History of Poland

The beginning

The first piece of information about the Polish tribes dates back to the 9 th century. There were two main states: one was located in the South (the main towns: Cracow and Wislica); the other was located in the central part of present-day Poland (the main towns: Gniezno and Poznan). The first ruler who united the Polish tribes was Prince Mieszko I (c.960-992). Under his rule Poland was Christianised (966). This event was of crucial importance - Poland became integrated with Christianised Europe.
In 1000 a meeting in Gniezno (Zjazd w Gnieznie) took place. It was then decided that an Archbishop should have an abode in Gniezno, and Bishops should reside in Cracow, Kolobrzeg, and Wroclaw.
Prince Mieszko I married a Czech princess, Dubravka. Their son, Boleslaus the Brave (Boleslaw Chrobry), was crowned in 1025. He was the first Polish king. Under his rule Poland grew in size and strength. However, the period of prosperity did not last long. In the 12th century one of the rulers from the same dynasty (the Piast dynasty), Boleslaus the Wry-mouthed (Bolesław Krzywousty), divided Poland into 3 districts which were given to his sons. The period after the death of Boleslaus the Wry-mouthed (1138) is referred to in history as the 'period of disruption,' characterised by competition and fighting among the king's sons. The central power of the king was weakened. So was the strength of the country.

The Middle Ages

It was only in the 14 th century that Poland was united by Ladislaus the Short (Wladyslaw Lokietek), who became the king in 1320. He was succeeded by Casimir the Great (Kazimierz Wielki). Under his rule, the central power of the monarch was strengthened and the Crown Treasury was initiated. The king paid a lot of attention to the economic development of the country. According to a popular saying, King Casimir the Great succeeded to the throne in Poland which had wooden buildings, and died in a country that had masonry ones. Casimir the Great was the last king from the Piast dynasty.
In 1385 a union between Poland and Lithuania was signed in Krewo. Ladislaus Jagiello, the Lithuanian prince, agreed to unite Lithuania with the Kingdom of Poland. He accepted Christianity and married Jadwiga (the daughter of the king of Hungary and Poland). This marriage allowed him to become the King of Poland. He was the first king from the Jagiellonian dynasty on the Polish throne.

Wars with the Teutonic Order

The 15 th century was marked by wars with the Teutonic Order. In 1410 one of the greatest battles in the Late Middle Ages, the Battle of Grunwald, took place. The knights from the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania won this battle, and in 1411 a peace treaty was signed. However, this was not the end of the conflict. In 1454 the Thirteen Years War started. It ended with a peace treaty in Torun in 1466. The Teutonic Order had to pay tribute to the Polish monarch and became his vassal. The last war with the Teutonic Order broke out in the 16 th century. The Teutonic Order became secularised ( Prussia). In 1525 the Grand Master of Teutonic Order, Albrecht Hohenzollern, swore allegiance to the Polish King in Cracow.

The Golden Age of Poland

The 16 th century is often referred to as the 'Golden Age of Poland.' The country prospered. Poland was one of the biggest and one of the richest countries in Europe. Cracow, then the capital, was one of the greatest cities in Europe. What partly contributed to this was the Academy founded as early as in 1364, which was very influential. Poland was also famous for its religious tolerance.
At that time the Polish astronomer, Nicolas Copernicus announced his discovery of the Heliocentric System, thus making a crucial contribution to the world's science.

In 1572 Sigismund Augustus, the last ruler from the Jagiellonian dynasty died heirless. The period of elective monarchy began. It was a system which allowed the aristocracy to choose the king. The first king chosen this way was Henri Valois (French prince). His rule did not last long - he secretly left Cracow in 1574. The next ruler was the Prince of Transylvania, Stephen Bathory (Stefan Batory), who married Anna Jagiellonka. They were crowned in 1576. Bathory led Poland to the victory over the Russians in the Livonian War (Wojna o Inflanty). In 1587 the rule of the Vasa dynasty (Swedish) began.

The age of wars

The 17 th century, unlike the peaceful 16 th century, was marked by unrest and wars.
There was a war with Sweden. The conflict began at the beginning of the century. Its most intensive phase, called the 'Swedish Flood' (Potop) lasted from 1655 to 1660 and was concluded by a peace treaty in Oliwa.

There was a war with the Russians. It started at the end of the 16th century and continued, with breaks, in the 17 th century, finally ending with the 'Eternal Treaty' in Moscow in 1686.
In 1648 a Cossacks revolt broke out. It was a national movement led by Bogdan Chmielnicki. After ten years of fighting a Polish-Cossacks treaty was signed.

Poland was also involved in the conflict with Turkey. The fighting started in 1620 with the Battle of Cecora, in which the Poles were defeated. A memorable event in this war was the Battle of Vienna in 1683, which was won by the Polish army led by King John III Sobieski.

The loss of independence and the national movements

In the 18 th century, under the rule of the Saxon dynasty, Poland was gradually losing its strength and influence. The kings lost their power. The aristocracy, driven by personal interests, were fighting against one another. The system that they called 'aristocratic democracy' (demokracja szlachecka) was in fact anarchy. It was only towards the end of the century that the Poles started to reform their education, economy and army. The peak of these reforms was the Constitution signed on 3 May 1791. It was the first constitution in Europe and the second in the world (after the American Constitution). It was meant to modernise the system. Yet, the reforms came too late and the Poles did not manage to prevent the disaster - as a result of three partitions (1772, 1793 and 1795) Poland lost independence. Its territory was divided by Russia, Prussia and Austria and incorporated into these countries.
During the Napoleonic Wars there was some hope for independence. The Poles formed an army and fought under Napoleon. However, their hopes were not fulfilled. Napoleon was defeated and the fate of the Poles was sealed during the Congress in Vienna in 1815 - Poland would not be present on the political map of the world during the next 100 years.

The Poles did not accept such a state of affairs. They fought for independence in many risings. The first rising broke out in 1794 and was led by one of the Polish greatest national heroes, Tadeusz Kościuszko.
The greatest rising began in 1830 (Powstanie Listopadowe - November Rising) and lasted for 10 months. Although the Polish soldiers, and especially the peasants, were very brave, they did not manage to defeat the Russian army. After this rising the situation of the Poles worsened. Many of the participants were hanged and many of them were taken to Siberia.
In 1846 there was a rising in Cracow, and in 1863 yet another one (Powstanie Styczniowe - January Rising) broke out. Both risings were put down.

The 20 th century

It was only after World War I that Poland won independence (1918). An important person who contributed to it was Marshal Jozef Pilsudski. The country enjoyed freedom for the next twenty years. On 1 September 1939 it was attacked by Germany under Hitler. World War II began. The Poles were defeated and Poland got under the Nazi occupation. On 17 September the Soviet army entered Poland. Officially, the Russians wanted to protect the Belorussian and the Ukrainian people. Yet, in fact, it was another attack. The Polish underground fought against the Nazis. In 1943 a rising in the Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw broke out. It was quelled by the Nazis. Many Jews (and Poles) were killed in the rising and many were taken to concentration camps and murdered there. Another rising, Warsaw Rising, was organised by the Polish underground army ('AK'). It started in 1944 and lasted for 63 days. A few thousand of the citizens of Warsaw lost their lives in it, and the capital was almost completely destroyed. During the revolt the Red Army did not help the 'AK,' even though the Soviet soldiers were stationed on the outskirts of Warsaw.

Although Poland belonged to the coalition that won the Second World War, it was not victorious. The country's fate was decided on during the two conferences, in Yalta and Potsdam. As a result of this Poland was dependent on the USSR and the Communist system was imposed on it for the next 45 years. Nevertheless, despite strenuous attempts the USSR did not manage to make Poland a typical Communist country.

In 1978 a Pole, Karol Wojtyla, became Pope John Paul II. This event was of crucial importance for the country, because it strengthened the people's morale.

The Poles organised numerous demonstrations and strikes. In 1980s a movement called 'Solidarnosc' (Solidarity) led by Lech Walesa became active. In 1989 under the pressure of Polish society the Communists agreed upon the talks with the opposition (the talks of the 'Round Table') and upon a free (partly) election, which they lost. A new government was created and it started a reform aiming at a free market. One year later Lech Walesa was elected president.

In 1999 Poland entered NATO.

On 1 May 2004 Poland became a member of the European Union.

Source: http://www.business-in-poland.com

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