Chronography of Poland
Page last
modified 18 September 2023
Box
Index
4.0,
Solidarity, triumph over
Soviet Communism, 1989-90
3.0,
Conflict, Solidarity versus
Communist control., 1980-88
2.0,
Gomulka Presidency, 1957-70
1.0,
Hardline Communist regime
set up in Poland
-1.0, Pilusdki regime 1926 � 35
-2.0, Polish independence from Russia �
Polish-Russian War, 1916-21
-3.0,
Russian crackdown on Polish rebels, and further unrest in Poland, 1864-1906
-4.0,
3rd Polish revolt against Russia, failed, 1850-63
-5.0,
Emancipation of Polish peasants, 1846-48
-6.0, 2nd
Polish revolt against Russian occupation, 1795�
- 1831
-7.0, 1st
Polish revolt againsr Russian occupation, 1794
-8.0,
Partition of Poland � 2 stages, 1772 and 1793 (1755 � 1793)
-9.0, War
of the Polish Succession, 1733 � 35
-10.0,
Disputed Polish succession; Swedish backed candidate versus German candidate, 1704
� 09
-11.0,
King Stephen Bathory, 1575 � 86
-12.0,
King Casimir IV, 1447 � 92
-13.0,
King Ladislas IV, 1306 � 33
-14.0,
Reign of King Boleslav III (Wry Mouth), 1102-38
-15.0,
Reign of King Boleslav II (The Bold), 1058 - 81
-16.0, King Boleslav I,
992-1025
10/2019, In
elections the eurosceptic Law and Order Party retaoined control of the
lower House of Parloiamernt, but lost control in the Senate to centre and left
wing Parties.
4/2017,
NATO troops were deployed in north east Poland, as Western concenrs about the
Russian occupation of the Crimea grew.
10/2016,
After large street protests, the ruling Law and Justice Party decided not to
implement proposed severe restircitons on abortion.
1/2016,
The European Union challenged, as a �threat to Euroipean values�, a new Polish
law that would allow the government to appoint heads of the state media radio
and TV channels.
10/2015,
The eurosceptic Law
and Order Party won an overall majority in Polish elections.
15 May 2014, General Wojciech Jarulzelski died, aged 90. He
was appointed Defence Minister of Poland in 1968; in 1970 his troops shot
dozens of striking shipyard workers in Gdansk and Gdynia, and was leader of Poland during
the rise of Solidarnosc.
10 April 2010, Polish
President Lech
Walesa and other senior government officials were killed in a plane
crash near Smolensk, Russia. They were travelling to Russia to mark the 70th
anniversary of the Katyn massacre. Russia blamed pilot error; Poland blamed
poor pilot advice from Russian air traffic control.
2/2008,
Poland agreed to host a US missile defence systetm, causing controversy with
Russia. In 2010 the US decided not to install this system.
28 January 2006, 66 pigeon fanciers died in
Katowice, Poland, when the roof of the conference hall they were meeting in
collapsed under18 inches of snow.
11 October 2005, Edward Szczepanik, last Prime
Minister of the Polish Government in exile, died (born 21 August� 1915)
26 August� 2005, Jean Michael
Jarre held a �Space of Freedom� concert in Gdansk, Poland, to mark
the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Solidarnosc trade union.
2004,
Poland joined the European Union.
6/2003, A
referendum in Poland approved joining the European Union.
12/2002,
The European Union formally invited Poland to join, in 2004 (see 1998).
1999,
Poland joined NATO.
1998,
Poland began talks with the European Union on joining the bloc. See
12/202.
24 January 1993, In Poland the ferry boat John Heweliusz sank, with
52 killed.
14 October 1992, The Russian KGB handed over documents to Poland�s
Lech Walesa revealing that the Russians killed Polish officers in 1940 in the
Katyn Forest Massacre. The Kremlin had previously insisted it was the Germans
who had done this.
4.0, Solidarity, triumph over Soviet Communism,
1989-90
22 December�
1990.
Lech Walesa became president of Poland.
25 November 1990, Lech Wałesa and Stanisław
Tyminski won the first round of the presidential elections in
Poland.
27 January 1990. The Polish Communist Party
dissolved itself. On 28 January 1990 East Germany formed an all-party
government.
15 November 1989, Lech Walesa, leader of the
Polish Solidarity movement, addressed a Joint Session of the United Nations
Congress.
