The
Duchy of Cieszyn or
Duchy of Teschen or
Duchy of Těšín , was an autonomous
duchyA duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era...
centered on
TeschenCieszyn is a town and the seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It has 36,109 inhabitants . Cieszyn lies on the Olza River, a tributary of the Oder river, opposite Český Těšín....
(Cieszyn) in
Upper SilesiaUpper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia; Lower Silesia is to the northwest. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, Bohemia, Poland, Holy Roman Empire, Austria, Prussia, and later of unified German Reich...
, one of the
Duchies of SilesiaThe Duchies of Silesia resulted from divisions of the original Duchy of Silesia after 1138.In accordance with the last will and testament of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth, the Kingdom of Poland was, upon his death in 1138, divided into five hereditary provinces distributed among his sons, including...
.
The duchy shared the history of
Cieszyn SilesiaCieszyn Silesia or Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered around the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic...
, and also in part Silesia in general; after the
feudal division of PolandIn the first centuries of its existence, the Polish nation, one of its early names was Civitas Schinesghe as recorded in the Dagome iudex, was led by a series of strong rulers who converted the Poles to Christianity, created a strong Central European state, and integrated Poland into European culture...
it was split off in 1281 and ruled by
SilesiaSilesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in present-day Poland, with parts in the Czech Republic and Germany....
n dukes from the
Piast dynastyThe Piast dynasty was the first Polish historical Royal dynasty that ruled Poland from its beginnings starting with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historically undisputed Piast ruler is Mieszko I from 10th century...
since 1290. The Duchy of Teschen was also composed of smaller Duchies at various points of time, such as
Duchy of OświęcimThe Duchy of Oświęcim, or the Duchy of Auschwitz, was one of many duchies of Silesia, formed in the aftermath of the fragmentation of Poland. It was established around 1315 by the Polish Piast dynasty. Briefly semi-autonomus, with its capital in Oświęcim, it was reattached to the Kingdom of Poland...
or
Duchy of ZatorThe Duchy of Zator was one of many Duchies of Silesia.In 1454, the Duchy of Zator, with its capital in Zator, was split from the lands of Duchy of Oświęcim. In 1494 after the death of his brother and coregent, Jan V , the heirless, sold the Duchy to the King of Poland under a guarantee that he...
.
The
Duchy of Cieszyn or
Duchy of Teschen or
Duchy of Těšín , was an autonomous
duchyA duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era...
centered on
TeschenCieszyn is a town and the seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It has 36,109 inhabitants . Cieszyn lies on the Olza River, a tributary of the Oder river, opposite Český Těšín....
(Cieszyn) in
Upper SilesiaUpper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia; Lower Silesia is to the northwest. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, Bohemia, Poland, Holy Roman Empire, Austria, Prussia, and later of unified German Reich...
, one of the
Duchies of SilesiaThe Duchies of Silesia resulted from divisions of the original Duchy of Silesia after 1138.In accordance with the last will and testament of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth, the Kingdom of Poland was, upon his death in 1138, divided into five hereditary provinces distributed among his sons, including...
.
History
The duchy shared the history of
Cieszyn SilesiaCieszyn Silesia or Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered around the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic...
, and also in part Silesia in general; after the
feudal division of PolandIn the first centuries of its existence, the Polish nation, one of its early names was Civitas Schinesghe as recorded in the Dagome iudex, was led by a series of strong rulers who converted the Poles to Christianity, created a strong Central European state, and integrated Poland into European culture...
it was split off in 1281 and ruled by
SilesiaSilesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in present-day Poland, with parts in the Czech Republic and Germany....
n dukes from the
Piast dynastyThe Piast dynasty was the first Polish historical Royal dynasty that ruled Poland from its beginnings starting with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historically undisputed Piast ruler is Mieszko I from 10th century...
since 1290. The Duchy of Teschen was also composed of smaller Duchies at various points of time, such as
Duchy of OświęcimThe Duchy of Oświęcim, or the Duchy of Auschwitz, was one of many duchies of Silesia, formed in the aftermath of the fragmentation of Poland. It was established around 1315 by the Polish Piast dynasty. Briefly semi-autonomus, with its capital in Oświęcim, it was reattached to the Kingdom of Poland...
or
Duchy of ZatorThe Duchy of Zator was one of many Duchies of Silesia.In 1454, the Duchy of Zator, with its capital in Zator, was split from the lands of Duchy of Oświęcim. In 1494 after the death of his brother and coregent, Jan V , the heirless, sold the Duchy to the King of Poland under a guarantee that he...
