Duchies of Silesia

The Duchies of Silesia resulted from divisions of the original Duchy of Silesia after 1138.

In accordance with the last will and testament of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth, the Kingdom of Poland was, upon his death in 1138, divided into five hereditary provinces distributed among his sons, including the Seniorate Province of Kraków reserved for the eldest, who was to be High Duke of all Poland. This act inadvertently started the process known as Fragmentation of Poland.

Bolesław's son, Władysław II the Exile received the Duchy of Silesia and, as the eldest, was also granted the title of a High Duke among with the Seniorate Province of Kraków. Nevertheless, after he had tried to gain control over all Poland, he was banned and expelled by his younger brothers in 1146. Władysław's half-brother Bolesław IV the Curly, the Duke of Masovia, became High Duke. When, in 1163, Władysław's three sons, backed by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa returned to Poland, Bolesław IV had to restore their heritage. After ten years of joint rule, the sons finally divided Silesia in 1173:

• Bolesław I the Tall, the eldest, received the Duchy of Wrocław including Legnica and Opole. In 1180, he granted the Duchy of Opole to his son Jarosław († 1201).
• Mieszko I Tanglefoot became Duke of Racibórz and received Bytom and Oświęcim in 1177. After his brother Bolesław had died in 1201, he also conquered and took the Duchy of Opole from Bolesław's son Henry I the Bearded.
• Konrad Spindleshanks (Konrad Laskonogi), the youngest, in 1177 also claimed his rights and received the Duchy of Głogów from his brother Bolesław, who after Konrad's death about 1180/90 again inherited it.

• 

  1172/3-1177
  

    Bolesław I the Tall

  
  

    Jarosław Opolski

  
  

    Mieszko I Tanglefoot
• 

  1177-1185
  

    Bolesław I the Tall

  
  

    Jarosław Opolski

  
  

    Mieszko I Tanglefoot

  
  

    Konrad Spindleshanks
• 

  1185-1201
  

    Bolesław I the Tall

  
  

    Jarosław Opolski

  
  

    Mieszko I Tanglefoot
• 

  1201-1202
  

    Bolesław I the Tall,
      1201: Henry I the Bearded

  
  

    Mieszko I Tanglefoot

Miezsko I Tanglefoot ruled over the Upper Silesian duchies of Racibórz and Opole until his death in 1211. His heir was Duke Casimir I of Opole, who died in 1230. Casimir's cousin Henry I the Bearded remained sovereign of the Lower Silesian Duchy of Wrocław, he acquired the Duchy of Kalisz in 1206, which he gave to Władysław Odonic, and Lubusz Land in 1210. After the death of Casimir I of Opole, Henry managed to reunite whole Silesia under his reign.

Henry I the Bearded was succeeded by his son Henry II the Pious in 1238, while Upper Silesia was inherited by Casimir's son Mieszko II the Fat in 1239. He and his brother, Władysław Opolski, had already received the Duchy of Kalisz in 1234.

Henry II was killed at the Battle of Legnica in 1241. His eldest son, Bolesław II the Bald, gave Lubusz to his brother Mieszko († 1242) and remained sole ruler of Lower Silesia until 1248.

Mieszko II the Fat, of Upper Silesia, in 1244, returned Kalisz to Duke Przemysł I of Greater Poland. He died in 1246 and his possessions were inherited by his brother Władysław Opolski.

• 

  1206-1217
  

    Henry I the Bearded

  
  

    Władysław Odonic,
      1207

  
  

    Lubusz land, 1210

  
  

    Mieszko I Tanglefoot,
      1211: Casimir I of Opole
• 

  1217-1230
  

    Henry I the Bearded

  
  

    Casimir I of Opole
• 

  1241-1243
  

    Bolesław II the Bald

  
  

    Mieszko Lubuski,
      1241–1242

  
  

    Władysław Opolski

  
  

    Mieszko II the Fat
• 

  1243-1248
  

    Bolesław II the Bald

  
  

    Santok, until 1247

  
  

    Władysław Opolski

  
  

    Mieszko II the Fat,
      1246: Władysław Opolski

  
  

    Przemysł I of Gr. Poland,
      1244

  
  

    Kępno, until 1244

  
  

    Lelów, until 1247

Silesia was subsequently divided among the descendants and successors of the Piast dynasty, until they died out in 1675. Those Silesian Piasts, known as Dukes of Silesia, and territories they ruled were known as Duchies of Silesia.

