Crown of the Kingdom of Poland

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For the crown used by Polish kings, see Polish crown jewels.

Crown of the Kingdom of Poland
Korona Królestwa Polskiego (
Latin
)
1385–1795
Flag of Crown of the Kingdom of Poland
Royal Banner (c. 1621)
Coat of arms of Crown of the Kingdom of Poland
Coat of arms
Anthem: "
May 3 Constitution
3 May 1791
7 January 1795
Currency
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Kingdom of Poland
Kingdom of Prussia
Habsburg Monarchy
Russian Empire

The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (

free election of the monarch.[4] Additionally, the concept of the Crown extended beyond existing borders, asserting that previously lost territories still rightfully belonged to it.[5] The term Crown of the Kingdom of Poland also referred to all the lands under the rule of the Polish king. This meaning became especially significant after the union with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, when it began to be commonly used to denote the Polish part of the joint Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.[6]

The idea of the Crown in Central Europe first appeared in Bohemia and Hungary, from where the model was taken by kings

Ladislaus the Short and Casimir III the Great to strengthen their power. During the reign of Louis the Great in Poland, who spent most of his time in Hungary, as well as during the interregnum following his death and the regency during the minority of his daughter Jadwiga, the idea was adopted by the lords of the kingdom to emphasize their own role as co-responsible for the state.[7]

The development of the concept of corona regni in Poland

External influences

The concept of corona regni first emerged in early 12th-century

King of Aragon.[10]

For Poland, the significant development was the emergence of the concept of corona regni in Hungary in the late 12th century. Initially, it represented the kingdom as a territorial entity linked to the

Sigismund of Luxembourg the Holy Crown was finally distinguished from the King, and the Hungarian estates emphasized the ruler’s obligations to the Crown.[13] By the 15th century, the Crown gained legal personality, standing above both King and Estates, becoming the true sovereign.[14]

In Bohemia, the concept of the corona regni emerged primarily in connection with the territorial expansion and consolidation of the state. The

Luxemburg dynasty's unsuccessful pursuit of the Polish throne underscored the necessity of uniting the Silesian principalities with the Bohemian crown. In 1348, Charles IV formalized the feudal structure of the state and introduced the notion of the corona regni Bohemiae, incorporating the Silesian and Upper Lusatian territories bounding them to the perpetual Crown.[15]

Idea of the Kingdom

St. Stanislaus of Szczepanów as the patron of the Kingdom of Poland

The history of Poland as an entity has been traditionally traced to c. 966, when the

Mieszko II was forced to relinquish the crown, as was his great-grandson Boleslaw II the Bold, the idea of a kingdom survived. Even during the period of deep partition and the collapse of the central ducal power, Poland was still regarded as a kingdom, and the Piast princes, ruling the various provinces, as members of a royal dynasty and princes of Poland.[16]

A special role was played by

Archbishop of Gniezno also played an important role; its boundaries coincided with those of the kingdom. Gniezno, as the second centre of the state, and the place of coronation, nurtured the cult of the second patron saint, St Adalbert. His influence, however, was less.[18]

In 1295, the Duke of Greater Poland Przemysł II, although his power did not extend to Kraków, and was crowned king in

Přemyslids' successor, King John of Bohemia, who still considered himself king of Poland.[19] Władysław's successor Casimir III the Great
was also crowned in Kraków in 1333.

‘King on majesty’, iIlumination from the Gradual of John I Albert by Maciej of Drohiczyn, initial ‘K’, ca. 1501.

Casimir, like his father, considered himself the inherent ruler of the kingdom, the heir of the ancient Bolesławs. He strove to extend his power over the remaining Piast princes and to regain all the lands ruled by the former kings of Poland.

Bohemian Crown.[5] Casimir also abandoned the coat of arms of the Kuyavia line of the Piasts, a hybrid of eagle and lion, in favour of a crowned white eagle, which was also the symbol of the Kingdom.[21] At the congress of Visegrad in 1335, Casimir bought off John of Bohemia claims to the title of king of Poland.[22] This allowed for the expansion of the semantic scope of the term "Kingdom of Poland," (Lithuanian: Regnum Poloniae) which was often interpreted in a particularistic manner and limited only to Greater Poland.[21] From that moment, in a territorial sense, it began to denote all the lands currently under the king's rule, and in an ideological sense, all the territories that once belonged to the Piast dynasty.[21] Particularly noteworthy was the situation of Ruthenia, which was conquered by Casimir III. Formally, it was a separate kingdom, on whose throne Casimir sat as the heir of his relative, Yuri II Boleslav
of the Piast dynasty.

