TheDuchy of Legnica (Polish:Księstwo Legnickie,Czech:Lehnické knížectví) orDuchy of Liegnitz (German:Herzogtum Liegnitz) was one of theDuchies of Silesia, formed during the fragmentation of Poland into smaller provincial duchies, ruled by a local line of thePiast dynasty between 1248 and 1675. Its capital wasLegnica inLower Silesia.
Duchy of Legnica | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1248–1675 | |||||||||
 Greatest extent of territory of the Duchy during the reign ofHenry V (orange) | |||||||||
 Helwig map from 1561 (south) | |||||||||
| Status | District duchy of Poland Fiefdom of theBohemian Crown(from 1348) | ||||||||
| Capital | Legnica | ||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages Early modern period | ||||||||
• Partitioned from theDuchy of Wrocław | 1248 | ||||||||
• Split offDuchy of Głogów | 1251 | ||||||||
• Split offDuchy of Jawor | 1274 | ||||||||
• Split offDuchy of Brzeg | 1311 | ||||||||
• Vassalized byBohemia | 1329 | ||||||||
• Reunited with theDuchy of Brzeg | 1419 | ||||||||
• Inheritance treaty withBrandenburg | 1537 | ||||||||
• Seized byHabsburgs | 1675 | ||||||||
• Annexed byPrussia | 1763 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Poland Germany¹ | ||||||||
¹ Portion ofLubusz Land on the left bank of theOder River | |||||||||
Legnica Castle had become a residence of theSilesian dukes in 1163 and from 1248 was the seat of a principality in its own right, ruled by theSilesian branch of thePiast dynasty until the extinction of the line in 1675. Formed byBolesław II the Bald, Duke of Lower Silesia atWrocław, Legnica shared the fate of most of the others Silesian duchies, falling intoBohemian,Austrian and eventually—after theFirst Silesian War—Prussian spheres of influence.
History
editThe town of Legnica became famous for theBattle of Legnica that took place at the nearby village ofLegnickie Pole on 9 April 1241, during thefirst Mongol invasion of Poland. AChristian army led by the Polish High DukeHenry II the Pious, supported by the feudal nobility including Poles,Bavarian miners andmilitary orders, was decisively defeated by theMongols. Although Henry was killed and his forces defeated, their advance into Europe was halted when they turned back to attend to the election of a newKhagan (Grand Khan) following the death ofÖgedei Khan in the same year. Minor celebrations are held annually in Legnica to commemorate the battle.
Establishment within Poland
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After Henry's death his eldest son Bolesław II the Bald followed him as ruler of Lower Silesia until in 1248 his younger brotherHenry III the White came of age and claimed his rights of succession. Backed by the nobility of Wrocław, Henry III forced the duke to cede central parts of Lower Silesia to him, while Bolesław himself retired to Legnica. Furthermore, he came into conflict with his younger brotherKonrad, who, originally predestined for an ecclesiastical career asBishop of Passau, also demanded his distributive share and had to be paid off by Bolesław with the newly createdDuchy of Głogów in 1251.
In 1277, the towns ofŚroda Śląska andStrzegom passed from the Duchy of Wrocław to the Duchy of Legnica.[1]
Nevertheless, Bolesław's sonHenry V the Fat, who succeeded his father in 1278, was able to enlarge the duchy's territories by defeating his cousinHenry Probus, Duke of Wrocław, and, with support of KingWenceslaus II of Bohemia succeeded him as duke in 1290. Thus, the Lower Silesian duchies of Legnica and Wrocław were re-reunited until 1311.
As after the death of Henry V in 1296, his eldest sonBolesław III the Generous was still a minor, King Wenceslaus took over his guardianship, strengthening the Bohemian influence in Silesia. In 1303 Bolesław III was betrothed to Wenceslaus' daughterMargaret and to no avail tried to follow the extinctPřemyslid dynasty on the Bohemian throne in 1306. He was not able to retain the united duchy and in 1311 Lower Silesia was split again, with Wrocław going to his younger brotherHenry VI the Good. Even Bolesław's rule over Legnica was contested by his brotherWładysław and in 1329 he had to pay homage to the Bohemian KingJohn of Luxembourg to secure his reign.
As the duchy's capital at the beginning of the 14th century, Legnica was an important city of Central Europe, with a population of approximately 16,000 residents. The city began to expand quickly after the discovery ofgold in theKaczawa.
Piast state from 1329 onwards became a Czech vassal, the political weakness of the duchy continued, caused by domestic conflicts betweenBolesław's the Wastefull sonsWenceslaus andLouis the Fair strengthening the influences of theBohemian monarchs. When in 1419 the Legnica branch of the Silesian Piasts became extinct with the death of DukeWenceslaus II, the duchy was inherited by DukeLouis II of Brzeg. As Louis himself had no male heirs, Legnica was annexed as a ceased fief by the Bohemian kingSigismund in 1436. A long-standing dispute arose, as the late Duke Louis II had bequeathed his estates to the sons of his step-brother DukeHenry IX of Lubin –though without the consent of the Bohemian overlord. Eventually, in 1455 the duchy was inherited byFrederick I, the son of Louis' daughter Hedwig, who was officially enfeoffed by KingMatthias Corvinus in 1469.
