| Eldership of Spisz | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eldership of theKingdom of Poland andPolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth | |||||||||
 Coat of arms | |||||||||
 Location of Eldership of Spisz in thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1635 | |||||||||
| Capital | Stará Ľubovňa | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
| 8 November 1412 | |||||||||
• Court decision about Polish ownership | 1489 | ||||||||
• Formation ofPolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth | 1 July 1569 | ||||||||
| 1769 | |||||||||
• Incorporation intoSzepes County,Kingdom of Hungary. | 1772 | ||||||||
| Contained within | |||||||||
| • Country | Kingdom of Poland (1412–1569) Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1772) | ||||||||
| • Union memberstate | Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (1569–1772) | ||||||||
| • Province | Lesser Poland (1569–1772) | ||||||||
| Political subdivisions | Dominion of Lubowla Province of 13 Spisz Towns | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Eldership of Spisz[a] was anon-castle eldership territory ofKingdom of Poland from 1412 to 1569 andLesser Poland Province,Crown of the Kingdom of Poland,Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 to 1772. Its seat was located in theStará Ľubovňa. It was located in theSpiš, and its area consisted of asalient connected to the rest of the Kingdom of Poland, and 5exclaves.[1][2][3]
It was formed on 8 November 1412, after the signing ofSpiš Pledge betweenWładysław II Jagiełło,king of Poland andSigismund,king of Hungary, in which theKingdom of Hungary hadpledges part ofSzepes County to theKingdom of Poland in exchange for 2 220 000Prague groschen. The area was meant to remain in Poland until Hungary would pay the loan back, however, it was permanently incorporated as Polish possession in 1489 after Hungary had made a failed attempt to regain the area with military force. In 1569, after the formation ofPolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, it became a part ofLesser Poland Province,Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. The eldership was conquered by theHabsburg monarchy between 1769 and 1770 and remained underoccupation until 1772 when it was formally incorporated into theSzepes County,Kingdom of Hungary.[1][2][3]
It was subdivided into theDominion of Lubowla andProvince of 13 Spisz Towns. Dominion of Lubowla consisted of the towns ofStará Ľubovňa,Podolínec andHniezdne, and the souranding area. Its capital was Stará Ľubovňa. The dominion bordered the Kingdom of Poland to the north andPodoliniec District, Province of 13 Spisz Towns to the south. The Province of 13 Spisz Towns consisted of the towns ofSpišská Nová Ves,Spišské Vlachy,Spišské Podhradie,Poprad,Veľká,Spišská Sobota,Stráže pod Tatrami,Matejovce,Spišská Belá,Vrbov,Ľubica,Ruskinovce, andTvarožná, and 15 villages. It consisted of 6 separate parts, of which Podoliniec District bordered the Dominion of Lubowla, while 5 others were theexclaves surrounded by the Kingdom of Hungary. Additionally,Spiš Castle inSpišské Podhradie was an exclave of Hungary surrounded by the Eldership. The area of Eldership of Spisz was 1,100 km2 (420 sq mi).[1]
