THE HISTORY OF POLAND
Polish History is very important to all Poles. Our
culture is based on our history. Therefore It is
necessery to find out anything about most
important historical events to understand Poland
and Poles.
WHEN THE
GOD WAS A
SUN
Biskupin
Biskupin - a settlement
from
the turn of the Bronze Age
and the Early Iron Age
(750 - 600 BC.)
THE FORMER SLAVONIC GODS
PIAST DYNASTY
Mieszko I (ca. 935 - May 25, 992), son of the
semi-legendary Siemomysł, was the first
historically known Piast duke of the Polans,
who gave their name to the country that would
later be called "Poland."
In 965 he married Dobrawa. Mieszko was
baptised in 966, probably under the influence
of his Christian first wife.
In A.D. 1000, Holy Roman Emperor Otto
III, while on pilgrimage to the tomb of St.
Adalbert at Gniezno, invested Bolesław
with the title Frater et Cooperator Imperii
("Brother and Partner in the Empire").
Some historians state that the Emperor
also pledged a royal crown to Bolesław.
During that same visit, Otto III accepted
Gniezno's status as an archbishopric
Kazimierz is the only Polish king who
did receive and maintain the title of the
great in Polish history. He built many
new castles, reformed the Polish army
and Polish civil law and criminal law.
He founded the University of Kraków.
The Jagiellon era is usually characterized as the
beginning of Poland's "golden age" and saw the country
become a major European power and extend her
frontiers to the north and east.
With the Union of Krewo in 1385, Jogaila married
Queen Jadwiga of Poland (who was then only 11 years
old) and established the Jagiellonian dynasty, which
would rule in Poland and Lithuania until 1572.
In military terms, his reign is noted for the crushing
defeat inflicted on the Teutonic Knights in
neighbouring Province of Prussia by Polish and
Lithuanian forces under his supreme command at
the Battle of Grunwald 1410.
The Battle of Grunwald 1410
PRUSSIAN HOMAGE
1525
The situation along Poland's northern borders normalized in 1466 following another defeat of
the Teutonic Order by king Casimir IV the Jagiellonian in the Thirteen Years War . In the
outcome, the Eastern Pomerania with the city of Gdansk were returned to Poland. In 1525,
Albrecht Hohenzollern, the last Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, converted to
Lutheranism and established a secular duchy in East Prussia. He journeyed to Cracow to
pay homage to the Polish King, Zygmunt I Stary (the Old), and to swear to the eternal
association of his duchy with Poland. This moment, which many have seen as the zenith of
Polish power, is immortalized in the famous painting by Jan Matejko.
GOLDEN
LIBERTY
Zygmunt I Stary
Bona Sforza
Zygmunt II August
Mikołaj Kopernik
COPERNICUS' DE REVOLUTIONIBUS ORBIUM COELESTIUM - 1543
JASNA GORA
The Deluge (Polish Potop) is a name commonly assigned in the
history of Poland to a series of wars in the 17th century which left
Poland in ruins. In a stricter sense Deluge refers only to the Swedish
invasion and occupation of the country.
In 1683, he led the Polish army of
30,000 men to relieve Vienna
besieged by the Turks. The charge
of the huzaria, Polish heavy
cavalry, smashed the Turkish lines
and ended once and for all the
centuries old Turkish threat to
Central Europe.
HUSARIA
The pride and glory of the
cavalry, its mailed first, was the
Husaria, the winged cavalry (or
"winged horsemen"). These well
trained and elite units served in
the armies of the Polish and
Lithuanian Commonwealth from
around the early 16th century to
the early 18th century.
THE MAY 3rd CONSTITUTION - 1791
THE PARTITIONS 1772-1795
The three
partitions occurred:
February 17, 1772
January 21, 1793
October 1795.
KOSCIUSZKO INSURRECTION - 1794
The Kosciuszko Uprising was Poland's final attempt to
maintain independence. Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a Polish
hero of the American Revolution.
Thus, the Polish state, as an entity, disappeared off
the map of Europe. It would take 123 years, until
November 11, 1918, before Poland fully regained
its independence. Though dreams of
independence died, Poland's populace had been
liberated from the bonds of serfdom. Poles outside
the nobility were now considered part of the
national fabric and the concept of Polish
nationalism became an enduring 19th century
concept; ensuring the nation's survival and
eventual rebirth.
Polish Legions in Italy is the name
applied to the several different Polish
units serving in the French army from
the 1790s to 1810s. After the third
partition of Poland in 1795 many Poles
believed that the revolutionary France
and its allies would come to aid of
Poland, as France enemies included
the partitioners of Poland
Polish Legions
in Italy
Those units were commanded, among others, by
Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, Karol Kniaziewicz and
Józef Wybicki. Polish Legions serving alongside
the French army during the Napoleonic Wars saw
combat in most of Napoleon's campaigns, from
West Indies, through Italy and Egypt, to Russia.
MAZUREK DĄBROWSKIEGO
Mazurek Dąbrowskiego (Dąbrowski's Mazurka) is the Polish national
anthem, written by Józef Wybicki in 1797. Originally called the
"Anthem of the Polish Legions in Italy", it is also informally known in
English as "Poland Is Not Yet Lost" or "Poland Has Not Yet Perished"
from its initial verse, "Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła," which is
sometimes erroneously taken to be the Polish state motto.
Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin
is one of the most famous, influential and admired composers for the
piano, and Poland's most significant composer. He was born, of
French and Polish parentage in the village of Żelazowa Wola, Poland.
Jan Matejko
Jan Matejko he was born in Free City of Kraków, June 24, 1838 – November 1,
1893, Kraków, was a Polish artist famous for paintings of notable Polish political
and military events. These include a Battle of Grunwald, numerous court scenes,
and a gallery of Polish kings. He is also known for his portrayals of the famous
Polish court jester Stańczyk.
NAPOLEON I BONAPARTE
By 1812, advisors to Alexander suggested the possibility of an invasion of
the French Empire (and the recapture of Poland). Napoleon, in an attempt to
gain increased support from Polish nationalists and patriots, termed the war
the "Second Polish War" (the first Polish war being the liberation of Poland
from Russia, Prussia and Austria). Polish patriots wanted the Russian part
of partitioned Poland to be incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Warsaw
NOVEMBER UPRISING - 1830
The November Uprising (1830–
1831)—also known as the Cadet
Revolution—was an armed rebellion
against Russia's rule in Poland. It was
started on November 29, 1830 in
Warsaw by a group of young
conspirators from the army's officer
school in Warsaw and was soon
joined by large part of the Polish
society.
JANUARY UPRISING - 1863
The January Uprising was the
longest Polish uprising against Tsarist
Russia: it began January 22, 1863,
and the last insurgents were not
captured until 1865. It started as a
spontaneous protest by young Poles
against conscription into the Russian
Army.
WORLD WAR I 1914-1918
Ignacy Jan Paderewski
(November 6, 1860 – June 29,
1941) was a Polish pianist,
composer, diplomat and
politician, the third Prime
Minister of Poland.
Józef Piłsudski-was a Polish revolutionary and
statesman, field marshal, first chief of state
(1918-1922) and dictator (1926-1935) of
renascent Poland, and founder of her armed
forces. He is generally regarded by much of
modern Poland as a national hero.
INDEPENDENT POLAND - 1918 - 1939
WORLD WAR II - 1939-1945
Under the leadership of Adolph Hitler, Nazi Germany invaded Poland on
September 1, 1939. Hitler's excuse for the invasion was the need to secure
"that intolerable Polish corridor." In response to the invasion of Poland,
France and Britain declared war on Germany. World War II had begun.
World War II,
also, The
Second World
War, was the
global military
conflict that
took place
between 1939
and 1945. WWII
was the largest
and deadliest
war in history.
At last the Germans were on the defensive. With the Soviets
advancing from the east and the allies from the west, Hitler's Third
Reich collapsed into disarray and, following the Fuhrer's suicide,
surrendered on May 8, 1945.
WESTERPLATTE
War broke out in Europe on 1 September 1939, with the German invasion of Poland.
Schleswig-Holstein
HOLOCAUST
AUSCHWITZ concentration camp
The Holocaust is the name applied to the systematic state-sponsored persecution and
genocide of the Jews of Europe and North Africa along with other groups during World War II
by Nazi Germany and collaborators.
Auschwitz is the name loosely used to
identify the largest Nazi extermination camp
along with two main German concentration
camps and 45-50 sub-camps. The name is
derived from the German name for the
nearby Polish town of Oświęcim
Tragic Warsaw uprising of 1944
As the war progressed, a ferocious resistance to the Nazi occupation
smoldered, then burst into flame, culminating in the tragic Warsaw uprising
of 1944. The Polish underground State had one of the largest and best
organized army in Nazi-occupied Europe. From city basements to guerilla
camps hidden deep in primeval forests, members of the resistance struck
back at the Germans whenever and wherever they could.
SOLIDARITY - 1980 ROUND TABLE AGREEMENTS - 1989
The disillusioned Polish people demanded full political and cultural freedom. Polish workers
understood how their economic relations with the
Soviet Union had been rigged to the detriment of the Polish economy and in 1980 the
Solidarity Movement exploded with a series of strikes on the Baltic Coast and in the
industrial region of Upper Silesia. The situation was volatile but the new labor union was
joined by a social movement, coalescing into an effective social force that managed to effect
change with a minimum of violence. In August 1980, the Polish government recognized
Solidarity and made significant concessions to the workers' demands. . Finally, as the spirit
of "glasnost" engulfed the entire Soviet Bloc, the government recognized Solidarity again
and, in the "Roundtable Agreements" of 1989, agreed to the sharing of power.
POLAND IN NATO - 1999
On 12 of March 1999 - Prof. Bronislaw Geremek, Minister of Foreign
Affairs of the Republic of Poland, transferred in the US Secretary of
State, Madeleine Albright's hands the Instruments of Accession.
From this very moment the Republic of Poland has been the legal
party of the Washington Treaty - the member of NATO.
Poland in European Union
Polish voters then said yes to the EU in a referendum in June 2003. Poland joined
the European Union on 1 May 2004.
NOBEL PRIZE
Maria Skłodowska-Curie
Czesław Miłosz
Henryk Sienkiewicz
Lech Wałęsa
Władysław Reymont
Wisława Szymborska
THE GREATEST POLE- JAN PAWEŁ II
(JOHN PAUL II)
Pope John Paul II, born Karol Józef Wojtyła [1] (May 18, 1920 – April 2,
2005) reigned as pope of the Roman Catholic Church for almost 27 years