Duchy of Silesia: Map & History
The Duchy of Silesia with its capital at Wrocław was a medieval provincial duchy of Poland located in the region of Silesia.
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The Duchy of Silesia with its capital at Wrocław was a medieval provincial duchy of Poland located in the region of Silesia.
Modern Countries Once Part of Duchy of Silesia
At its mapped extent, Duchy of Silesia covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Duchy of Silesia's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Duchy of Silesia in Depth
History
As the Silesian Province (Polish: dzielnica śląska), the duchy was one of five main provinces established in medieval Poland according to the Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty. By the terms of the will from 1138–1146 it was controlled by the Senior Duke of Poland or High duke, Bolesław's first-born son Władysław II the Exile, who also held the Duchy of Kraków.
The testament however failed to prevent a violent inheritance conflict between Władysław and his younger half-brothers, who allied against him. After his failed bid to take control of the entire Kingdom in 1146, he lost his status as the senior duke, was excommunicated by Archbishop Jakub ze Żnina of Gniezno and fled to the Holy Roman Empire. The duchy was then under control of his half-brother High Duke Bolesław IV the Curly.
Geography
During the time of its establishment, the Silesian lands covered the basin of the upper and middle Oder river. In the south the Sudetes mountain range up to the Moravian Gate formed the border with the lands of Bohemia – including Kłodzko Land – and Moravia. After a more than century-long struggle, the boundary had just been determined by an 1137 agreement with the Bohemian duke Soběslav I. In the west Lower Silesia bordered on the German March of Lusatia (later Lower Lusatia) and the former Milceni lands around Bautzen (later Upper Lusatia) with the boundary running along the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers. Silesia was limited by the Polish provinces of Greater Poland in the north and the Seniorate Province of Lesser Poland in the east, separated by the Przemsza and Biała rivers.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Duchy of Silesia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Duchy of Silesia Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Duchy of Silesia appears, with the other states of the time.
Duchy of Silesia Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 121,796 km² in 1142 CE.
Duchy of Silesia: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Duchy of Silesia exist?
Duchy of Silesia is dated to 1139 CE – 1304 CE, in the High & Late Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of Duchy of Silesia?
The capital of Duchy of Silesia was Wrocław.
How large was Duchy of Silesia at its peak?
At its peak in 1142 AD Duchy of Silesia covered about 121,796 km².
How did the map of Duchy of Silesia change over time?
Duchy of Silesia appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1200 CE to 1300 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
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