19 September 1989, Poland became
the first country in Eastern Europe to end one-party rule, as Solidarity�s Tadeusz Mazowiecki became Prime
Minister.
19 August�
1989, Tadeusz Mazowiecki of Solidarity became Prime Minister of Poland, the first non-Communist
PM in 42 years.
19
July 1989, General
Wojciech Jaruselski, who imposed martial law in 1981,
was elected President of Poland by 270 votes out of 537, However he was the
only candidate; 233 voted against and 34 abstained. Solidarity declared the vote illegal. Poland was bankrupt with a
resentful population.
19 June 1989, The second round of
elections to the Polish National Assembly. Solidarity
won an overwhelming victory.
4 June 1989. Poland held partially-free elections. The result was a major
embarrassment for the country�s leaders as Solidarity won the lion�s
share of the vote. On a turnout of 62% - smaller than Solidarity had hoped for � the union�s candidates had by 6 June 1989
won all Warsaw�s constituencies except Zoliborz, where the result was still
awaited. In some constituencies Solidarity won over 80% of the vote cast. Few
government candidates won over 18% of the votes cast.
17 April 1989. In Poland, Solidarnosc was legalised after an 8-year ban.
5 April 1989, The Polish Trades Union Solidarnosc won the right to contest
partially-free elections in Poland and to publish its own newspaper. Solidarnosc had been banned by the
Polish Government under General Jaruzelski since 1982.
3.0, Conflict, Solidarity versus Communist
control., 1980-88
2 May 1988, In Poland, thousands of shipyard
workers went on strike, and 7 Solidarnosc
union leaders were detained.
29 April 1988. The worst industrial unrest in Poland since the 1981 martial law
crackdown on Solidarnosc. Workers demanded large pay rises after the Polish
government raised food prices by 40%, rents by 50%, and electricity by 100%; a
spell of austerity was needed to restore economic stability, said the
government.
29 November 1987, A referendum was held on a
proposed new Polish Constitution. Solidarnosc was banned from political
participation but its boycott of the process meant too few voted and the result
was disqualified. The process proved Solidarnosc dissent against Communism was
still strong.
1 May 1985, May
Day celebrations in Gdansk, Poland. 10,000 Solidarity supporters clashed with
police.
30 October 1984, The body of pro-Solidarity priest Father Jerzy Popieluszko, 37,
was found by police frogmen in a reservoir in Wloclawek Reservoir, northern
Poland. He had been kidnapped 12 days earlier; hardline opponents of Prime
Minister Wojciech
Jaruzelski were suspected.
21 July 1984. Poland granted amnesty to 652 political
prisoners.
5 October 1983. Lech Walesa, leader of the
Polish trade union Solidarnosc, was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
22 July 1983, Polish Prime
Minister Wojciech
Jaruzelski lifted martial law after 19 months.
1 May 1983. Polish police broke up demonstrations in 20
Polish cities.
22 April 1983, Lech Walesa,
leader of Polish trades union Solidarnosc, returned to work at the Gdansk shipyard.
7 February 1983, The Polish Communist
Party suffered a financial crisis as many members refuse to pay their dues.
3 January 1983. Poland formed
new trade unions.
19 December� 1982. Poland lifted martial law. In May 1981 more than 3,000 Poles were
arrested when Polish police used teargas and water cannons� to break up anti-government demonstrations in
Warsaw. Other serious riots took place in the Polish cities of Szcecin,
Wroclaw, the steel town of Nova Huta, and the Baltic port of Gdansk where Solidarnosc began. In October 1981 Solidarnosc and Rural Solidarnosc were banned, but their leader, Lech Walesa,
who had been held in prison since late 1981, was released on 12 November 1982.
12 November 1982. In Poland, Lech Walesa
was freed after one year�s detention.
13 October 1982, Strikes in Polish
shipyards were suppressed by the military.
10 October 1982, The US imposed trade sanctions on Poland.
8 October 1982. The trades union
Solidarnosc was outlawed in Poland.
13 August�
1982,
Rioting in Poland against martial law.
17 February 1982, General Jaruselski imposed
martial law in Poland as he cracked down on Solidarnosc.
13 December�
1981,
The Soviet Union posed a threat of invasion to Poland, if the Solidarnoc
dissidents were not curbed.
