history of Poland

Introduction
The Piast monarchy
- The early state
- Collapse and restoration
- The period of divisions
  - Collapse of Bolesław’s governing system
  - Cultural developments in Poland, 11th–13th century
  - Social and economic developments
  - Feudalism
  - The arrival of the Teutonic Knights
- Revival of the kingdom
  - The Czech dynasty
  - Władysław I
  - Casimir the Great
  - Louis I
  - The marriage of Jadwiga
The states of the Jagiellonians
- The waning of the Middle Ages
  - The rule of Jagiełło
  - Casimir IV
- The golden age of the Sigismunds
  - Political developments
  - Foreign affairs
  - Social and cultural developments
The Commonwealth
- Báthory and the Vasas
  - Social and political structure
  - Stephen Báthory
  - Sigismund III Vasa
  - Władysław IV
  - The Cossacks
  - Bohdan Khmelnytsky
  - John II Casimir Vasa
- The 17th-century crisis
  - Social and economic changes
  - Political stagnation
  - Cultural changes
- Decline and attempts at reform
- The Saxons
  - Augustus II
  - Augustus III
- Reforms, agony, and partitions
  - Reform under Stanisław II
  - The First Partition
  - Social and economic changes
  - The constitution of 1791
  - The Second and Third Partitions
Partitioned Poland
- The legions and the Duchy of Warsaw
- From the Congress of Vienna to 1848
  - Early Russian rule
  - Emigration and revolt
- The January 1863 uprising and its aftermath
- Accommodation with the ruling governments
Poland in the 20th century
- The rebirth of Poland
- From the Treaty of Versailles to the Treaty of Riga
- The Second Republic
- World War II
- Communist Poland
- Transitioning from communism
- The constitution of 1997
Poland in the 21st century

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Political map of Poland showing international and provincial boundaries, major cities, and provincial capitals. The national capital, Warsaw, is centrally located. Neighboring countries-Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and Russia-are labeled, and the Baltic Sea borders Poland to the north. An inset locator map highlights Poland's position in Europe.

Map showing Poland's territory in 1031, shaded in pink, during the reign of Mieszko II Lambert. The territory covers central and southern regions including present-day cities such as Gdansk, Warsaw, Lublin, Krakow, and Lwow (Lviv), with surrounding major cities like Vienna, Budapest, Vilnius, Minsk, and Kyiv marked for reference. The Baltic Sea, Vistula, Bug, and Dnieper rivers are also labeled.

St. Stanislaus of Kraków

Color illustration of Jan Hus in a green robe and a tall hat with two black lions, chained to a stake with flames rising behind him.

Władysław II Jagiełło, sarcophagus figure, Wawel Cathedral, Kraków, Poland

history of Poland: References & Edit History

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Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

Krzysztof Jasiewicz
Professor of Sociology, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia.
Piotr S. Wandycz
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Article History

Type	Description	Contributor	Date
	Changed spelling of “anti-Semitism” to “antisemitism.”	Mindy Johnston	Apr 25, 2025
	Cross-reference corrected.	J.E. Luebering	Apr 19, 2024
	Invalidated site: History World - History of Poland.	Gloria Lotha	Mar 18, 2024
	Add new Web site: Pressbooks at MSL - Polish Americans and Their Communities of Cleveland - The Social, Economic, and Political History of Poland.	Gloria Lotha	Feb 01, 2024
	New article added.	Jeff Wallenfeldt	Oct 24, 2023