Poland: Historical Setting

Library of Congress Country Study

 

This document is a portion of a larger work on the country of Poland
produced by the Library of Congress
edited by Glenn E. Curtis
from research completed in October, 1992

Minor edits made by Melissa Snell

  About this History

The documents here constitute only a portion of "Chapter 1: A Historical Setting," covering Poland from its earliest history up to the eighteenth century. For the rest of the chapter, visit the Library of Congress Country Studies home page:

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/

 

Contents

Historical Setting

Early History until 1385

The Origins of Poland

The Medieval Era

Fragmentation and Invasion, 1025-1320

The Later Piasts

Integration into European Civilization

The Jagiellon Era, 1385-1572

The Polish-Lithuanian Union

The "Golden Age" of the Sixteenth Century

Poland-Lithuania as a European Power

The Government of Poland-Lithuania

Poland-Lithuania in the Reformation Era

The Polish Renaissance

The Eastern Regions of the Realm

The Noble Republic, 1572-1795

The Elective Monarchy

The Deluge, 1648-67

Decay of the Commonwealth

The Three Partitions, 1764-95

First Partition

National Revival

Destruction of Poland-Lithuania

Chronology

Bibliography

Glossary
Click a hyperlinked word in the main text to go directly to its definition in the glossary.

Figures
Figure 2: Piast Poland, 966 to 1370
Figure 3: Jagiellon Poland-Lithuania, Fifteenth Century
Figure 4: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the Union of Lublin, 1569 to 1667

 

---

This document is in the public domain. You may copy, download, print and distribute this work as you see fit.

Every effort has been made to present this text accurately and cleanly, but no guarantees are made against errors. Neither Melissa Snell nor About.com may be held liable for any problems you experience with the text version or with any electronic form of the document.

 

---

 

Return to Hyperlinked Table of Contents