The Duchy of Zator was one of many
Duchies of Silesia
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 split off the
Duchy of Oświęcim
The Duchy of Oświęcim ( pl, Księstwo Oświęcimskie), or the Duchy of Auschwitz (german: Herzogtum Auschwitz), was one of many Duchies of Silesia, formed in the aftermath of the fragmentation of Poland.
It was established about 1315 on the Le ...
, when after eleven years of joint rule the sons of Duke
Casimir I in 1445 finally divided the lands among themselves, whereby his eldest son
Wenceslaus
Wenceslaus, Wenceslas, Wenzeslaus and Wenzslaus (and other similar names) are Latinized forms of the Czech name Václav. The other language versions of the name are german: Wenzel, pl, Wacław, Więcesław, Wieńczysław, es, Wenceslao, russian: ...
received the territory around the town of
Zator
Zator may refer to:
People
* Dominick Zator (born 1994), Canadian football player
Places
* Gmina Zator, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
* Zator, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
* Zator, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland
* Zátor, Czech Republi ...
. The fragmentation of the duchy continued after Wenceslaus' death in 1468, when in 1474 his sons
Casimir II and
Wenceslaus II
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 ...
as well as
Jan V
Jan V of Zator ( pl, Jan V zatorski; before 1455 – 17 September 1513), was a Duke of Zator during 1468–1474 (with his three brothers as co-rulers), ruler over the western half of Zator from 1474 to 1494 (with his brother Władysław as his co- ...
and
Władysław again divided the Zator territory in two along the
Skawa
Skawa (german: Schaue) is a river in southern Poland, a right tributary of the Vistula. It originates in the Western Carpathians (Beskids), is long and drains . It passes several towns: Jordanów, Maków Podhalański, Sucha Beskidzka, Wadowice ...
river.
After the death of Casimir II in 1490 however both parts of the duchy were reunited, and in 1494 Jan V as the last surviving brother became its sole ruler. As Jan himself had no heirs, he decided in the same year to sell the duchy to King
John I Albert of Poland
John I Albert ( pl, Jan I Olbracht; 27 December 1459 – 17 June 1501) was King of Poland from 1492 until his death in 1501 and Duke of Głogów (Glogau) from 1491 to 1498. He was the fourth Polish sovereign from the Jagiellonian dynasty, the s ...
, under a guarantee that he would remain duke until his death. Jan was killed in 1513 and Zator was united with Poland. At the
General sejm
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...
of 1564, King
Sigismund II Augustus
Sigismund II Augustus ( pl, Zygmunt II August, lt, Žygimantas Augustas; 1 August 1520 – 7 July 1572) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. He was the first ruler ...
issued privileges of incorporation recognizing both Duchies of Oświęcim and Zator as part of the
Polish Crown
The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Korona Królestwa Polskiego; Latin: ''Corona Regni Poloniae''), known also as the Polish Crown, is the common name for the historic Late Middle Ages territorial possessions of the King of Poland, includ ...
into the
Silesian County
The Silesian County ( Polish: ''powiat śląski'') was a county of the Kraków Voivodeship, within the Kingdom of Poland, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Its seats of government were located in the towns of Zator and Oświęcim. It existed fro ...
of the
Kraków Voivodeship, although the Polish kings retained both ducal titles and the name of the Duchy survived in the legal acts (it had however no special privileges).
The lands of the former Duchy became part of 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 ...
after the
First Partition of Poland in 1772. Though part of Austrian
Galicia, Zator and Oświęcim from 1818 to 1866 belonged the
German Confederation
The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...
. Until 1918, the
Emperor of Austria
The Emperor of Austria (german: Kaiser von Österreich) was the ruler of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A hereditary imperial title and office proclaimed in 1804 by Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, a member of the Ho ...
also called himself ''Duke of Zator'' as a part of his
grand title.
When the
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...
was established in 1918, even the ducal title ceased to exist.
Dukes of Zator
The Dukes of Zator belonged to the
Silesian branch of the
Piast dynasty
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.
Branch ...
(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 among ...
).
* 1434 - 1468
Wenceslaus I
* 1468 – 1490
Casimir II, from 1474 coregent with his brother
** 1468 – 1487
Wenceslaus II
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 ...
* 1468 – 1494
Jan V
Jan V of Zator ( pl, Jan V zatorski; before 1455 – 17 September 1513), was a Duke of Zator during 1468–1474 (with his three brothers as co-rulers), ruler over the western half of Zator from 1474 to 1494 (with his brother Władysław as his co- ...
, from 1474 coregent with his brother
** 1468 – 1482
Władysław, retired to
Wadowice
Wadowice (; ger, Frauenstadt – Wadowitz) is a town in southern Poland, southwest of Kraków with 19,200 inhabitants (2006), situated on the Skawa river, confluence of Vistula, in the eastern part of Silesian Foothills (Pogórze Śląskie). Wa ...
** 1493 – 1503
Agnes, daughter, "Duchess of Wadowice"
Semi-officially from 1494 and officially from 1513 the duchy was part of the Kingdom of Poland.
Rulers claiming the title of Duke during Austrian partition of Poland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zator, Duchy of
Duchies of Silesia
History of Lesser Poland
Fiefdoms of Poland