12 December�
1981.
The Polish Communists outlawed the Polish Trade Union Solidarity, and imposed
martial law in Poland.
16 August� 1981, The USSR postponed Polish debt repayments and
increased supplies of raw materials and consumer goods to Poland.
7 August�
1981.
In Poland, 1 million Solidarity members went on strike, in protest over food shortages.
3 August�
1981,
In Poland, Solidarnosc blockaded Warsaw city centre in protest at food
shortages.
23 July 1981, The Polish Government
announced plans to cut rations and quadruple food prices.
12 June 1981, In Poland, General
Jaruzelski reshuffled the government to deal with the economic crisis.
27 March 1981, Polish workers staged a General Strike in protest at police harassment
of the Solidarnosc Union. The Polish leader, General Jaruzelski, was
considering banning Solidarnosc and
declaring martial law.
9 February 1981. General Jaruselski, Defence Minister,
became Prime Minister of Poland. He had close links with the USSR and
promised a crackdown on Solidarity
and its leader Lech
Walesa.
31 October 1980, The Polish Government
recognised Solidarity.
22 September 1980. The Polish trades union Solidarnosc
was founded.
30 August�
1980.
Lech Walesa
won the right to form independent trades unions in Poland.
14 August�
1980. Polish ship workers went on strike and seized the Lenin
shipyard at Gdansk. A wave of strikes in Poland had been triggered by a rise in the meat price. Panic buying of
food in Poland ensued, as 17,000 ship workers struck. The strike took on a
political dimension as the Trade Union Solidarnosc (Solidarity) demanded the legalisation of independent Trades
Unions, an end to press censorship, and the release of imprisoned dissidents.
In September the Polish authorities gave in and on 17 September 1980 the
Independent National Committee of Solidarnosc
convened in Gdansk, electing the shipworker�s leader Lech Walesa (born 1943) as its
Chairman. In 2002 Poland and 10 other nations succeeded in their applications
to join the EU in 2004, enlarging the EU from
15 to 25 members.
24 June 1976, In Poland, Jaroszewicz announced large food price
increases, believing that one sudden large riise was better than a number of
smaller ones, Basic food prices would rise some 60% from 27 June 1976. Sugar
would be up 100%, meat an average 69%, and butter and cheese up 30%. Low wage
earners and OAPs would receive pay rises to compensate, and farmers would be
paid more for their produce. On 25 June 1976 there were riots, some violent,
across Poland. Many rioters suffered arrest, police brutality, summary
imprisonment, and dismissal from their jobs. However an amnesty in July 1977
meant most were released from jail.
2.0, Gomulka Presidency, 1954-70
20 December� 1970 The Polish
leader Gomulka
resigned after more rioting, to be replaced by Edward Gierek.
16 December� 1970. Six killed in
riots at the Gdansk shipyard, Poland.
15 December� 1970, Food riots in Poland. Poor
weather conditions caused bad harvests in 1969 and 1970, and imports of grain
to feed animals had virtually ceased because Gomulka wanted Poland to be
self-sufficient in animal feed by 1970. Pig and cattle numbers fell
dramatically and meat prices soared. Heavy price rises on consumer goods came
in just before Christmas 1970.
8 March 1968, Student unrest in
Poland intensified. On 30 January 1968 a play by Mickiewicz, Dziady (The Forefathers) was shown at the Warsaw National Theatre
for the last time; the authorities were concerned that the play provoked
anti-Soviet sentiments in its audience. On the occasion of its last showing,
Warsaw University students staged a street demonstration. The organisers of the
demonstration were arrested; meanwhile the Warsaw branch of the Writers Union,
supported by well-known personalities such as Slonimski, Jastrun, Andrzejewksi, Kolakowski
and Jasienica
protested the decision to close Dziady
as Party censorship curtailing creativity. On 8 March 1968 a student protest
meeting was brutally broken up by police and paramilitaries. Unrest spread onto
the streets of Warsaw and to other Polish universities. The intelligentsia
supported the students but the workers, influenced by official propaganda,
opposed them. Around 1,200 students were arrested but only a small number were
tried and received jail terms. Some were temporarily suspended from their
university, Some academics also lost their posts, entire university departments
were closed, new academic appointments were made on political grounds not
ability, and overall, academic freedom was replaced by repression and
suspicion, at least while Gomulka held power in Poland.
