The Duchy of Bytom ( pl, Księstwo Bytomskie) or Duchy of Beuthen (german: Herzogtum Beuthen) was one of many
Silesian duchies
The Duchies of Silesia were the more than twenty divisions of the region of Silesia formed between the 12th and 14th centuries by the breakup of the Duchy of Silesia, then part of the Kingdom of Poland. In 1335, the duchies were ceded to the King ...
. It was established in
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located ...
about 1281 during the division of the
Duchy of Opole and Racibórz
The Duchy of Opole and Racibórz ( pl, Księstwo opolsko-raciborskie, german: Herzogtum Oppeln und Ratibor) was one of the numerous Duchies of Silesia ruled by the Silesian branch of the royal Polish Piast dynasty. It was formed in 1202 from the ...
among the sons of Duke
Władysław Opolski
Vladislaus I of Opole ( pl, Władysław opolski) ( – 27 August/13 September 1281/2) was a Duke of Kalisz during 1234–1244, Duke of Wieluń from 1234 to 1249 and Duke of Opole–Racibórz from 1246 until his death.
He was the second son ...
.
The duchy's capital was
Bytom (''Beuthen''), formerly part of
Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a s ...
until in 1177 the Polish High Duke
Casimir II the Just had attached it to the Silesian
Duchy of Racibórz
Duchy of Racibórz (german: Herzogtum Ratibor, cs, Ratibořské knížectví) was one of the duchies of Silesia. Its capital was Racibórz in Upper Silesia.
History
After Bolesław I the Tall and his younger brother Mieszko I Tanglefoot backed ...
.
History
When Władysław's second son
Casimir
Casimir is classically an English, French and Latin form of the Polish name Kazimierz. Feminine forms are Casimira and Kazimiera. It means "proclaimer (from ''kazać'' to preach) of peace (''mir'')."
List of variations
*Belarusian: Казі ...
became Duke of Bytom, he at first ruled jointly with his brother Duke
Bolko I of Opole
Bolko I of Opole ( pl, Bolko I opolski; before 21 October 1258 – 14 May 1313), was a Duke of Opole from 1282 (until 1284 with his brother as co-ruler), Niemodlin and Strzelce Opolskie until his death.
He was the third son of Władysław, Duke ...
and from 1284 on alone. The conflict with his
Piast
The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great.
Branche ...
cousin Duke
Henryk IV Probus
Henryk IV Probus (Latin for ''the Righteous'') ( pl, Henryk IV Probus or ''Prawy''; german: Heinrich IV. der Gerechte) ( – 23 June 1290) was a member of the Silesian branch of the royal Polish Piast dynasty. He was Duke of Silesia at Wro ...
of Silesia-
Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
led Casimir to seek shelter from King
Wenceslaus II of Bohemia
Wenceslaus II Přemyslid ( cs, Václav II.; pl, Wacław II Czeski; 27 SeptemberK. Charvátová, ''Václav II. Král český a polský'', Prague 2007, p. 18. 1271 – 21 June 1305) was King of Bohemia (1278–1305), Duke of Cracow (1291–1 ...
and in 1289 he became the first Silesian Piast duke to submit himself under
Bohemian
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
*Anything of or relating to Bohemia
Beer
* National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst
* Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
overlordship.
With the death of Casimir's grandson Duke
Bolesław in 1355 the Bytom branch of the Piasts became extinct and in the following inheritance dispute his widow
Margareta of Sternberg Margareta of Sternberg ( cs, Markéta, pl, Małgorzata; died aft. 5 June 1365) was a Moravian noblewoman and by marriage Duchess of Bytom.
She was the eldest child and only daughter of Jaroslav of Sternberg (''Jaroslav ze Šternberka'') by his se ...
had to cede the northern part of the duchy including the lordship of
Koźle
Koźle (german: Cosel) is a district of Kędzierzyn-Koźle (since 1975), Poland and is at the junction of the Kłodnica and Oder rivers, km southeast of Opole. The district has a Roman Catholic church, a medieval chateau, remains of a 19th-cent ...
to Duke
Konrad I of Oleśnica
Konrad I of Oleśnica ( – 22 December 1366) was a Duke of Żagań and Ścinawa during 1309–1312 (with his brothers as co-rulers), Duke of Oleśnica, Namysłów, Gniezno and Kalisz during 1312–1313 (with his brother as co-ruler), Duke of Kali ...
, while the remaining part was bequested to Duke
Casimir I of Cieszyn. Bytom remained divided until in 1459 Duke
Wenceslaus I of Cieszyn sold his portion to Duke
Konrad IX the Black
Konrad IX the Black (Polish: Konrad IX Czarny) (c. 1415 – 14 August 1471) was a duke of Oleśnica, Koźle, half of Bytom and half of Ścinawa since 1450 (with his brothers as co-rulers), and since 1452 sole ruler over Oleśnica, Koźle and hal ...
of Oleśnica and the duchy was reunited under his rule.
In 1472
Matthias Corvinus of Hungary
Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several m ...
, then self-declared King of Bohemia, annexed Bytom and pledged it to Lord Jan of
Zierotin
The House of Žerotín or House of Zierotin was a Czech noble family in the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, one of the oldest and most illustrious noble families from Bohemia and Moravia. The family was first mentioned around the year 1200 as ''B ...