Many of the Duchies shared similar fate: falling away from Kingdom of Poland sphere of influence, vassalization by John I of Bohemia in 1327, and under suzerainty of the Kingdom of Bohemia by the Treaties of Trentschin and Visegrád in 1335. After the Piasts had become extinct, the duchies were "State Countries" of the Bohemian Crown, which fell to the House of Habsburg in 1526. In 1742, Silesia was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia following the First Silesian War.

Duchies of Silesia

Note: this list may not be complete.

• Duchy of Bielsko (Bílské knížectví, Księstwo Bielskie, Herzogtum Bielitz)
• Duchy of Brzeg (Knížectví Břeh, Księstwo Brzeskie, Herzogtum Brieg)
• Duchy of Bytom (Knížectví Bytomské, Księstwo Bytomskie, Herzogtum Beuthen)
• Duchy of Głogów ( Knížectví Hlohovské, Księstwo Głogowskie, Herzogtum Glogau)
• Duchy of Głubczyce (Knížectví Hlubčice, Księstwo Głubczyckie, Herzogtum Leobschütz)
• Duchy of Jawor (Javorské knížectví, Księstwo Jaworskie, Herzogtum Jauer)
• Duchy of Krnov (Krnovské knížectví, Księstwo Karniowskie, Herzogtum Jägerndorf)
• Duchy of Legnica (Lehnické knížectví, Księstwo Legnickie, Herzogtum Liegnitz)
• Duchy of Münsterberg (Minstrberské knížectví,Księstwo Ziębickie, Herzogtum Münsterberg)
• Duchy of Nysa (Niské knížectví, Księstwo Nyskie, Herzogtum Neisse)
• Duchy of Oleśnica (Olešnické knížectví, Księstwo Oleśnickie, Herzogtum Oels)
• Duchy of Opole (Opolské knížectví, Księstwo Opolskie, Herzogtum Oppeln)
• Duchy of Oświęcim (Osvětimské knížectví, Księstwo Oświęcimskie, Herzogtum Auschwitz)
• Duchy of Pszczyna (Pštinské knížectví, Księstwo Pszczyńskie, Herzogtum Pless)
• Duchy of Racibórz (Ratibořské knížectví, Księstwo Raciborskie, Herzogtum Ratibor)
• Duchy of Siewierz (Seveřské knížectví, Księstwo Siewierskie, Herzogtum Siewierz)
• Duchy of Świdnica (Svídnické knížectví, Księstwo Świdnickie, Herzogtum Schweidnitz)
• Duchy of Teschen (Księstwo Cieszyńskie, Knížectví těšínské, Herzogtum Teschen)
• Duchy of Troppau (Vévodství opavské, Herzogtum Troppau)
• Duchy of Wrocław (Vratislavské knížectví, Księstwo Wrocławskie, Herzogtum Breslau)
• Duchy of Zator (Zatorské knížectví, Księstwo Zatorskie, Herzogtum Zator)
• Duchy of Żagań (Zaháňské knížectví, Księstwo Żagańskie, Herzogtum Sagan)

There were also other little duchies: Bernstadt, Buchwald, Coschok, Cosel, Crossen, Falkenberg, Freistadt, Freudenthal, Gleiwitz, Goldberg, Grottkau, Grünberg, Hainau, Hirschberg, Loslau, Löwenberg, Lüben, Namslau, Ohlau, Parchwiz, Rybnik, Sprottau, Steinau, Strehlitz, Tost, Wohlau, and combination duchies: Duchy of Opole and Racibórz

Maps

The following maps illustrate continuing fragemtarization of the Duchy of Silesia, and shifting borders of the individual smaller Duchies.

• 

  1248-1249

• 

  1249-1273

• 

  1273-1277

• 

  1277-1278

• 

  1278-1281

• 

  1281-1284

• 

  1284-1287

• 

  1287-1290

• 

  1290-1291

• 

  1294-1296

• 

  1296-1301

• 

  1306-1309

• 

  1309-1311

• 

  1312-1317

• 

  1317-1321

• 

  1322-1331

See also

• Dukes of Silesia

Bibliography

• ŽÁČEK, Rudolf. Dějiny Slezska v datech. Praha : Libri, 2003. ISBN 80-7277-172-8.