Michałów Land (, , ) is a historical region in central

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, now part of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodship. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, it was a disputed territory between the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

and the

State of the Teutonic Order The State of the Teutonic Order () was a theocratic state located along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea in northern Europe. It was formed by the knights of the Teutonic Order during the early 13th century Northern Crusades in the region ...

Name

It was named after Castle Michelau/Michałowo (it is part of the city of Brodnica (Strasburg), which was destroyed well before 1789).

Geography

From a geographical perspective, it was sometimes also considered part of Kulmerland, although it is east of the river Drwęca (Drewenz). The land of Michałowo and Lubawa (Löbau) were part of

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

n territory in direct vicinity of the Kulmerland.

History

Conquered in the 11th century a territory named

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

developed as borderland between the Prussians and

Masovians Masovians, also spelled as Mazovians, and historically known as Masurians, is an ethnographic group of Polish people that originates from the region of Masovia, located mostly within borders of the Masovian Voivodeship, Poland. They speak the ...

, who at a time of the

fragmentation of Poland The period of rule by the Piast dynasty between the 10th and 14th centuries is the first major stage of the history of Poland, history of the Polish state. The dynasty was founded by a series of dukes listed by the chronicler Gall Anonymous in t ...

had made themselves independent of the Polish rulers. The small territories of Michelau and Löbau were bouncing back and force in between. The rulers of

Kujavia Kuyavia (; ), also referred to as Cuyavia, is a historical region in north-central Poland, situated on the left bank of Vistula, as well as east from Noteć River and Lake Gopło. It is divided into three traditional parts: north-western (with ...

and Masovia had given lands to the monk and apostle of the Prussians, Christian of Oliva, He was declared first bishop of Prussia by the

pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

and he also bought additional territories. A Prussian chieftain had given bishop Christian his land Löbau, by accepting Christianisation at Rome. In 1303 the

Teutonic Order The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...

state received the territory as lien and in 1317 they bought it and received all rights from the Duke of Kujavia. Over the next few centuries, as Masovia was reabsorbed into the Kingdom of Poland, the Michelauer land became one of the territories often contested between Poland and the Order. After the

Second Peace of Toruń The Peace of Thorn or Toruń of 1466, also known as the Second Peace of Thorn or Toruń (; ), was a peace treaty signed in the Hanseatic city of Thorn (Toruń) on 19 October 1466 between the Polish king Casimir IV Jagiellon and the Teutonic ...

it was incorporated into Poland, as part of the

Chełmno Voivodeship The Chełmno Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland since 1454/1466 until the Partitions of Poland in 1772/1793. Its capital was at Chełmno. Together wi ...

. The area is mentioned in the Treaty of Lake Melno.

External links

1500s Map of Old Prussian Land (Altpreussen) with Culmerland, Sassen, Galindia (Michelau and Löbau)
Michelauer Land and Lobovia on the Border to

to the south of

, before arrival of

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

{{coord, 53, 12, N, 19, 24, E, type:city_region:PL_source:dewiki, display=title Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Historical regions in Poland

Name

Geography

History

See also

External links