. In 1498 it was finally merged back into the Duchy of Opole under the rule of Duke
Jan II the Good
Jan II of Opole ( pl, Jan II Dobry) ( – 27 March 1532) was a Duke of Opole-Brzeg (until 1481)- Strzelce-Niemodlin in 1476 (with his brothers as co-rulers during 1476), ruler over Gliwice (in 1494), Toszek (in 1495), Niemodlin (again, in 1497), By ...
. Jan had signed an inheritance treaty with Margrave
George of Brandenburg-Ansbach, who in 1526 was enfeoffed with Bytom by King
Louis II Jagiellon of Bohemia.
His rule however was denied by Louis' successors from the
House of Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
, who suspiciously eyed the gain of power of the
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzol ...
in Silesia. After the 1620
Battle of White Mountain
), near Prague, Bohemian Confederation(present-day Czech Republic)
, coordinates =
, territory =
, result = Imperial-Spanish victory
, status =
, combatants_header =
, combatant1 = Catholic L ...
Emperor
Ferdinand II of Habsburg took the opportunity to deprive Elector
George Wiliam of Brandenburg of the rule over Bytom. It then remained a
state country within the
Habsburg monarchy
The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
until its annexation by
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
in 1742.
Dukes
Of Bytom (
1281/
1282-
1355/
1357):
*
Kazimierz
Kazimierz (; la, Casimiria; yi, קוזמיר, Kuzimyr) is a historical district of Kraków and Kraków Old Town, Poland. From its inception in the 14th century to the early 19th century, Kazimierz was an independent city, a royal city of the ...
(
1281/
1282-
1312);
*
Siemowit
Siemowit (Polish pronunciation: ɛˈmɔvit also Ziemowit ɛˈmɔvit was, according to the chronicles of Gallus Anonymus, the son of Piast the Wheelwright and Rzepicha. He is considered to be the first ruler of the Piast dynasty.K. Jasiński, ...
(
1312-
1316);
*
Jerzy (
1316-
1327);
*
Władysław (
1316-
1352);
*
Bolesław I (
1352-
1355);
*
Małgorzata ze Šternberka (
1355-
1357);
Piasts (
1357-
1459):
*
Kazimierz I cieszyński (
1357-
1358);
*
Przemysław I Noszak (
1358-
1405)
*
Bolesław II (
1405-
1431)
*
Wacław Wacław is a Polish masculine given name. It is a borrowing of cz, Václav, Latinized as Wenceslaus.
For etymology and cognates in other languages, see Wenceslaus.
It may refer to:
*Wacław Leszczyński (disambiguation), Wacław Leszczyński
*W ...
(
1431/
1442-
1452 i
1452-
1459);
*
Bolesław III Boleslav or Bolesław may refer to:
In people:
* Boleslaw (given name)
In geography:
* Bolesław, Dąbrowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
* Bolesław, Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
* Bolesław, Silesian Voivodeship, ...
(
1452);
Piasts (
1357-
1472
Year 1472 ( MCDLXXII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* February 20 – Orkney and Shetland are returned by Norway to Scotland, as a resul ...
/
1492):
*
Konrad I oleśnicki (
1357-
1366
Year 1366 ( MCCCLXVI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
* March 13 – Henry II deposes his half-brother, Pedro of Castile, to become King of Castile.
* October ...
);
*
Konrad II Siwy (
1366
Year 1366 ( MCCCLXVI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
* March 13 – Henry II deposes his half-brother, Pedro of Castile, to become King of Castile.
* October ...
-
1403);
*
Konrad III Stary (
1403-
1412);
*
Konrad IV Starszy (
1412/
1413
Year 1413 ( MCDXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events January–December
* March 21 – Henry V becomes King of England following the death of his father Henry ...
-
1416),
Konrad V Kącki (
1412/
1413
Year 1413 ( MCDXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events January–December
* March 21 – Henry V becomes King of England following the death of his father Henry ...
-
1427),
Konrad VI Dziekan (
1416-
1427),
Konrad VII Biały (
1316-
1450),
Konrad VIII Młody (
1416-
1427);
*
Konrad IX Czarny (
1450-
1471,
Konrad X );
*
Konrad X Biały (
1450-
1452,
1471-
1472
Year 1472 ( MCDLXXII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* February 20 – Orkney and Shetland are returned by Norway to Scotland, as a resul ...
, ''de facto
1492'');
Piasts
*
Jan II Dobry (
1498-
1532)
See also
*
Dukes of Silesia The Duke of Silesia was the sons and descendants of the Polish Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth. In accordance with the last will and testament of Bolesław, upon his death his lands were divided into four or five hereditary provinces distributed amo ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bytom, Duchy Of
Bytom
Duchy of Bytom
The Duchy of Bytom ( pl, Księstwo Bytomskie) or Duchy of Beuthen (german: Herzogtum Beuthen) was one of many Silesian duchies. It was established in Upper Silesia about 1281 during the division of the Duchy of Opole and Racibórz among the sons o ...
1498 disestablishments
Duchies of Silesia
States and territories established in the 13th century
1281 in Europe