The king, however, regarded himself as a patrimonial ruler who could freely manage the kingdom and its lands.

House of Griffins. However, the court annulled this provision after Louis's coronation, as it fragmented the kingdom's territory.[24]
This was an open challenge to the ruler's claim of having the full freedom to manage the territory and resources of the state.

Idea of the Crown

Władysław Jagiełło. Its return to the country was exceptionally ceremonial.[25]

The concept of Corona Regni appears in the documents of Casimir the Great only three times, and all three documents were produced by foreign chanceries in the king's name. This idea, which limited the monarch's power, gained popularity only after his death. The annulment of Casimir the Great's testament in 1370 was essentially the first act undertaken in the name of the interests of the Crown. Ludwik was initially inclined to recognize the will, but strong opposition forced him to refer the matter to the court, which ruled that the ruler could not diminish the territory of the Crown of the Kingdom, a decision that Ludwik accepted.[5] Similarly, the new king, Louis the Great, committed himself to reclaiming the lost territories not for himself, but for the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, during his coronation.[6][5] Jan Radlica was the first royal chancellor who stopped referring to himself as "of Kraków" or "of the court" chancellor and began to use in 1381 the title regni Poloniae supremus cancellarius (supreme chancellor of the Kingdom of Poland).[5]

The concept of the Crown being the real sovereign began to be promoted by the elites of Lesser Poland, who saw it as a way to elevate their role. This was facilitated by the rule of a foreign king, the regency in Poland by his mother,

Queen Jadwiga, ascending the Polish throne. In the perception of the time, this violated the old laws and required the consent of the lords.[6]

The interregnum following the death of Ludwik in 1382, which ended with the coronation of Jadwiga in 1384, was evidence of the vitality of the Crown of the Kingdom. During this period, the magnates (regnicolae regni Poloniae) managed the affairs of the state, avoiding a bloody civil war and successfully leading to the coronation of new ruler.[26] Moreover, the basis of power began to rest on an agreement between the dynasty and the kingdom's community. The nobles respected the natural right of Louis's daughters to the throne, but this right was conditional upon adherence to the oaths and obligations made by the ruler to the Crown of the Kingdom.[27]

Union of Krewo

‘The King in majesty’, miniature from Erazm Ciołek's Pontifical, ca. 1510

The

Jogaila and Polish lords, who were offering him the hand of Queen Jadwiga of Poland.[28] Once Jogaila confirmed the prenuptial agreements on August 14, 1385, Poland and Lithuania formed a personal union. The agreements included the adoption of Christianity, repatriation of lands lost by the Crown.[29] Jogaila also pledged to permanently attach his Lithuanian and Ruthenian lands to the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (terras suas Lithuaniae et Rusie Corone Regni Poloniae perpetuo aplicare), the clause which formed the personal union.[30] After being baptized at the Wawel Cathedral in Kraków on February 15, 1386, Jogaila began to formally use the name Władysław. Three days after his baptism, the marriage between Jadwiga and Władysław II Jagiełło took place. Over the next few years, the Lithuanian princes from the Gediminid dynasty paid homage to Jogaila, himself a Lithuanian and Gediminid, his wife Jadwiga, and the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland.[31]

The union concluded at Krewo was not an ordinary personal union, common in Europe at that time, precisely because one party was the Corona Regni, that is, the community of the Kingdom of Poland, and not a dynasty or ruler, as was the case with the agreement between

Louis the Great, which elevated the latter to the throne.[32] Both Jogaila and Jadwiga were elected to the Polish throne by the nobles; their natural rights to the throne were weak, and their power rested solely on the agreement between them and the Crown of the Kingdom.[33] According to Robert I. Frost, the aim of the Union of Krewo was not the annexation of Lithuania by Poland, but its incorporation into the community of the kingdom, that is, the Crown.[34]

Union of Lublin

Main article: Union of Lublin
Banner of Poland and Lithuania in the chronicle of the Council of Constance (1416)

The Union of Lublin created the single state of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth on July 1, 1569 with a real union between the Crown and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Before then, the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania only had a personal union. The Union of Lublin also made the Crown an elective monarchy; this ended the Jagiellonian dynasty once Henry de Valois was elected on May 16, 1573 as monarch.

