When Bolesław III Wrymouth died on 28 October 1138, he was aware of the potential for conflict among his sons and devised a testament aiming to prevent the fragmentation of the kingdom. His will, known as the Testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth
[1]
, divided Poland among his sons, granting them hereditary duchies while trying to maintain some level of unity under the senioral principle. This principle established that the eldest member of the dynasty, holding the Seniorate Province with Kraków as its capital, would have a primacy over the other dukes and the right to be called the High Duke of Poland. The "Senioral Principle" was soon broken, leading to a period of nearly 200 years of disintegration known as feudal fragmentation which divided the Polish state into several semi-independent principalities without a single ruler governed by various branches of the Piast dynasty.
[2]
The reunification of Poland under Władysław I in 14th century marked the end of fragmentation. His son, Casimir III the Great (1333-1370) strengthened royal authority. Casimir’s reign, devoid of major external conflicts, allowed for significant internal development, including the founding of the University of Krakow in 1364, one of the oldest universities in Europe.
[2]
The end of the Piast dynasty in 1370, with the death of Casimir III, led to the initiation of the Angevin and later Jagiellonian dynasties, under which Poland entered into a union with Lithuania.
[1]
[1]: Norman Davies, God’s Playground: A History of Poland: In Two Volumes, Rev. ed. (Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005). Zotero link: LUJ3NYJU
[2]: Eduard Mühle, Die Piasten: Polen im Mittelalter, Bsr 2709 (München: Verlag C.H. Beck, 2011). Zotero link: EVZQ25XL
| 34 U |
| Polish Kingdom - Piast Dynasty Fragmented Period |
| Kraków | 1319 CE 1370 CE |
| Królestwo Polskie | |
| Regnum Poloniae |
| cz_bohemian_k_1 personal union with pl_piast_dyn_2 | 1296 CE 1306 CE |
| pl_piast_dyn_2 personal union with hu_later_dyn | 1370 CE 1382 CE |
| Preceding: Polish Kingdom - Piast Dynasty (pl_piast_dyn_1) [None] |
| none | 1139 CE 1320 CE |
| unitary state | 1320 CE 1370 CE |
| Year Range | Polish Kingdom - Piast Dynasty Fragmented Period (pl_piast_dyn_2) was in: |
|---|
Casimir III, the last ruler from the Piast dynasty, is widely regarded as one of Poland’s greatest monarchs, known for his extensive legal, administrative, and economic reforms that strengthened the Polish state. [1]
[1]: Eduard Mühle, Die Piasten: Polen im Mittelalter, Bsr 2709 (München: Verlag C.H. Beck, 2011). Zotero link: EVZQ25XL
Wenceslaus II and his son Wenceslaus III ruled Poland in personal union. [1]
[1]: Rosamond McKitterick, ed., The New Cambridge Medieval History (Cambridge [England] ; New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press, 1995). Zotero link: SQR4J7RI
Louis I of Hungary, also known as Louis the Great was also crowned king of Poland in 1370 and ruled the kingdom in personal union until his death in 1382. [1]
[1]: Pál Engel, The Realm of St. Stephen: A History of Medieval Hungary, 895-1526 (London ; New York, NY: I.B. Tauris, 2005). Zotero link: 9BBKM3AR
After the death of Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1138, the Kingdom of Poland entered a period of feudal fragmentation that lasted for nearly two centuries. [1]
[1]: Norman Davies, God’s Playground: A History of Poland: In Two Volumes, Rev. ed. (Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005). Zotero link: LUJ3NYJU
With the coronation of Władysław I as king in 1320 and the subsequent reign of Casimir III the Great, Poland once again moved toward the structure of a unitary state. Casimir III’s made extensive reforms and centralization efforts, including legal and administrative reforms. [1]
[1]: Norman Davies, God’s Playground: A History of Poland: In Two Volumes, Rev. ed. (Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005). Zotero link: LUJ3NYJU