The unification and restoration of the country in the 14th century

The unification and restoration of the country in the 14th century.

The sons of Krzywousty did not respect his rules of the country’s division and succession, they banished the first senior – Władysłąw II. Soon the same happened to Mieszko III, who was trying to strengthen the central power. In 1177 the might broke the seniority rule and entrusted the Cracow’s throne to Kazimierz Sprawiedliwy (the Just). In exchange for certain privileges, they agreed that the duke’s sons will be the successors of Cracow’s Throne.

The decentralization of power and the struggles between the district dukes exposed Poland to territorial loses. In the west the Monarch of Brandenburg captured the Lubuskie lands and the terrains over Noteć and lower Warta, creating a so called New Monarchy there. In the north the Teutonic Order invaded the Chełminska, Dobrzyska and Gniewnieńska lands, and until 1283 they controlled the terrains of Prussia located between lower Vistula and Niemno. In 1308 the Order captured the Pomerania of Gdańsk. The south suffered from Tatar invasions. The first invasion in 1241 ended with a defeat of the Polish knights in the Legnica battle; other plundering expeditions took place in 1259 and 1287.

At the beginning of the 13th century Silesian Piasts – Henryk Brodaty (the Bearded) and Henryk Pobożny (the Pious), who ruled Silesia, Cracow, parts of the Grater Poland and Lubuska Lands, then the grandson of Henryk Pobożny – Henry Probus tried to unite the country. In the second half of the 13th century Premysl, the Major Poland’s duke, had great chances to unify the lands. In 1294, on the strength of an earlier treaty with the Pomerania’s duke – Maszczuj II, he seized the Pomerania of Gdańsk and on June 26th 1295 was crowned by the archbishop Jacob Świnka. After the tragic death of Premysl, the Cracow might, in 1300, gave the Polish throne to the Bohemian king – Vaclav II. In spite of the Polish’s aversion towards the Premislds, the polish lands have been united under the power of Vaclav (Minor Poland, Grater Poland, Sieradz, Kujawy Brzeskie and the Pomerania of Gdańsk), a unified administration with royal officials – starosts –of strong executive power has been introduced. This led to the end of feudal anarchy. In 1305 Vaclav died, and when a year later his son and successor – Vaclav III was murdered, the brzeso-kujowaki duke Władysław Łokietek (the Elbow-high) reached for their inheritance. Owing to the help of his son-in-law – Carl Robert, the Hungarian prince, he seized Sandomir, Minor Poland and the Gdańsk Pomerania, which soon was captured by the Teutonic Order (1308). In 1312 Łokietek broke the rebellion of bishop Jan Muskata and the Cracow citizens who favored the Germans, in 1314 he annexed Grater Poland. Łokietek failed to capture Silesia as its dukes paid feudal homage to the Bohemian king. The attempts to diplomatically regain the Gdańsk Pomerania have also failed, as the Teutonic Order did not acknowledge the ruling of the pope’s court in Inowrocław, which ordered them to return the lands and pay 30 thousand fines of compensation. Armed hostilities did not bring a resolution either, in spite of the Polish victory in Płowice (1331), The order seized Kujawy and Dobrzyńka Lands, and John of Luxemburg joined the anti-polish coalition. Luxemburg claimed the polish crown, as a heir of the Premislids. The successor of Łokietek – Kazimierz Wielki (Casimir the Great) at first regulated the matter of Bohemian claims by paying the Luxemburgs 20 thousand Prague grosh stacks in exchange for renouncing all claims for the polish crown. In 1339 Kazimierz instituted an action against the Teutonic Order in Warsaw, demanding the return of the Pomerania, Chełminska, Michałowska lands and Kujawy, but the pope took the Order’s side. Not until 1343 Kazimierz was able to regain Kujawy and Dobrzyńska land as a result of direct negotiations in Kalisz. The Order kept the Pomerania as a so called royal charity. The war with Bohemia during 1345 -1348 did not bring Silesia back. Loses in the west and north (except the regain of Wschowa, Santok and Drezdenk) compensated capturing the Halicka Ruthenia and overtaking the Masovia Feud. during his reign, Kazimierz widened the area of the country twice (in comparison to 1333) the country was inhabited by 1,3 million people, 500 new villages were established and 60 new cities on the German Law, 53 fortified castles have been build and modernized, 27 cities were surrounded by walls, the management of mines of led, silver and salt have been modernized, the law has been coded into charters: Wiślicki and Piotrkowski; in 1364 the Cracow Academy with a civil and penal law, medicine and liberated science department has been established. A state monarchy begun to form during the reign of the last Piasts, the nobility, clergy, bourgeoisie and peasants had different rights and obligations toward the country. They differed by finances and culture. Kazimierz did not live to see a male descendent thus he passed the power to his nephew – the king of Hungary – Louis of Anjou. Louis lost Santok, and relinquished the rights for Silesia, Lithuania captured Włodzimierz and Ruthenia was incorporated into Hungary. The king was concerned with the development of trade and opened the Hungarian markets to polish merchants. He wanted to ensure the Polish throne for his daughters and therefore decreased the land tax from 12 to 2 groshes from the peasant fief, he obligated himself to compensate the nobility for war expeditions beyond the country’s terrain, he also released them from the obligation of building fortified cities (Statute of Kosice from 1374) in exchange for that (1386) the nobility accepted his daughter Hedvig as queen of Poland.

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Poll

13th -14th century