On May 30, 1574, two months after Henry de Valois was crowned King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania on February 22, 1574, he was made King of France, and was crowned King of France on February 13, 1575. He left the throne of the Crown on May 12, 1575, two months after he was crowned King of France. Anna Jagiellon was elected after him.

Constitution of 1791

Main article: Constitution of 3 May 1791
First page of the original Constitution

The Constitution of May 3, 1791 is the second-oldest, codified national constitution in history, and the oldest codified national constitution in Europe; the oldest being the

Stanisław II Augustus was the principal author of the Constitution, and he wanted the Crown to be a constitutional monarchy, similar to the one in Great Britain. On May 3, 1791, the Great Sejm convened, and they read and adopted the new constitution. It enfranchised the bourgeoisie, separated the government into three branches, abolished liberum veto, and stopped the abuses of the Repnin Sejm
.

It made Poland a constitutional monarchy with the King as the head of the executive branch with his

Sejm Marshal. The Crown Tribunal, the highest appellate court in the Crown, was reformed. The Sejm would elect their judges for the Sejm Court (the Crown's parliamentary court) from their deputies (posłowie
).

The Government Act angered

Jacobinism that was prominent in France at the time. Russia invaded the Commonwealth in 1792.[35][36] The Constitution was in place for less than 19 months; it was annulled by the Grodno Sejm.[37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44]

Politics

Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, 1635
fiefdom).
  Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, Lithuanian fief.
  Duchy of Livonia
.

The creation of the Crown of the

patrimonial monarchy (a hereditary monarchy) to a "quasi-constitutional monarchy" (monarchia stanowa)[45] in which power resided in the nobility, the clergy and (to some extent) the working class, also referred to as an "elective monarchy"
.

A related concept that evolved soon afterward was that of

Polish coat of arms and the flag of Poland.[45]

Geography

The concept of the Crown also had geographical aspects, particularly related to the indivisibility of the Polish Crown's territory.

Kingdom of Poland, then, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
until its final collapse in 1795.

At the same time, the Crown also referred to all lands that the Polish state (not the monarch) could claim to have the right to rule over, including those that were not within Polish borders.[45]

The term distinguishes those territories federated with the

Duchy of Courland
(     ).

Prior to the 1569

Kingdom of Poland proper, inhabited by Poles, or as other areas under the sovereignty of the Polish king (such as Royal Prussia) or the szlachta. With the Union of Lublin, however, most of present-day Ukraine (which had a negligible Polish population and had until then been governed by Lithuania
), passed under Polish administration, thus becoming Crown territory.

During that period, a term for a Pole from the Crown territory was koroniarz (plural: koroniarze) – or Crownlander(s) in English – derived from Korona – the Crown.

Depending on context, the Polish "Crown" may also refer to "

Polish magnates
(confederates).

Provinces

After the Union of Lublin (1569) Crown lands were divided into two provinces: Lesser Poland (Polish: Małopolska) and Greater Poland (Polish: Wielkopolska). These were further divided into administrative units known as voivodeships (the Polish names of the voivodships and towns are shown below in parentheses).

Greater Poland Province

Main article:
Greater Poland Province of the Polish Crown
(in Polish) Voivodeships of the Commonwealth of the Two Nations
(in Polish and English) Map showing voivodeships of the Commonwealth of the Two Nations

Lesser Poland Province

Main article:
Lesser Poland Province of the Polish Crown

Royal Prussia Province (1569–1772)

Main article: Royal Prussia

Royal Prussia (Polish: Prusy Królewskie) was a semi-autonomous province of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 to 1772. Royal Prussia included Pomerelia, Chełmno Land (Kulmerland), Malbork Voivodeship (Marienburg), Gdańsk (Danzig), Toruń (Thorn), and Elbląg (Elbing). Polish historian Henryk Wisner writes that Royal Prussia belonged to the Province of Greater Poland.[46]

Other holdings or fiefs

The Crown and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania 1386–1434

Principality of Moldavia (1387–1497)

Main article:
Principality of Moldavia

The history of Moldavia has long been intertwined with that of Poland. The Polish chronicler Jan Długosz mentioned Moldavians (under the name Wallachians) as having joined a military expedition in 1342, under King Władysław I, against the Margraviate of Brandenburg.[47] The Polish state was powerful enough to counter the Hungarian Kingdom which was consistently interested in bringing the area that would become Moldavia into its political orbit.

