at the site of Mariensztat neighbourhood. See also the Vršovci family which had escaped to Poland, the official city name in full is miasto stołeczne Warszawa. A native or resident of Warsaw is known as a Varsovian – in Polish warszawiak, warszawianin, warszawianka, warszawiacy, other names for Warsaw include Varsovia and Varsóvia, Varsovie, Varsavia, Warschau, װאַרשע /Varshe, Варшава /Varšava /Varshava, Varšuva, Varsó. The first fortified settlements on the site of todays Warsaw were located in Bródno, after Jazdów was raided by nearby clans and dukes, a new similar settlement was established on the site of a small fishing village called Warszowa
4.
Duke of Masovia
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Duke of Masovia was a title born by the sons and descendants of the Polish Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth. This was known as the fragmentation of Poland, subsequent developments lead to further splintering of the duchies. The following is a list of all rulers of the Duchy of Masovia, although not all incumbents listed here had titular rights to the title of Duke of Masovia, they are all listed as such for simplicitys sake. Also take note that some of the dates are merely approximate, finally, this table does not include lands ruled by dukes of other parts of partitioned Poland or Wenceslaus II and Wenceslaus III. The Duchy went through various changes in the coming years, sometimes losing. Duchy of Masovia In 1233, the Duchy of Kujavia emerged from Masovia, Duchy of Kujavia In 1313, Masovia is divided in the Duchies of Płock, Czersk and Rawa. The same happens with Płock in 1495, konrad III reunites Czersk and Warsaw, to recreate the Duchy of Masovia, annexed by Poland in1526. Media related to Dukes of Masovia at Wikimedia Commons
5.
Konrad I of Masovia
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Konrad I of Masovia, from the Polish Piast dynasty, was the sixth Duke of Masovia and Kujawy from 1194 until his death as well as High Duke of Poland from 1229 to 1232 and again from 1241 to 1243. He was the youngest son of High Duke Casimir II the Just of Poland and Helen of Znojmo and his maternal grandmother was Maria of Serbia, apparently a daughter of the pre-Nemanjić župan Uroš I of Rascia. After his fathers death in 1194, Konrad was brought up by his mother, in 1199 he received Masovia and in 1205 also the adjacent lands of Kuyavia. In 1205, he and his brother, Duke Leszek I the White of Sandomierz, had their greatest military victory at Battle of Zawichost against Prince Roman the Great of Galicia–Volhynia, the Ruthenian army was crushed and Roman was killed in battle. The Rurik princess Agafia of Rus became his wife, in order to enlarge his dominions, Konrad unsuccessfully attempted to conquer the adjacent pagan lands of Chełmno in Prussia during a 1209 crusade with the consent of Pope Innocent III. In 1215 the monk Christian of Oliva was appointed a missionary bishop among the Old Prussians, several further campaigns in 1219,1222 failed, instead Konrad picked a long-term border quarrel with the Prussian tribes. Subjected to constant Prussian raids and counter-raids, Konrad now wanted to stabilize the north of his Duchy of Masovia in this fight over the area of Chełmno. When they notified Hungary that the Order was, firstly, responsible to the pope, in view of an imminent Prussian invasion, Konrad supposedly signed the Treaty of Kruszwica in 1230, according to which he granted Chełmno Land to the Teutonic Knights and the Order of Dobrzyń. By this donation disclaiming any enfeoffment, Konrad established the nucleus of the State of the Teutonic Order, however it is believed that it was never signed, and the Order might have forged it. The Knights under the command of Hermann Balk crossed the Vistula river and conquered Chełmno Land, erecting the castle of Toruń in 1231. In 1234, Pope Gregory IX issued the Golden Bull of Rieti, confirming the prior deals with the Teutonic Knights, stating that the land of the Order was only subject to the Pope, not a fief of anybody. However their Silesian relative Duke Henry I the Bearded finally prevailed as High Duke at Kraków in 1232, by 1207 Konrad married Agafia of Rus, daughter of Prince Svyatoslav III Igorevich. Eudoxia, married Count Dietrich I of Brehna and Wettin Ludmila, salomea, probably a clare nun at Skała. Judith, married firstly to Duke Mieszko II the Fat of Opole, siemowit I, succeeded eldest brother as Duke of Masovia. From the Polish point of view, the Emperor had no basis to vest the Order with lands that were beyond his discretionary power. King Casimir III of Poland had to accept the rule of the Order in Thorn, after the Thirteen Years War in the 1466 Second Peace of Thorn, the Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon gained control over the Chełmno Land as part of Royal Prussia. History of Poland Altes Preussenland before 1200 Hartmut Boockmann, Deutsche Geschichte im Osten Europas, Konrad of Masovia sent Polish crusaders against Prussian after 1209
6.
Siemowit I of Masovia
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He was named after his older brother Siemowit, who died young in 1224. Konrad I died on 31 August 1247, leaving the districts of Sieradz, Łęczyca, in autumn 1248, Siemowit I, together with Daniel, his brother Vasilko and Bolesław V the Chaste, organized the first major military campaign against the Yotvingians. This was a victory, removed the threat of the Yotvingians for a few years. Siemowit I made two further agreements with the Teutonic Knights on 4 August 1257 at Włocławek and on 15 June 1260 at Troszyn, the close collaboration between Siemowit I and the Teutonic Order, didnt produce the expected results. Siemowit I was still targeting the Baltic tribes, while the Teutonic Knights received their territorial conquests, particularly dangerous proved to be the growing of Lithuania, who after the destruction of the Yotvingians became in the direct neighbor of Siemowit Is domains. Another problem that plagued Siemowit Is reign was the relationship with his brother Casimir I, so in December 1254, Casimir I and his wife where captured his brother and held them prisoners when they returned from Kraków after the celebration of the canonization of Stanislaus of Szczepanów. In the meanwhile, Siemowit I face more internal problems, in the spring of 1262 Lithuania and Kievan Rus, under the command of Mindaugas, launched a major offensive campaign against the Duchy of Mazovia. The Masovians where caught by surprise, since virtually without any defense the capital, Płock, during the captivity of Konrad II, the regency of Siemowit Is domains was held by his ally Bolesław the Pious. By 1248, Siemowit I married with Pereyaslava, a daughter of Rurikid Prince Daniel of Halych and they had three children, Konrad II
