The Duchy of Sandomierz was a district principality and a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...

dom of the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to: Historical political entities * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031 * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exi ...

. It was formed in 1138 from the territories of the Kingdom of Poland, following its fragmentation, that was started by the

testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth The last will and testament of the Piast duke Bolesław III Wrymouth of Poland, established rules for governance of the Polish kingdom by his four surviving sons after his death. By issuing it, Bolesław planned to guarantee that his heirs would n ...

. The Duchy existed until 1320 when it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Poland. Its capital was the city of

Sandomierz Sandomierz (pronounced: ; la, Sandomiria) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (as of 2017), situated on the Vistula River in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy Cross Prov ...

. The territory was centred around Sandomierz Land in the southeastern corner of Poland, between the rivers of Pilica,

Vistula The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...

, San, and

Dunajec The Dunajec (); Goral dialects: ''Dónajec'') is a river running through northeastern Slovakia and southern Poland. It is also regarded as the main river of the Goral Lands. It is a right tributary of the Vistula River. It begins in Nowy Targ at t ...

History

The period of fragmentation of Poland began in 1138, after the

Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty A testament is a document that the author has sworn to be true. In law it usually means last will and testament. Testament or The Testament can also refer to: Books * ''Testament'' (comic book), a 2005 comic book * ''Testament'', a thriller nov ...

. According to the testament, Duke Henry of Sandomierz was granted the

Land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various isla ...

of Sandomierz. Since the duke was too young, the newly created province was temporarily ruled by High Duke

Władysław II the Exile : ''This article refers to the 12th century Polish monarch. For the 14th century founder of the Jagiellon dynasty, see Jogaila, and for other monarchs with similar names, see Ladislaus II (disambiguation).'' Vladislaus II the Exile ( pl, Władys ...

. In 1146, after another conflict with the junior dukes, Wladyslaw II was forced to flee abroad, and the Duchy of Sandomierz was transferred to Henry. Henry died in 1166, killed by the

Old Prussians Old Prussians, Baltic Prussians or simply Prussians ( Old Prussian: ''prūsai''; german: Pruzzen or ''Prußen''; la, Pruteni; lv, prūši; lt, prūsai; pl, Prusowie; csb, Prësowié) were an indigenous tribe among the Baltic peoples that ...

. Since he was childless and had no wife, part of his province, with Wislica, was inherited by his youngest brother,

Casimir II the Just Casimir II the Just ( pl, Kazimierz II Sprawiedliwy; 28 October 1138 – 5 May 1194) was a Lesser Polish Duke of Wiślica from 1166–1173, and of Sandomierz after 1173. He became ruler over the Polish Seniorate Province at Kraków and thereby Hi ...

, while Sandomierz was seized by

Bolesław IV the Curly Bolesław IV the Curly (; 1122 – 5 January 1173), a member of the Piast dynasty, was Duke of Masovia from 1138 and High Duke of Poland from 1146 until his death. Early life Bolesław was the third son of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth of Polan ...

. The province remained divided until 1173, when Casimir II the Just reunited it. Casimir II died in 1194, and the Duchy of Sandomierz was inherited by Leszek I the White, and his younger brother,

Konrad I of Masovia Konrad I of Masovia (ca. 1187/88 – 31 August 1247), from the Polish Piast dynasty, was the sixth Duke of Masovia and Kuyavia from 1194 until his death as well as High Duke of Poland from 1229 to 1232 and again from 1241 to 1243. Life Konrad wa ...

