Chronological History of Poland
There is a legend about the three forefathers of Slavonic nations. There were three brothers Lech, Czech and Rus who wandered with their kin tribes away from the original Slavonic settlements in the present area of Ukraine (between the Vistula and the Dnepr rivers). Rus moved to the east while the other two wandered with their people westwards. Lech stayed in the lowlands and established his town near a white eagle's nest (the white eagle is the country's coat of arms). Czech went more to the south.
Slavonic tribes came to Poland in the 6th century AD. The first town of the Polan tribe was Gniezno, along with Poznan, the oldest capital of Poland. It was there, where the first royal dynasty resided, the Piasts, who drew their pedigree from the mythical Piast, a wheelwright who founded a dynasty that ruled until 1370. The Polan tribe dwelled in the western areas of today's Poland, in Wielkopolska, whereas Krakow was the central settlement of the Wislan tribe.
MIDDLE AGES
966
Mieszko I, (a member of the Piast dynasty, the creator of the Polish state) was baptised at the occasion of his marriage to the Czech princess Doubrava. What follows was the christening of the previously pagan country.
997
Bishop Adalbert dies. St Adalbert - the bishop of Prague decided to bring to Christianity to pagan Prussians living in Northern Poland. He founded Gdansk although he was later killed on that mission. His remains were transferred to Gniezno. Adalbert became the first Polish saint and three years later the first archbishopric was established in Gniezno.
1025
Boleslaw the Brave was crowned as the first Polish king, this mighty ruler deposed Otto III (Roman Emperor) to become the lord of all Slavonic people. The two monarchs met at the famous Gniezno summit in 1000. Boleslaw died one year after his coronation ceremony.
1241
The Mongols invaded Poland (after destroying Kiev and Russia) and did most damage to the southern parts of the country, they were finally stopped in Silesia.
1333
Casimir the Great (III) came to the throne and started the golden era of the Polish Middle Ages: Wawel Castle was largely rebuilt and Krakow University founded in 1364.
1386
To face the threat from the Teutonic knights, Polish and Lithuanian dynasties united in Creva. Both independent states were ruled by one monarch coming from the Jagiellonian dynasty of Lithuania, they made their capital Krakow.
1410
One of the biggest medieval battles was fought at Grunwald (Tannenberg), where the joint Polish and Lithuanian forces stopped the aspirations of the Teutonic Knights.
EARLY MODERN AGES
1543The Copernican Revolution. Polish scholar Nicolaus Copernicus (Mikolaj Kopernik) published De Revolutionibus, he proposed the heliocentric theory, that the Earth rotates on an axis, and goes round the sun once in a year. In the 16th century it was still widely accepted that the Earth was the centre of the universe. The heliocentric theory was later proved by Galileo Galilei.
1569
Lublin: The Polish Kingdom and the Great Duchy of Lithuania are connected into one union. The Ukraine was also a part of Poland. The union made Poland the largest country in Europe.
1655
The Beginning of the Swedish Wars (the so called "Deluge"). Charles X (Karol X) takes Warsaw and Krakow. Warsaw was captured and recaptured several times and 80% of its population was killed. Czestochowa took a miraculous resistance and finally Peace was restored in Oliwa in 1660.
1683
The legendary Battle of Vienna (the second siege of Vienna). Polish King John III (Jan III. Sobieski) managed to crush the Turks (Kara Mustafa), save the beleaguered city, and finally kill off the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.
1721
The end of the Great Northern War, which was fought against Sweden. Although Sweden was defeated, Poland became dependent on Russia.
1764
Stanislaus Poniatowski (Stanis�aw Poniatowski) elected King of Poland. He was an enlightened ruler trying in vain to halt the collapse of the country.
1772
The first partition of Poland: the border areas were divided among Russia, Prussia and Austria.
THE MODERN AGE
1791
The New Constitution was (May 3) granted by King Stanislaus Poniatowski. It was second achievement of such kind. Immediately after the American constitution, the throne was made hereditary, and the liberum veto abolished.
1794
The Kosciuszko rebellion: Tadeusz Kosciusko had tough fights against Russians and Prussians. The following year Warsaw and Krakow were lost to Russia and Austria. This is known as the Third Partition of Poland, Poland was wiped off the map.
1807
Napoleon Bonaparte's first invasion of Poland. Poles saw hope in Napoleon and supported him during his attack on Russia. Napoleon becomes enamored to Maria Walewska in Warsaw. A year afterwards a semi-independent Duchy of Warsaw proclaimed
1810
Fryderyk Chopin, the best known Polish piano composer, was born in Zelazowa Wola. After 1830 he had to spend last eighteen years of his life in exile.
1815
After Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo came the period of the "Holy Alliance" between Russia, Prussia and Austria. This association aimed to eliminate any radical movements. Tsar Alexander I granted Poland a constitution and the so-called Warsaw Kingdom governed by Russia. Galicia (the area around Krakow) was independent (until 1846) and then becomes a part of the Austrian (later Austro-Hungarian) monarchy.
1824
Adam Mickiewicz - the most famous Polish poet was exiled and never returned back to Poland, (he died 1855 in Crimea).
1830
The November Insurrection in Poland - an armed revolt against Russian rule quenched as late as in September 1831.
1848
Warsaw connected with Vienna by rail. The end of serfdom in the Austrian part of Poland, also happened in the same year.
1863
January Uprising in Poland against Russia - continuation of the adamant feeling towards Russification.
1893
The Polish National League was formed in Warsaw.