29 February
1968, In Poland, the Writer�s Union called for an end to censorship and
resumption of performances of the play Dziady.
30 January 1968, Student
demonstrations in Poland when the play, Dziady,
by 19th century playwright Adam Mickiewicz, was withdrawn from theatres.
Anti-Russian passages in the play had been enthusiastically applauded.
2 October 1965, Oskar R. Lange,
Polish economist and diplomat, died aged 61.
22 April 1957, Donald Tusk, Polish Prime
Minister, was born.
20 January 1957. Wladyslaw Gomulka was elected First
Secretary of the Polish Communist Party. Aware of the USSR�s crackdown in
Hungary in 1956 he tempered ideas for a Polish form of Communism, strengthening
links between Poland and the USSR. However he ended collective farming in
Poland, returning 80% of arable land to private hands, and curbed the worst
excesses of the Polish secret police.
18 November 1956, Polish leader, Gomulka,
won concessions from the USSR including greater autonomy, territorial integrity
guarantees, cancellation of debts to the USSR and limitations on Soviet troop
movements within Poland.
28 June 1956. In riots in Poznan,
Poland, tanks were called out; 38 people died and 270 were wounded.
8 December�
1956,
The Polish government completed a process of reconciliation with the Catholic
Church. Cardinal
Wyszynski had been released from prison on 26 October 1956, and on
this day the Church was now free to make its own ecclesiastical appointments.
Religious teaching in schools, and religious posts in hospitals and the army,
were restored. Criticism of government policies in church sermons was
permitted.
1 August�
1955,
Warsaw hosted the Communist Youth Congress.
December
1954, The
Polish nationalist, Wladyslaw Gomulka, was quietly released from
prison into house arrest, and later (August 1956) readmitted to the ruling
Communist Party. Stalin was wary of Gomulka for his promotion of �Polish
Communism�.
24 November 1953, Professor Marek Korowicz, having defected in
October 1953 from a Polish inspection team in North Korea to the US whilst in
the demilitarised border zone, gave details of Polish forced labour camps at a
press conference in New York. He said there were at least 73 such camps in the
country, with around 300,000 inmates in total. The inmates included middle
class merchants, labelled �class enemies�, also a considerable number of young
male former anti-Nazi resistance fighters.
1.0, Hardline Communist regime set up in
Poland, 1944-53
9 February 1953, The Polish Government made itself responsible for
all appointments and dismissals of posts within the Polish Catholic Church.
20 November 1952, In Poland, after the first general election held
under the new constitution (26 October 1952), Boleslaw Bierut, Communist, was elected Prime Minister
by the Sejm.
23
November 1951, Car production began in Poland as part of post-War
reconstruction.
20 March 1950, Poland's Sejm passed a law requiring the nation's Roman Catholic churches, and all other religious
associations, to transfer their property to government ownership. The
purpose, according to the introduction, was "to remove the last remains of
the landowner feudal privileges in the Church estates and to secure the
material needs of the clergy". The church pastors were allowed to keep and
operate their own private farms, and houses of worship and office buildings
were exempt, but all other church-owned assets were confiscated.
5
February 1947, Bolesław Bierut became President of
Poland.
30
June 1946, In Poland a national referendum approved a programme
of nationalisation of industry, land reform, and a single-house Parliament, as
proposed by the Communists.
18 January 1946, Poland appropriated all farms
of over 100 hectares (50 hectares for arable land) and redistributed the
land to farm labourers. 6 million hectares of land were reassigned, resulting
in the disappearance of the landowning gentry class.
10 November 1945, In
Poland a Central Planning Office was established; renamed as the State Planning
Commission in 1949.
6 September 1944. The Polish Committee for National Liberation
decreed the expropriation of farms with over 50 Ha (123.5 acres) arable land,
or more than 100 ha (247 acres) land overall. Some of this land was given to
agricultural labourers; the rest was made into state farms, and the forests
were nationalised.
For main events of World War Two see France-Germany
January
1945,
Soviet forces took Warsaw. Poland was totally cleared of Nazi forces by 3/1945.
29 September 1943. Polish leader Lech
Walesa was born in Popovo, the son of a carpenter.
10 April 1940, Soviet secret police massacred some 22,000 Polish Army officers, civil
servants and other Polish professionals in the Katyn Forest. The USSR
blamed the massacre on the Nazis until acknowledging guilt in the late 1980s.
