Duchies of Silesia

Duchies of Silesia
	Duchies of Silesia
	Slezská Knížectví (cs); Herzogtümer Schlesien (de)
	Crown land of the Bohemian Crown
	Flag Coat of arms
	Duchies of Silesia within the Holy Roman Empire (1618)
Capital	Wrocław, Opole, Opava, various others
Languages	Czech, Polish, German
Religion	Roman Catholic,; Hussite, Lutheran
Government	Monarchy
King
History
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Duchy of Silesia
Austrian Silesia
Today part of	Czech Republic; Germany; Poland;

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

The Duchies of Silesia were a crown land of the Bohemian Crown, that were formed when Duchy of Silesia joined the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1335 under the Treaty of Trentschin. The duchies were ruled by the Dukes of Silesia, consisted of the Duchy of Lower Silesia, the Duchy of Upper Silesia and numerous other duchies. A part of the Silesian territory seceded to Kingdom of Prussia as the Province of Silesia in 1815; and the Duchy of Teschen, Duchy of Troppau and Duchy of Nysa remained under control of the Bohemian crown lands as Austrian Silesia until 1918.

History

Duchy of Silesia (1138–1335)

In the (vain) hope to prevent an inheritance dispute, the Piast prince Bolesław III Wrymouth by his last will and testament had divided Poland into hereditary provinces distributed among his four sons: Masovia, Kujawy, Greater Poland and Silesia. Beside which, the Seniorate Province (Lesser Poland) with the residence of Kraków was reserved for the eldest, who according to the principle of agnatic seniority was to be High Duke of all Poland. This act inadvertently started the process known as Fragmentation of Poland.

Bolesław's son, Władysław II received the Duchy of Silesia and, as the eldest, was also granted the title of a High Duke among with the Seniorate Province. Nevertheless, after he had tried to gain control over all Poland, he was banned and expelled by his younger half-brothers in 1146. Bolesław's second eldest son Bolesław IV the Curly, Duke of Masovia, became Polish 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, Władysław's sons finally divided Silesia in 1173:

Bolesław I the Tall, the eldest, received the core territory around the residences of Wrocław, Legnica and Opole. In 1180, he granted the Duchy of Opole to his son Jarosław, who ruled until his death in March 1201. Upon Bolesław's death in December 1201, his lands were inherited by his only remaining son Henry I the Bearded
Mieszko I Tanglefoot became Duke of Racibórz and received Bytom and Oświęcim in 1177.
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

  Jarosław

  Mieszko I
Silesia 1177-1185.jpg

1177-1185
  Bolesław I

  Jarosław

  Mieszko I

  Konrad
Silesia 1185-1201.jpg

1185-1201
  Bolesław I

  Jarosław

  Mieszko I
Silesia 1201-1202.jpg

1201-1202
Henry I

Mieszko I

After his brother Bolesław I had died, Miezsko I Tanglefoot also conquered and took the Duchy of Opole from his nephew Henry I the Bearded. He ruled over the Racibórz and Opole duchies, which emerged as Upper Silesia, until his death in 1211. Henry I the Bearded remained sovereign of the Lower Silesian Duchy of Wrocław, he acquired the Greater Polish lands of Kalisz in 1206, which he granted to his Piast cousin Władysław Odonic, as well as Lubusz Land in 1210. High Duke of Poland from 1232, he conquered further Greater Polish territories around Santok in 1234.

Mieszko's heir was Duke Casimir I of Opole, who died in 1230. Thereupon, Henry I managed to reunite whole Silesia under his reign. He 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 younger brother, Władysław Opolski, had already received Greater Polish Kalisz in 1234.

Henry II was killed at the Battle of Legnica in 1241. His eldest son and heir, Duke Bolesław II the Bald temporarily gave Lubusz Land to his younger brother Mieszko († 1242). He reconciled with his Greater Polish cousin Duke Przemysł I and finally returned Santok in 1247 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.

Silesia 1206-1217.jpg

1206-1217
  Henry I

  Władysław Odonic

  Lubusz Land

  Mieszko I,
       1211: Casimir I
1217-1230
Henry I

Casimir I
1241-1243
  Bolesław II

  Mieszko Lubuski

  Władysław Opolski

  Mieszko II
Silesia 1243-1248.jpg

1243-1248
  Bolesław II

  Władysław Opolski

  Mieszko II,
       1246: Władysław
       Opolski

  Santok

  Kalisz

  Kępno

  Lelów

Lands of the Bohemian Crown (1335–1918)

Duchies of Silesia in Holy Roman Empire (1335–1742)

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 in Habsburg Empire (1742–1918)