. The Duchy of Oświęcim was split from the Duchy of Teschen around 1315 (The Duchy of Zator in turn split from the Duchy of Oświęcim in 1454).
In 1327 Casimir I, Duke of Teschen, swore
homageHomage in the Middle Ages was the ceremony in which a feudal tenant or vassal pledged reverence and submission to his feudal lord, receiving in exchange the symbolic title to his new position . It was a symbolic acknowledgment to the lord that the vassal was, literally, his man . The oath known as...
to the Bohemian king John of Luxembourg. Since then, the Duchy became an autonomic
fiefdomUnder the system of medieval European feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud, feoff, or fee, often consisted of inheritable lands or revenue-producing property granted by a liege lord, generally to a vassal, in return for a form of allegiance, originally to give him the means to fulfill his military...
of the Bohemian crown. Local Piast rulers often possessed other lands outside the Duchy of Teschen itself, in some periods of time. They for example owned
SiewierzSiewierz is a town in the Silesian Voivodeship in Poland.-History:In history, Sewerien was first mentioned in 1125, which was administered by the Castellan of Bytom. In 1177, Casimir II granted Sewerien to Mieszko IV Tanglefoot duke of Silesia and Racibórz, together with the duchy of Bytom. The...
, half of Głogów and some land around
BytomBytom is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The central-western district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 millions. Bytom is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Bytomka river .The city belongs to the Silesian Voivodeship since...
. After the death of Boleslaus I in 1431, the rule over the duchy was shared by his wife Eufemia and their four sons. In 1442 the duchy was divided between sons who were all formally Dukes of Teschen but the real control over the duchy passed Boleslaus II and Przemyslaus II who after the death of Boleslaus II in 1452 ruled alone. During the reign of Wenceslaus III Adam the duchy shifted to
ProtestantismProtestantism is a branch within Christianity, containing many denominations with some differing practices and doctrines, that principally originated in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It is considered to be one of the major divisions within Christianity, together with the Roman...
according to the
cuius regio, eius religioCuius regio, eius religio is a phrase in Latin loosely translated as "Whose realm, his religion". In other words, the religion of the ruler dictated the religion of the ruled...
rule. The next duke, Adam Wenceslaus shifted back to Roman Catholicism. The Piast's rule continued to 1653, ending with the death of the last Piast descendant, Elizabeth Lucretia, Duchess of Teschen, after which it lapsed directly to the Kings of Bohemia, at that time the Habsburg dynasty.
The Habsburg dynasty ruled Teschen from 1653. In the early 18th century, it was given to
Leopold, Duke of LorraineLéopold Joseph Charles Dominique Agapet Hyacinthe of Lorraine, Duke of Lorraine, Bar and Teschen called le bon , , was Duke of Lorraine from 1690 to his death...
, as compensation for his maternal grandmother's rights to the north-Italian
Duchy of MontferratMontferrat is part of the region of Piedmont in Northern Italy. It comprises roughly the modern provinces of Alessandria and Asti. Montferrat is one of the most important wine districts of Italy...
, which the emperor had taken and given to the Dukes of Savoy as part of their alliance pact. Emperor
Francis Ialign=right | Francis I was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectively executed the real power of those positions...
later granted it to his eldest surviving daughter, Maria Christina, who married
Prince Albert of SaxonyPrince Albert Casimir August of Saxony, Duke of Teschen was a German prince from the House of Wettin who married into the Habsburg imperial family...
, who thus became known colloquially as the Duke of Saxe-Teschen. Although most of Silesia passed to the
Kingdom of PrussiaThe Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918, until the defeat of Germany in World War I, was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising almost two-thirds of the area of the empire...
in 1742 during the First Silesian War, Teschen remained under Austrian control as part of
Austrian SilesiaThe Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia was an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Austrian Empire. It is also known as Austrian Silesia , and despite the official name it only included parts of Upper Silesia, while none of Lower Silesia was within its borders...
. Albert and Maria Christina's marriage remained childless, and upon the death of the widowed Albert, the duchy passed to their adopted son,
Archduke Charles of AustriaArchduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian field-marshal, the son of emperor Leopold II and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain...
, who became Duke of Teschen and started the Teschen branch of the Habsburg-Lorraine Dynasty. The title passed down his line, first to his eldest son,
Albert FrederickErzherzog Albrecht Friedrich Rudolf Dominik, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian Habsburg general. Inspector General for 36 years, he was honored with the rank of Field Marshal in the armies of Austria-Hungary and Germany .-Early life:He was the eldest son of Archduke Charles of Austria, who defeated...