The massacres took place over several weeks from about this date.
1939, Nazi Germany
invaded Poland, starting World War Two. Russia also invaded Poland, and the two
aggtressors divided the country between them.
28 August�
1939,
The Tarnow rail station bomb attack was carried out in southern Poland. A time
bomb left by a German agent exploded, killing 20 and wounding 35.
7 May 1939, Poland rejected an alliance with Russia.
21 March 1939, Nazi-Germany demanded Gdansk (Danzig) from
Poland.
26 November 1938, Poland, now more exposed to German attack, renewed its non-aggression
pact with the USSR.
2 October 1938, Poland
annexed Trans-Olza, taking over from Czechoslovakia that portion of Austrian
Silesia to which Poland had laid claim since 1920.
1 March 1937, In Poland, Government supporters unified under the Camp of national Unity,
led by Colonel
Koc. The called for popular support of the Army, resistance to
Communism, land reform, and supported the 1935 Cpnstitution. They were opposed
by workers peasants and intel;lectuals, who formed a group opposed to Koc.
Peasant strikes led to violence. Hitler then saw Poland as a useful buffer
State between Germany and the Soviet Union.
-1.0, Pilusdki
regime 1926 - 35
12
May 1935, Pilsudski, Polish leader, died.
6 March 1933. Poland occupied the free city of Danzig,
now renamed Gdansk.
25 July 1932. The
26 October 1931, 11 political leaders went
on trial in Poland for conspiring to overthrow J�zef Piłsudski.
15 March 1931, In Poland the Peasants� Party was founded.
23 November 1930, Pro-Piludski faction won a majority
in Polish elections.
27 June 1928, In Poland, after
elections, Kazimierz
Bartel replaced Jozef Piludski as Prime
Minister. However Piludski remained as Minister
of Defence.
2 October 1926, In Poland, Jozef
Piludski became Prime Minister.
31 May 1926, In Poland, the Parliament elected Jozef
Piludski as leader, but he declined to take the office. On 1 June 1926,
Ignace
Moscicki was elected in his place.
14 May 1926, Josef Pilsudski seized
power in a military coup in Poland.
26 October 1928, Rodryg Dunin,
Polish ndustrialist and agriculturalist, died aged 58.
15 November 1923. Poland was in the grip of hyperinflation,
though not as bad as Germany�s. The Polish mark went from 9.8 to the US$ in
November 1918 to 580 by end-December 1920, and to 17,800 to the US$ by December
1922. By November 1932 the rate stood at 2,300,000 Polish Marks to the US$.
14 March 1923. The Allies recognised Vilna and
1 December� 1922, Jozef Pilsudski,
President of Poland, resigned.
4 September 1922, Silesia voted to remain with Prussia.
15 May 1922. Germany ceded Upper Silesia to
6 April 1922, The territory of the former Republic of Central
Lithuania was incorporated by annexation into Poland and renamed Wilno Land
(Ziemia Wileńska). It included Vilnius, the former and future capital of
the nation of Lithuania.
20 February 1922, Referendum in Vilna favoured joining
Poland.
1921, Poland declared part of
the Bialowiecza Forest a National Park.
12 October 1921, The Council of the League of Nations
awarded the upper two thirds of Silesia to Poland (along with most of its coal
mines and steelworks). Germany reluctantly accepted the decision.
3 March 1921, Poland
signed an alliance with Romania. This resulted in a decline in previously-close
Hungarian-Polish relations.
-2.0, Polish independence from
Russia � Polish-Russian War, 1916-21
9 February 1921. A peace treaty was signed
between
17 November 1921, The Polish Constitution
was established.
15 November 1920. Danzig was declared a free city.
6 October 1920. Poland and Russia
signed an armistice at
19 August�
1920,
The Russian army was defeated by the Poles at
16 August�
1920. As
Russian troops closed in on
31 July 1920. Russia postponed peace
talks and marched on
23 July 1920, Poland sought peace with
10 July 1920, Lloyd George proposed the Curzon
Line as a Polish-Russian frontier.�
Subsequent correspondence was handled by the UK Foreign Secretary, George Curzon.� The line, from
6 July 1920. Major offensive by Red Army
against
17 January 1919, Ignacy Paderewski became Prime
Minister of Poland.