. In c. 1200 the brothers divided their properties, with Konrad receiving

Mazovia Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centurie ...

and Kujawy, while Leszek remained in Sandomierz. In 1205, the two brothers united their forces, defeating

Roman the Great Roman Mstislavich (russian: Рома́н Мстисла́вич Га́лицкий; uk, Рома́н Мстисла́вич), known as Roman the Great (c. 1152 – Zawichost, 19 June 1205) was a Rus’ prince, Grand Prince of Kiev, member of ...

in the Battle of Zawichost. In the 13th century, the Duchy of Sandomierz was several times raided by the Mongol hordes (see, e.g.,

Sack of Sandomierz (1241) The sack of Sandomierz during the first Mongol invasion of Poland took place on 13 February 1241. It ended in the victory of the Mongol forces, who captured the city and burned it, massacring the residents. During the Mongol invasion of Polan ...

and Sack of Sandomierz (1260)). In the late 1280s, Duke

Władysław I the Elbow-high Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to: Famous people Mononym * ...

took control over Sandomierz, but in 1292, he was forced by

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 ...

to abandon the province. In 1304, Lokietek returned, capturing Wislica, and after the death of Wenceslaus (1305), he seized the whole province. During the reign of Lokietek, the Duchy of Sandomierz was turned into

Sandomierz Voivodeship Sandomierz Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo Sandomierskie, la, Palatinatus Sandomirensis) was a unit of administration and local government in Poland from the 14th century to the partitions of Poland in 1772–1795. It was part of the Lesser Polan ...

. The Duchy of Sandomierz had twelve castellanies, located in the following towns: Łuków, Lublin, Sieciechów, Radom, Skrzynno,

Żarnów Żarnów is a historical village in Opoczno County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Żarnów. It lies approximately south-west of Opoczno and south-east of the regional capita ...

, Małogoszcz,

Czchów Czchów ( yi, טשיכוב-Chekhoiv, german: Weißenkirchen) is a town in Brzesko County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,288 inhabitants as of December 2021. It lies on the Dunajec river, and along National Road Nr. 75. In the years 19 ...

, Wislica, Połaniec,

Zawichost Zawichost is a small town (ca. 1,800 inhabitants ) in Sandomierz County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland. It is located by the Vistula River in Lesser Poland, near Sandomierz. It is first mentioned in historical documents from around 1148. I ...

and Sandomierz.

The Dukes of Sandomierz

* Henry of Sandomierz (1146-1166) *

(1166-1173) *

(1173-1194) * Leszek the White (1194-1227) *

(1194-1200) * (as

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

) Helen of Znojmo (1194-1200) *

Bolesław V the Chaste Bolesław V the Chaste ( pl, Bolesław Wstydliwy; 21 June 1226 – 7 December 1279) was Duke of Sandomierz in Lesser Poland from 1232 and High Duke of Poland from 1243 until his death, as the last male representative of the Lesser Polish branch o ...

(1227-1279) *

Bolesław I of Masovia Bolesław I of Masovia ( pl, Bolesław I Mazowiecki; 1208 – ca. 25 February 1248), was Polish prince member of the Polish House of Piast, Duke of Sandomierz (only a part) during 1229-1232, Duke of Dobrzyń during 1233-1247 and Duke over whole ...

(1229-1232) * Leszek II the Black (1279-1288) *

Bolesław II of Masovia Bolesław II of Masovia or Bolesław II of Płock (pl: ''Bolesław II mazowiecki (płocki)''; ca. 1253/58 – 20 April 1313), was a Polish prince, member of the House of Piast, Duke of Masovia during 1262-1275 jointly with his brother, after 1 ...

(1288-1289) *

Konrad II of Masovia Konrad II of Czersk (pl: ''Konrad II czerski''; c. 1250 – 24 June/21 October 1294 assumed that both dates are equally likely), was a Polish prince member of the House of Piast, Duke of Masovia during 1264-1275 jointly with his brother, after 12 ...

(1289) *

(1289-1292) *

(1292-1304) *

(1304-1333)

Notes

Bibliography

* ''Genealogia Piastów'' by O. Balzer. Kraków. 1895. * ''Dzieje Polski piastowskiej (VIII w.-1370)'' by J. Wyrozumski. ''Fogra''. Kraków. 1999. ISBN 83-85719-38-5, OCLC 749221743. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sandomierz, Duchy of Former countries in Europe Former monarchies of Europe Duchies of Poland History of Poland during the Piast dynasty 12th-century establishments in Poland 14th-century disestablishments in Poland History of Greater Poland States and territories established in 1138 States and territories disestablished in 1320 History of Lesser Poland Fiefdoms of Poland