History of Poland

Premodern history

Poland was settled and ruled by various Celtic, Germanic, Iranic, and Slavic peoples throughout history, the latter of which eventually came to dominate Poland in the Early Middle Ages. In 960, the Piast dynasty was founded by Duke Miesko I, who became the first Christian monarch of Poland. After the Testament of 1138, Poland fractured into five principalities. The Mongols invaded Poland in the mid-13th century, leading to reunification under Ladislaus the Short. The country began expanding east and became involved in the Crusades.

In 1385, Poland united with Lithuania under the Jagiellonian dynasty, often fighting against the Teutons, the Turks, and the Moscovians. The Act of 1505 transferred powers from the monarch to the parliament. In 1565, the Union of Lublin ensured the unity of Poland and Lithuania beyond the Jagiellonians. The Executionist movement and religious chaos precipitated the first elective council in 1572, when Henry of Valois was made monarch.

Vasa dynasty (1587-1671)

The Swedish dynasty of Vasa came to power in the 1580s, with three of their members being elected as kings. Catholicism was enforced with the 1596 Union of Brest, when the Rome-aligned Ruthenian Uniate Church was established. Poland separately went to war with Russia, Sweden, and the Ottoman Empire. The devastation inflicted by the Cossack Insurrection and the Swedish invasion triggered the Nobles' Rebellion of 1670 against King John II. With the death of his wife Queen Marie-Louise, he abdicated in 1671, with the next royal election being held in 1672.

Epoka Schyłku (1832-1935)

First Partition of Poland

In 1829, the Great Sejm of Poland introduced a new constitution for Poland, designed to limit foreign influence in Poland. This was met with suspicion from Poland's neighbors, specifically Russia and Austria, who were happily content with the deteriorating status of the commonwealth. After the Ottomans' victory and prestige in helping defeat the French in the during the French revolutionary wars, Russia and Austria feared that their influence in Poland might be overshadowed. This prompted the Coalition War against Poland (1832-1834), launched by a coalition of Austria, Russia, Saxony, and Pomerania. The war ended with the partition of Polish territory designed to paralyze Polish power and influence, and left Poland as a rump multi-ethnic state and a buffer between Russia and Austria.

National republican period (1935-)

Poland in the 20th century

Insurgency in Poland (1920s-1930s)

By the late 19th to early 20th century, the hallmark tolerance of the Poland gradually waned. Economic stagnation and hardship caused tensions between the ethnic and religious groups in Poland, primarily the Germans in the north coast, the Ruthenians in the south, and the Jewish communities throughout Poland. The Germans of the north wanted to either have their own state, or be integrated to Pomerania; the Ruthenians wanted to secede from Poland; the Jews demanded more rights and a reversal of anti-Jewish policies enacted in Poland during the early 20th century.

Poland in the Great War

When the Great War erupted, Poland officially declared neutrality. Austria and the Ottomans tried to coerce the Polish state into siding with the Tripartite Coalition, to allow them access through Polish territory. However, Poland steadfastly refused. As a response, Austria started supplying the German insurrectionists in the north with weapons and auxiliary support. In the south, there have been reports of Ottoman troops crossing Polish borders. The Polish Sejm accused the Tripartite Coalition of agitating for war, but this was denied by both Austria and the Ottoman Empire.

On the 18th and 20th of September 1936, two explosions damaged parts of the Krakau railway, killing two Austrian servicemen. Three people were arrested, identified by Austria as "Polish nationalists." Although Poland denied any involvement in the attacks, the Austrians maintained that these were "acts of subversion carried out by the Polish state." On 26 September 1936, the Austrian Empire declared war on Poland. This was followed with the Ottomans also declaring war on Poland on the same day, and laid siege to Kiev.

The siege of Kiev lasted for four months, and ended in the city's capitulation to the Ottoman army. By June 1937, Poland had been fully occupied by Austrian and Ottoman forces.

Post-war Poland

The monarchy of Poland, although at war with the Tripartite Coalition at first, willfully surrendered and collaborated with the Tripartite Coalition. After the war, Poland was divided by Russia as a punitive measure. The Ruthenian parts of Poland were ceded to Russia, and were incorporated in the Russian National Republic, while some of their eastern territory was ceded to the German states. Initially, the new Polish state was supposed to be landlocked, but Polish National Republicans protested this and were able to negotiate a Baltic coast. Post-war Polanepublican government