Duchy of Kuyavia explained

Native Name:Księstwo kujawskie (Polish)
Ducatus Cuiaviensis (Latin)
Conventional Long Name:Duchy of Kuyavia
Common Name:Kuyavia
Era:High Middle Ages
Status:Independent state
Government Type:District principality
Life Span:1233–1392
Event Start:Separation from the Duchy of Masovia
Date Start:1233
Event End:Partition into duchies of Inowrocław and Brześć Kujawski
Date End:1392
P1:Duchy of Masovia
Flag P1:Chorągiew księcia mazowieckiego Siemowita.svg
Border P1:no
S1:Duchy of Inowrocław
Flag S1:POL województwo brzeskokujawskie IRP COA.svg
Border S1:no
S2:Duchy of Brześć Kujawski
Flag S2:POL województwo brzeskokujawskie IRP COA.svg
Border S2:no
S3:Duchy of Łęczyca
Flag S3:POL województwo łęczyckie IRP COA.svg
Border S3:no
S4:Duchy of Sieradz
Flag S4:POL województwo sieradzkie IRP COA.svg
Border S4:no
Religion:Roman Catholic
Image Map Caption:Duchy of Kuyavia within Kingdom of Poland in 13th century.
Capital:Inowrocław
Today:Poland
Official Languages:Polish, Latin
Title Leader:Duke
Leader1:Casimir I of Kuyavia
Year Leader1:1233–1267

The Duchy of Kuyavia (Polish: Księstwo kujawskie; Latin: Ducatus Cuiaviensis) was a district principality in Central Europe, created in the course of the 13th century in the region of modern-day Kuyavia after the inheritance of the Kingdom of Poland in 1138 into partial duchies through the will and testament of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth.

History

Located between the regions of Greater Poland and Mazovia, it was the tribal area of the Goplans (Latin Glopeani, which roughly means "residents of Lake Gopło") with the political center in Kruszwica. It was connected to Greater Poland from the 10th century, and to the Duchy of Masovia from 1138.[1] In 1231, the duchies of Sieradz and Łęczyca, had been formed from a part of the state.[2] In 1233 it became an independent duchy under Duke Casimir I, which, due to further divisions of inheritance (1267 and 1314), fragmented into the sub-duchies of Brześć, Inowrocław and Gniewkowo.[3] [4] After the unification of part of the Polish duchies to form the Kingdom of Poland under King Władysław I Łokietek, it lost its sovereignty after 1306 and became its vassal. In the Polish–Teutonic War, the sparsely populated area of the duchy was occupied by the Teutonic Order in 1332. The Teutonic Order returned the duchy to the Polish crown in the Peace Treaty of Kalisz (1343).

The duchy was confiscated as a settled fiefdom by the Polish crown towards the end of the 14th century and was given direct administrative control in the kingdom in the course of the 15th century in the form of two incorporated voivodships (with seats in Brześć Kujawski and Inowrocław with a joint local state parliament (Sejmik) in Radziejów). The area belonged to Poland until the Partitions (1772, 1793, 1795).

In the following centuries, the memory of the duchy was only preserved in the names of the voivodeships and in the titulary of the Polish rulers. King Władysław II Jagiełło claimed the following territories in his title:

Wladislaus dei gracia Rex Polonie, nec non terrarum Cracovie, Sandomirie, Siradie, Lancicie, Cuyauie, Lituanie princeps supremus, Pomeranie, Russieque dominus et heres, etc.

Dukes of Kuyavia

Citations

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Dariusz Karczewski, Książę Kazimierz Konradowiec i Kujawy jego czasów, p. 9, 14.
  2. S. Zajączkowski, Studia nad terytorialnym formowaniem ziemi łęczyckiej i sieradzkiej.
  3. Błażej Śliwiński, Leszek, książe inowrocławski. p. 19-20.
  4. Józef Śliwiński, Władysław Biały p. 21-22.