Ties between Poland and Moldavia expanded after the Polish

Bogdan of Cuhea. Bogdan, a Vlach voivode from Maramureș who had fallen out with the Hungarian king, crossed the Carpathian Mountains in 1359, took control of Moldavia, and succeeded in transforming it into an independent political entity. Despite being disfavored by the brief union of Angevin Poland and Hungary (the latter was still the country's overlord), Bogdan's successor Lațcu, the Moldavian ruler also likely allied himself with the Poles. Lațcu also accepted conversion to Roman Catholicism
around 1370, but his gesture was to remain without lasting consequences.

Fyodor Koriatovych in his conflict with Vytautas the Great of Lithuania. Under Stephen I, growing Polish influence was challenged by Sigismund of Hungary, whose expedition was defeated at Ghindăoani
in 1385; however, Stephen disappeared in mysterious circumstances.

Although

Alexăndrel to the throne in Suceava. Petru Aron's rule also signified the beginning of Moldavia's Ottoman Empire allegiance, as the ruler agreed to pay tribute to Sultan Mehmed II
.

The principality of Moldavia covered the entire geographic region of Moldavia. In various periods, various other territories were politically connected with the Moldavian principality. This is the case of the province of

Pokuttya, the fiefdoms of Cetatea de Baltă and Ciceu (both in Transylvania
) or, at a later date, the territories between the Dniester and the Bug rivers.

Towns in Spisz (Szepes) County (1412–1795)

The Spiš (Zips) region. Light blue and green areas show the pawned territories, red line shows current borders, yellow former border between then Hungary and Poland and the black borders between counties
Main article:
Szepes county § The pawning of Szepes towns and the Province of 13 Szepes Towns

As one of the terms of the

Maciejowce, Twarożne
.

Duchy of Siewierz (1443–1795)

Main article: Duchy of Siewierz

ecclesiastical duchy in Lesser Poland. The junction of the duchy with the Lesser Poland Province was concluded in 1790 when the Great Sejm formally incorporated the Duchy, as part of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, into the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
.

Prince-Bishopric of Warmia (1466–1772)

Main article: Prince-Bishopric of Warmia

The Prince-Bishopric of Warmia

Kingdom of Poland, later part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth after the Peace of Thorn (1466–1772)[52]

Lauenburg and Bütow Land

Main article: Lauenburg and Bütow Land

After the childless death of the last of the

Frederick II of Prussia incorporated the territory into Prussia and the subsequent Treaty of Warsaw in 1773[53]
made the former conditions obsolete.

Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (Courland) (1562–1791)

Main article: Duchy of Courland and Semigallia

The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia is a

Tobago
and Gambia.

Duchy of Prussia (1569–1657)

Main article: Duchy of Prussia

The Duchy of Prussia was a

Treaty of Wehlau in Wehlau (Polish: Welawa; now Znamensk), whereby Frederick William renounced a previous Swedish-Prussian alliance and John Casimir recognised Frederick William's full sovereignty over the Duchy of Prussia.[54] Full sovereignty was a necessary prerequisite for upgrading the Duchy to Kingdom of Prussia
in 1701.