Frederick's sonFrederick II, Duke from 1499, again inherited theDuchy of Brzeg in 1520. TheProtestant Reformation was introduced in the duchy as early as 1522, decisively promoted by the theologiansCaspar Schwenckfeld andValentin Krautwald, and the population quickly turnedLutheran. This led to conflict when, after the death of the Bohemian KingLouis II at theBattle of Mohács in 1526, the Lands of the Bohemian Crown including the Legnica fief were incorporated into theHabsburg monarchy of the Catholic kingFerdinand. In turn, Duke Frederick II signed an inheritance pact with theHohenzollern electorJoachim II Hector of Brandenburg, a cousin of his second wifeSophia. However, King Ferdinand I, rejecting any Hohenzollern influence within the Habsburg lands, declared the agreement null and void.
The struggles continued, though the duchy was officially guaranteed freedom of religion by the 1648Peace of Westphalia. After the death of the last Piast duke,George William, in 1675, Legnica passed to the direct rule of theHabsburg emperorLeopold I, despite claims raised by ElectorFrederick William of Brandenburg referring to the inheritance pact in 1537. For thePrussian kingFrederick the Great, the old dispute was a pretext to justify his campaign during theFirst Silesian War: in 1742 most of Silesia including Legnica was occupied by thePrussian Army after EmpressMaria Theresa's defeat in theWar of the Austrian Succession. Finally in 1763 the duchy lost most of its privileges after being incorporated into Prussia according to thePeace of Hubertusburg.
Dukes of Legnica
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- 1248–1278Bolesław II the Bald, eldest son of the Polish High DukeHenry II the Pious, jointly with
- 1248–1251Konrad I, brother,Duke of Głogów from 1251
- 1278–1296Henry V, son of Bolesław II, alsoDuke of Wrocław from 1290
- 1296–1311Bolesław III the Generous, son, also Duke of Wrocław,Duke of Brzeg from 1311, jointly with
- 1296–1311Henry VI the Good, brother, sole Duke of Wrocław from 1311
- 1296–1312Władysław
- 1312–1342 Bolesław III the Generous, again
- 1342–1345Wenceslaus I, son, jointly with
- 1342–1346Louis I the Fair, brother, Duke of Brzeg from 1358
- 1346–1364 Wenceslaus I, again
- 1364–1409Rupert I, son, jointly with
- 1364–1413Wenceslaus II, brother, alsoBishop of Wrocław andDuke of Nysa from 1382
- 1364–1394Bolesław IV, brother
- 1364–1398Henry VIII, brother, alsoBishop of Kujawy from 1389
- 1413–1436Louis II, grandson of Louis I the Fair, also Duke of Brzeg since 1399
Line extinct, seized by Bohemia
- 1436–1453 claimed byLouis III of Oława, nephew of Louis II, and his sonsJohn I of Lüben andHenryk X of Chojnów
- 1454–1488Frederick I, son of John I of Lüben, also Duke of Brzeg from 1481
- 1488–1495John II, son, jointly with
- 1488–1547Frederick II, brother, also Duke of Brzeg 1503–1505 and from 1521
- 1488–1521George I, also Duke of Brzeg from 1503
- 1547–1551Frederick III, son of Frederick II, deposed
- 1551–1556Henry XI, son, under regency of his uncle DukeGeorge II of Brzeg
- 1556–1559 Frederick III, again, deposed,
- 1559–1576; 1580–1581 Henry XI, again, twice restored and again deposed, jointly with
- 1571–1596Frederick IV, brother
- 1596–1602Joachim Frederick, son of George II of Brzeg, Duke of Brezeg since 1595
- 1602–1612John Christian, son, also Duke of Brzeg, jointly with
- 1602–1653George Rudolph, brother
- 1653–1654George III, son of John Christian, also Duke of Brzeg since 1633, jointly with
- 1663–1664 George III, again, jointly with
- 1663–1672 Christian, again, also Duke of Brzeg from 1664
- 1672–1675George William, son, also Duke of Brzeg
Male line of Silesian Piasts extinct.
Sources
editThis article includes alist of references,related reading, orexternal links,but its sources remain unclear because it lacksinline citations. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(December 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
- ^Orzechowski, Kazimierz; Przybytek, Dariusz; Ptak, Marian (2008).Dolny Śląsk. Podziały terytorialne od X do XX wieku (in Polish). Wrocław. p. 40.ISBN 978-83-923255-5-0.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
- Rudolf Žáček, Dějiny Slezska v datech, Libri Praha 2003,ISBN 80-7277-172-8
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