THE 20th CENTURY
1914
First World War begins. Most fights take place on the eastern front fought on the territory of the future Poland (Galicia).
1918
In November Poland was proclaimed as an independent country. Marshall Jozef Pilsudski becomes "chief of the state". The young state has unstable boundaries and a series of wars, unrest and uprisings with neighboring countries, Bolshevik Ukraine, Germany, Lithuania and Czechoslovakia takes place as there was a general trend to make countries as big as possible (historical and national principles). In 1920, the "Warsaw miracle" took place, as the Polish army stopped the advance of the Bolshevik army into central Europe. Poland gains big territories in the east. Later it occupies Vilnius (Wilno) and halves the Austrian part of Silesia (the other half acceded to Czechoslovakia).
1921
The Modern Polish constitution was formed. Poland was a republic (until 1926), the national bank reformed, mining was developed in Silesia and the construction of the first Polish port in Gdynia took place. The country was unstable though. The first President, Narutowicz, was assassinated in Warsaw one year later. To introduce order, Jozef Pilsudski organizes q coup in
1939
September 1st, Adolf Hitler's Nazi's begin bombing Westerplatte, Gdansk and WW II begins. The Soviet Union invades eastern Poland on September 17. Within one month Poland defeated. These happenings are a consequence of the Molotov - Ribbentrop Pact signed on August 23rd.T the pact stipulated non-aggression between Germany and the USSR.
1943
The Warsaw Ghetto uprising (April 19th): It was the Heroic, yet hopeless action of Jews besieged in the small Warsaw ghetto. It followed mass transports of Jews from Warsaw ghetto to the Treblinka and Auschwitz concentration camps. Out of 450.000 people, which had originally been squeezed into the small ghetto's area a mere 300 survived. The ghetto area was turned into complete rubble.
1944
The Warsaw Uprising against Nazi occupants breaks out on August 1st - The city fought back for two months until all resistance is violently suppressed two and a half months later. In an act of revenge, the whole city is then systematically destroyed and completely flattened.
1945
Poland finally liberated by the Russian Red Army, the exiled government returns from London, but the country finds itself gradually under the Soviet dominance. Following the Potsdam agreement the borders change significantly - the whole country moves geographically 300 -500 kilometers to the west. Originally Polish areas in the east are incorporated into the USSR and their inhabitants settle originally German cities in the West: Wroclaw (Breslau), Gdansk (Danzig) and Szczecin (Stettin).
1955
The Warsaw Pact was signed with a goal to compete with NATO. It comprised of the USSR and also Eastern Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. Albania was a member just for a short time. The huge Palace of Culture (Stalin's apologetic gift to Poland) was completed at the same time.
1956
Mass anti-Soviet riots in Poznan. The era of socialist revisionism begins and the truth about Stalin's action's revealed.
1967
Rolling Stones play at the Palace of Culture in Warsaw.
1978
The Bishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyla is elected as Pope John Paul II, becoming the first non-Italian pope since the 15th century. His pontificate is marked by attempts to bring the church closer to people, apostolic pilgrimages and respect to life.
1980
A small strike in Gdansk spreads to the whole country. The Solidarity (Solidarnosc) trade-union movement began in the Gdansk shipyards. The movement has both political and economic goals and amazingly gained 10 million members almost immediately. Its leader, was a young electrician, Lech Walesa, who later received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983.
1981
December 13th: Martial Law was declared by Communist President General Wojciech Jaruzelski. A Curfew was introduced and the army exercises control over the country. The strong suppressive check on public and social life in Poland begins. Communist dignitaries explain later that it was necessary because the Soviet Union could invade the country just like what happened in Czechoslovakia (The Prague Spring) in 1968.
1989
"Round table" negotiations took place and the communist party is forced to allow free elections. The elections end with an overwhelming victory of the non-communist Solidarity Party headed by Lech Walesa and Taduesz Mazowiecki. All new MPs are Solidarity's candidates, and Mazowiecki becomes the first Non-Communist Prime Minister since the end of World War II. A year later Lech Walesa is elected President of Poland. He survived only one term and was defeated by former communist party representative Aleksander Kwasniewski. The former communists re-invented themselves as the SLD (Social Democrats). Kwasniewski was a highly popular President and remained in power for the maximum length of time allowed by the constitution.
1990
First democratic presidential elections; Lech Walesa elected President.
1991
The Warsaw Pact dissolved, and The Cold War is officially ended.
1998
Poland accepted into NATO and it begins the process of moving west.
1999
Poland joins NATO.
2000
Krakow is listed as one of the nine European Cities of Culture.
2004
May 1st. Poland joins the European Union, along with nine other candidate countries. It is difficult to foresee what the European future be like for Poland. Whatever Europe may be, Poland has always played (and often suffered) a visible part in its history and deserves to participate on this common project. The majority of European population is in its favor and let us hope that this ambitious project will prove successful and beneficial for the world.
2005
April 2nd. Poland, and indeed the whole world suffer a huge loss when Polish Pope John Paul II dies in the Vatican, Rome. The Pope had touched the lives of millions worldwide, also reaching to those who weren't catholic and showing them his love and faith in life. The world showed its grief in the final hours of this remarkable man life as millions of people worldwide sat by TVs and radios waiting for news breaking only to say a prayer.
2005
In 2005 October: Lech Kaczynski, centre-right politician, a former mayor of Warsaw defeated Donald Tusk who was a candidate of liberals, during presidential elections.
2007
UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) declares 2007 the Year of Joseph Conrad-Korzeniowski (1857 -1924) (Polish noble and English writer and sailor)