Duchy of Livonia (Inflanty) (1569–1772)

Main article: Duchy of Livonia

The Duchy of Livonia[55] was a territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – and later a joint domain (Condominium) of the Polish Crown and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Protectorates

Caffa

Main article: Feodosia § Kaffa

In 1462, during the expansion of the

Casimir IV of Poland. The proposition of protection was accepted by the Polish king but when the real danger came, help for Caffa never arrived.[56]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Gaude Mater Polonia Creation and History". Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  2. ISBN 9780199253395
    .
  3. ^ Frost 2015, p. 15.
  4. ^ Frost 2015, p. 14.
  5. ^ a b c d e Frost 2015, p. 12.
  6. ^ a b c Szczur 2002, p. 417.
  7. ^ Frost 2015, pp. 11–12.
  8. ^ Dąbrowski 1956, pp. 21–22.
  9. ^ Dąbrowski 1956, pp. 22–24.
  10. ^ Dąbrowski 1956, p. 24.
  11. ^ Dąbrowski 1956, pp. 27–31.
  12. ^ Dąbrowski 1956, p. 31.
  13. ^ Dąbrowski 1956, pp. 32–33.
  14. ^ Dąbrowski 1956, p. 38.
  15. ^ Dąbrowski 1956, pp. 34–36.
  16. ^ Szczur 2002, p. 317.
  17. ^ Szczur 2002, p. 317-318.
  18. ^ Szczur 2002, p. 318-319.
  19. ^ Szczur 2002, p. 331-343.
  20. ^ Szczur 2002, p. 414.
  21. ^ a b c Szczur 2002, p. 416.
  22. ^ Szczur 2002, p. 372.
  23. ^ a b Szczur 2002, p. 415.
  24. ^ Szczur 2002, p. 401.
  25. ^ Borkowska, Urszula (2011). Dynastia Jagiellonów w Polsce. p. 309.
  26. ^ Frost 2015, p. 14-15.
  27. ^ Frost 2015, p. 15-17.
  28. ^ Frost 2015, p. 49.
  29. ^ Frost 2015, p. 33.
  30. ^ Frost 2015, p. 47.
  31. ^ Frost 2015, p. 50.
  32. ^ Frost 2015, p. 51-53.
  33. ^ Frost 2015, p. 51-55.
  34. ^ Frost 2015, p. 56-57.
  35. ^ Henry Smith Williams (1904). The Historians' History of the World: Poland, The Balkans, Turkey, Minor eastern states, China, Japan. Outlook Company. pp. 88–91. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  36. ISBN 978-0-521-55917-1
    . Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  37. ISBN 978-0-307-38773-8
    . Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  38. ISBN 978-90-481-2400-8
    . Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  39. ISBN 0-19-820171-0
    .
  40. JSTOR 564654
    .
  41. ISBN 978-0-7818-0637-4
    . Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  42. ISBN 978-1-4411-4812-4
    . Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  43. ISBN 978-0-7818-0637-4
    . Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  44. ISBN 978-1-881284-09-3
    .
  45. ^ a b c d e f Juliusz Bardach, Boguslaw Lesnodorski, and Michal Pietrzak, Historia panstwa i prawa polskiego (Warsaw: Paristwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1987, pp. 85–86
  46. ^ Henryk Wisner, Rzeczpospolita Wazów. Czasy Zygmunta III i Władysława IV. Wydawnictwo Neriton, Instytut Historii PAN, Warszawa 2002, p. 26 [ISBN missing]
  47. ^ The Annals of Jan Długosz, p. 273
  48. ISBN 978-0-231-12817-9
    .
  49. ^ Zygmunt Gloger Geografia historyczna ziem dawnej Polski "Właściwą Małopolskę stanowiły województwa: Krakowskie, Sandomierskie i Lubelskie, oraz kupione (w wieku XV) przez Zbigniewa Oleśnickiego, biskupa krakowskiego, u książąt śląskich księstwo Siewierskie"
  50. ISBN 978-0-8006-7085-6
    .
  51. ^ Biskupie Księstwo Warmińskie @ Google books
  52. ISBN 978-0-521-85332-3
    .
  53. ^ Translation of a treaty between the King of Prussia and the King and Republic of Poland. In: The Scots Magazine, vol. XXXV, Edinburgh 1773, pp. 687–691.
  54. ISBN 83-223-1984-3
  55. ISBN 90-6550-881-3
    , p 17
  56. ^ Historia Polski Średniowiecze, Stanisław Szczur, Kraków 2002, s. 537.

References

  • Szczur, Stanisław (2002). Historia Polski. Średniowiecze. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie.
    ISBN 978-83-08-03272-5
    .    ,
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