, and then, in 1895, to Albert Frederick's nephew,
Archduke Frederick MariaFriedrich Maria Albrecht Wilhelm Karl, Archduke and Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, Duke of Teschen - was a member of the House of Habsburg and the Supreme Commander of the Austro-Hungarian Army during World...
.
The territory of the Duchy of Teschen became part of the
Austrian EmpireThe Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire founded on a remnant of the Holy Roman Empire centered on what is today's Austria that officially lasted from 1804 to 1867...
in 1804 and
Austria-HungaryAustria–Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the k.u.k. Monarchy, or Dual State, was a monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in Central Europe...
in 1867. At the end of
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, local Polish and Czech self-governments were established and the duchy was divided between
PolandThe Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; from the creation of an independent Polish state in the aftermath of World War I, to the invasion of Poland in 1939 by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and the Slovak Republic,...
and
CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
by the decision of
Spa ConferenceThe Spa Conference was a meeting between the members of the Entente, and of Poland, Germany, and Czechoslovakia that took place in the town of Spa, Belgium between 5 July, 1920 and 16 July, 1920....
in July 1920.
Demographics
According to the
AustrianAustria–Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the k.u.k. Monarchy, or Dual State, was a monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in Central Europe...
census taken in 1910, the duchy had about 350,000 inhabitants, among them (54.8%) Polish-speaking, (27.1%) Czech-speaking, (18.1%) German-speaking.
Silesian Piast dynasty
- 1290–1315 Mieszko I
- 1315–1358 Casimir I
- 1358–1410 Przemyslaus I Noszak
- 1410–1431 Boleslaus I
- 1431–1442 Euphemia and her sons: Wenceslaus I, Boleslaus II, Władysław, and Przemyslaus II
- 1442–1452 Przemyslaus II and Boleslaus II
- 1452-1477 Przemyslaus II
- 1477–1528 Casimir II
- 1528–1579 Wenceslaus III Adam
- 1579–1617 Adam Wenceslaus
- 1617–1625 Frederick William
- 1625–1653 Elizabeth Lucretia
Habsburg dynasty
- 1653-1654 King Ferdinand IV of Hungary
Ferdinand IV was King of the Romans, King of Hungary, and King of Bohemia.He was born in Vienna, the eldest son of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor and his first wife Maria Ana of Spain...
- 1654-1657 Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III
Ferdinand III was Holy Roman Emperor 15 February 1637 – 1657. King of Hungary, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, King of the Romans.-Life:...
- 1657-1705 Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I
| align=right | Leopold I Habsburg , Holy Roman emperor, King of Hungary, King of Bohemia, was the second son of the emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margarita of Austria...
- 1705-1711 Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I
Joseph I , Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, King of the Romans was the elder son of Emperor Leopold I and his third wife, Eleonore-Magdalena of Pfalz-Neuburg, who was the daughter of Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine.Born in Vienna, he was educated strictly by Prince Dietrich...
- 1711-1722 Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI
Charles VI was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary , King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria from 1711 to 1740...
- 1722-1729 Leopold, Duke of Lorraine
Léopold Joseph Charles Dominique Agapet Hyacinthe of Lorraine, Duke of Lorraine, Bar and Teschen called le bon , , was Duke of Lorraine from 1690 to his death...
- 1729-1765 Holy Roman Emperor Francis I
align=right | Francis I was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectively executed the real power of those positions...
- 1765-1766 Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
- 1766-1822 Archduchess Maria Christina
Marie Christine Johanna Josepha Antonia von Habsburg-Lothringen , called "Mimi", was the fourth daughter and fifth child of Maria Theresa of Austria and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor.-Life:...
and Prince Albert of SaxonyPrince Albert Casimir August of Saxony, Duke of Teschen was a German prince from the House of Wettin who married into the Habsburg imperial family...
- 1822-1847 Archduke Charles
Archduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian field-marshal, the son of emperor Leopold II and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain...
- 1847-1895 Archduke Albert
Erzherzog Albrecht Friedrich Rudolf Dominik, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian Habsburg general. Inspector General for 36 years, he was honored with the rank of Field Marshal in the armies of Austria-Hungary and Germany .-Early life:He was the eldest son of Archduke Charles of Austria, who defeated...
- 1895-1918 Archduke Frederick
Friedrich Maria Albrecht Wilhelm Karl, Archduke and Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, Duke of Teschen - was a member of the House of Habsburg and the Supreme Commander of the Austro-Hungarian Army during World...
External links