For
main events of Russian Revolution 1917 see Russia
For
main events of World War One see France-Germany
27 December�
1918,
Poznan rebelled against the Germans, ending a 103-year-old German occupation.
22 November 1918, The Poles took Lvov.
6 November 1918. Republic of Poland
proclaimed.
5 November 1918, The Poles occupied Lvov,
Galicia.
27 October 1918. Poland declared its
independence.
15 August�
1917,
In Lausanne Dmowski formed a Polish National Committee, It was almost a
government-in-exile, recognised by the Allies as representing Polish interests.
4 June 1917. In France, with the co-operation of the
provisional Russian government, a Polish army was formed to fight Germany.
16 November 1916, Polish General Jozef Pilsudski
gained recognition of an independent Poland from the Central Powers, he had
commanded a Polish Army fighting for Germany against Russia.
11 June 1908, Georg Adler,
Polish economist, died.
6 February 1905, Wladyslaw
Gomulka, post-War Polish leader, was born (died 1982).
22 July 1902, Miecislaus
Ledochowski., Polish Cardinal, died.
11 May 1887, Maryan Langiewicz,
leader of the Polish revolt in 1863, died in Constantinople. After defeat
by the Russian she had escaped to Austria, where he was interned at Josephstadt
fortress until release in 1865; he then joined the Turkish military.
-3.0, Russian crackdown on Polish rebels, and further unrest in Poland,
1864-1906
15 August� 1906, �Bloody Wednesday� in Poland.
80 people were killed in terrorist attacks by socialists against Russian
occupation of the country. Pilsudsky had visited Japan in 1904 and
secured their backing in the fight against Russia; Japan was fighting Russia in
the Far East.
12 November
1905, Russia
imposed martial law in Poland.
18 June 1905,
A group of striking textile workers from Lodz, Poland, were fired upon by
Cossacks and soldiers, killing five. This led to several days of rioting, in
which (official figures) 151 were killed, including 55 Poles, 79 Jews and 17
Germans. The Polish middle classes feared more unrest and over the next year
some 33,000 applied for passports to emigrate from Poland.
22
March 1905, Russia's Committee of Ministers
voted to abolish the compulsory use of the Russian language in schools in
Poland.
1 February 1905,
The General Strike that began in Warsaw (27 January 1905) now spread to
Czestochowa and the Dabrowa Basin.
27 January 1905,
A General Strike began in Warsaw in support of socialism and workers rights The
army was brought in to suppress the strike and 29 companies of infantry along
with 5 squadrons of cavalry and 4 Cossack companies killed (official figures)
64 strikers, a further 29 dying of their wounds later. In fact some 200 were
killed and 270 wounded.
18 November
1904, In Poland
the illegal Polish Peasant Union (Polski Zwiazek Ludowy, PZL) was formed. It
demanded a political voice for the workers and peasants.
13 November
1904, In the Plac Gryzbowski, Warsaw, a serious worker
uprising took place. In clashes with the police and army, 6 were killed, 27
wounded and hundreds arrested.
28 July 1904,
In Poland the Interior Minister, Plehve, was assassinated by the socialist
revolutionary, Sazonov.
28 July 1895, In Poland
the Peasant Electoral Committee (Ludowy Komitet Wyborcy) assembled in Rzeszow;
from this meeting emerged the Polish Peasant Party (Polskie Stronnictwo
Ludowe). The PSL demanded� universal suffrage,
redistribution of land from the gentry, and an end to peasant service
obligations to their landlord.
6 May 1892, A
worker�s uprising began in Lodz, Poland; all workers came out on strike. Order
was not restored until 10 May 1893, by which time 217 people had been killed or
wounded and 350 arrested.
19 April 1888, Zygmunt
Florenty von Wrobleski, Polish physicist, died in Cracow.
20
December� 1885,
The trial of Proletariat
Party members in Poland ended (began 23 November 1885). The trial
produced the first Socialist
martyrs; the Russian Piotr Bardovsky, also Stanislaw Kunicki, Michal Ossowski
(shoemaker), and Jan Petrusinski (weaver) were hanged on 28 January 1886. Warysnki
was also found guilty, and died in the Schlusselberg fortress in St Petersburg in
1889. Maria
Bohuszewicz took over leadership of the Party and was herself
condemned to exile; she died on the way to Siberia. Stefan Ulrych became the next
leader, and was sentenced to exile in Siberia in 1888. Marcin Kasprzak and Ludwik
Kulczycki became the next leaders. The movement laid the foundations
of Polish socialism.
23 November 1885, The
(political) trial of Proletariat Party members in Poland began.
1 September 1882, In Poland
Ludwik
Warynski founded the Proletariat Party,, a �social-revolutionary party
working for the liberation of both the rural and urban working class�.
1864, The Russian language was made compulsory in Polish
schools.
-4.0, 3rd Polish revolt against Russia, failed, 1850-63
18 March 1863, Russian
forces routed the Polish rebels at Zagosc.
10 March 1863, Maryan
Langiewicz, leader of the Polish revolt against Russia, proclaimed
himself dictator of Poland and attempted to form a Government; however the
Russians fought back, see 18 March 1863.
23 February 1863, Polish
forces defeated the Russians at Malogoszcza.
8 February 1863, Russia
and Prussia co-operated in suppressing a nationalist revolt in Poland.
22 January 1863, An uprising in Warsaw against Russian rule.
17 January 1864, The Battle of Iłza,
in the January Uprising.� A party of 830 Polish rebels under Karol Kalita
clashed with a 400 Russian troops. The Poles lost 5 men, but Russian losses
were much higher.
18 November 1860, Paderewski, Polish politician
and first Prime Minister of Poland,
was born in Kurylowka.
29 November 1850, An uprising began in Warsaw against Russian rule.
-5.0, Emancipation of Polish peasants, 1846-48
22 April 1848, To placate a restive peasantry, the
governor of Galicia, Franz von Stadion, ordered that peasant tenant
farmers should receive the freehold to their land and the gentry landlords be
compensated by the State. Furthermore on 7 September 1848 (see date above also)
the peasants were granted unrestricted access to woods, meadows and pastures.
13 April 1846, To quell
peasant unrest, the Polish government abolished the duty on them of extra days
unpaid labour previously due to their manorial lord. There was an ongoing
famine in Poland, aggravated by cholera and typhus outbreaks; in 1847 there
were 380,000 deaths in Poland, compared to the previous annual average of
153,000.
-6.0, 2nd
Polish revolt against Russian occupation, 1795�
- 1831
8 September 1831, Russian troops captured
Warsaw. Russia now sought to totally imncorpotare Poland into Russia, erasing
all traces of Polish nationality, but this served to inflame Polish dissent
even more.
26 May 1831. The Russians defeated the Poles at the Battle of Ostrolenska.
25 February 1831. The Poles halted the Russian advance at the Battle of Grochow.
The Russians npow halted whilt winter ended, as the Poles became divided
internally.
25 January 1831, The Polish Diet deposed Nicholas I,
Romanov King of Poland, and declared Polish independence.
29 November 1830, Polish rebellion in Warsaw
against the Russians. They had hoped for aid from France. Anarchy ensued in
Poland as troops, civilians, even prisoners, joined a general insurgency
against Grand
Duke Constantine (1827-1892), the brother of Czar Nicholas I of Russia
(1796-1855). Constantine
fled Poland, but Russian forces then invaded Poland.
25 May 1815, Post-Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna created a
�Kingdom of Poland�, but under Russian rule.
19 October 1813, Jozef Antoni Poniatowski, Polish
prince, died.
26 June 1812, The Polish Diet
(Parliament) declared Poland independent and denounced the partition by
Prussia, Austria and Russia
3 June 1809, Austrian forces occupying warsaw were
forced to withdraw by advancing Russian and Polish forcesand the city bcame
under French control again.
19 July 1807, The Grand Duchy of Warsaw
was formed. It was ruled by Frederick Augustus, King of Saxony and ally of
France, thereby establishing a strong Naploeonic presence in eastern Europe.
This was a political move to gain the support of the Poles against Russia.
19 June 1799, Jan Dombrowski, Polish General,
died (born 29 August� 1755).
26 January 1797, A final Treaty formalising
the Third partition of Poland was signed by Austria, Prussia and Russia.
24
October 1795, King Stanislaus II of Poland, aged 63,
abdicated after a 31 year reign as his country
was partitioned a third time.
23 August� 1795, Prussia joined the secret agreement between Russia
and Austria to partition all remaining Polish territory
3 January 1795, