Timeline of Polish history

Dates and most important events in Polish history from prehistoric times up to the present day.

c.960

Mieszko I assumes rule in Poland

966

Christianization of Mieszko I and Poland

968

First bishopric in Poland - Poznan

972

Mieszko's victorious battle of Cedynia over margrave Hodon

992

Death of Mieszko I

992-1025

Reign of Boleslaw I Chrobry (the Brave)

997

Death of St.Adalbert of Prague during the christianization of Prussians

1000

The Congress of Gniezno with participation of the Emperor Otto III

1000

Bishopric founded in Gniezno

1025

Coronation of Boleslaw I Chrobry as the King of Poland

1034-1058

Reign of Casimir the Restorer

1034-1039

People's rebellion and invasion of the Czech prince, Brzetyslav.

1076

Coronation of Boleslaw the Bold for the king of Poland

1079-1102

Reign of prince Ladislas

1102-1138

Reign of prince Boleslav the Wrymouthed (Boleslav Krzywousty)

1106-1107

War between Boleslav the Wrymouthed and his brother Zbigniew

1138

Following Boleslaw's death, in accordance with his will, Poland is split into five main provinces, one for each of his sons, with the senior holding also the "royal" province between Great and Little Poland. Beginning of regional disintegration which continues until 1320.

1146-1173

Boleslav the Curly[?] is the senior prince in Cracow

1226

Konrad of Mazovia[?] asks Teutonic Knights, recently expelled from Hungary by Andrew II, to settle in Poland and gives them land in northern Mazovia, in addition to any territory they can wrest from the pagan Prussians and Lithuanians. The christianization of Prussia begins

1241

The Mongol invasion cuts a wide swath of destruction through southern Poland; Cracow is besieged.

In July, the host of the Silesian princes is met and routed at Legnica, a defeat accompanied by the death of overlord Henryk Pobozny[?].

1295

Coronation of Przemysl II[?] for the king of Poland in Gniezno; shortly after, he is murdered in a bathhouse.

1300

Coronation of Waclav II, king of Bohemia, as the king of Poland

1305

Death of Waclav II, his son Waclav III becomes the king of Poland

1306

Waclaw III is killed by an assassin while travelling to Cracow to inaugurate his reign in Poland

1306-1333

Reign of Wladyslaw the Elbow High (Wladyslaw Lokietek)

1308-1309

The Teutonic Knights drive out the Brandenburgians who captured Gdansk, but hold the city for themselves. Wladyslaw the Elbow High , caught up with the situation in Little Poland, particularly the conspiracy led by Albert, the Cracow mayor, cannot intervene.

1320

Coronation of Wladislaw the Elbow High and reunion of most of the Polish lands

1327-1332

War against the Teutonic Order

1331

Battle at Plowce

1343

Peace treaty with the Teutonic Order in Kalisz

1370

Death of Casimir the Great ends Piast Dynasty

1370-1382

Reign of Louis I of Hungary

1385

Personal union with Lithuania following marriage of Polish princess Jadwiga with the Grand Duke of Lithuania Wladyslaw Jagiello

1386-1434

Reign of Wladyslaw Jagiello, beginning of Jagiellonian dynasty in Poland

1387

Formal christianization of Lithuania

1409-1411

War with Teutonic Knights

1410 July 15

Victorious battle of Grunwald (Tannenberg) with Teutonic Knights

1411 February

First peace treaty of Torun with Teutonic Order

1434-1444

Reign of Wladislaw III

1444

Battle at Varna against Turkey and death of Wladislaw III

1454 February

Prussian Confederation of cities and gentry revolts against rule of Teutonic Knights, and (March) accepts Polish sovereignty

1454-1466

Thirteen Years' War of Poland and Prussian Confederation against Teutonic Knights

1466 October

Second Treaty of Thorn: the Teutonic Order cedes western (henceforth Royal) Prussia to Poland; eastern (later Ducal) Prussia remains under control of the Order, as a Polish fief.

1474

First Polish printed text (in Cracow)

1492-1501

Reign of Jan Olbracht

1569

Administrative union of Lublin creates the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth (Rzeczpospolita)

1572

Death of Sigismund II, the last king of the Jagiellonian Dynasty

1573

Election of Henry of Valois as the King of Poland

1575

Stephen Báthory is the King of Poland

1610

Polish-Lithuanian forces occupy Moscow

1620

War with Turkey

1655-1660

Invasion of Poland by the Army of Charles X of Sweden in the Second Northern War[?], known in Poland as "the Deluge"

1683 September 12

Polish king John III Sobieski defeats Turkish Army near Vienna

1768

The Confederation of Bar

1772

The First Partition of Poland: Austria receives Galicia, the kingdom of Prussia gains West Prussia, and Russia gains Vitebsk, Mogilev and Gomel

1791 May 3

Proclamation of the May Constitution

1793

The Second Partition of Poland: Russia gains Podolia[?], eastern Volhynia[?] and nost of modern Belarus, while Prussia gains Greater Poland

1794 March

The national insurrection lead by Tadeusz Kosciuszko

1795

The Third Partition of Poland: Russia gains Curonia[?], Lithuania, western Belarus and western Volhynia, while Prussia receives the land to the north and west of Warsaw, and Austria the land to the south and east of the city.

1795 November 25

The kingdom of Poland comes to an end with the abdication of Stanislaus II[?]

1807

The Grand Duchy of Warsaw is created under French tutelage from the territories annexed by Prussia in 1793 and 1795

1809

The Grand Duchy gains the area annexed by Austria in 1795

1813

Poland is occupied by Russian troops, bringing the Grand Duchy to an end

1815

Most of the former Grand Duchy (excluding the Poznan and Torun districts) become the Kingdom of Poland under the rule of the Tsar of Russia.

1830 November 29

The November Uprising against occupation of Poland

1832 February 26

Russian-occupied Poland is stripped of its separate administration

1846 February 22

Krakow Uprising: the city is annexed by Austria in November

1863 January 22

The January Uprising against occupation of Poland: fighting continues into 1864

1914 August

Outbreak of World War I: Marshal Pilsudski's troops fight with German and Austrian troops against Russia

1916 November 5

Germany and Austria-Hungary proclaim an independent kingdom of Poland, in practice under German control

1917 July

Pilsudski imprisoned at Madgeburg after supporting Polish soldiers who refused to swear brotherhood with their german and Austrian counterparts

1918 March 3

Russia signs Treaty of Brest-Litovsk renouncing sovereignty over Poland

1918 November 11

Poland regains independence

1918-1919

Uprising in Greater Poland region for liberation from German administration

1920 April 25-October 12

Polish-Soviet War

1921 March 17

Proclamation of the March Constitution

1921 March 18

Treaty of Riga

1926 May 12-14

Coup d'etat by Jozef Pilsudski

1935 May 12

Pilsudski dies: Marshal Rydz-Smigly[?] becomes leader of regime

1939 September 1

Germany invades Poland - the beginning of WWII

1939 September 17

Soviet troops invade and then occupy eastern Poland

1944 August 1-October 2

The Warsaw Uprising

1944 July 22

Communist-dominated Polish National Liberation Committee is formed in Lublin on land liberated by Soviet and Polish troops

1944 December 31

National Liberation Committee establishes provisional government

1948 December 20

Communist (Workers) Party merges with left wing of Socialist Party as Polish United Workers Party (PZPR)

1956 October

Gomulka apponted leader of United Workers Party

1970 December

Protests leade to Gomulka's replacement by Edward Gierek

1980 August 31

victory of Solidarity Trade Union strike led by Lech Walesa in Gdansk, a 21-point agreement with the Communist government signed

1981 December 13

Martial law is proclaimed by the Communist authorities led by prime minister General Wojciech Jaruzelski

1983 July

Lifting of the state of martial law in Poland

1989 June 4

The first free postwar general elections (with some reservations) in Poland return a pro-Solidarity majority

1989 September 12

The first non-communist-dominated government in Poland since the war

1990 December 9

Walesa elected President of Poland

1992

The last Soviet troops leave Poland

1997 April 2

New Constitution adopted

1999 March 12

Poland becomes a member of NATO

See also

• List of timelines,
• Timeline of rulers of Poland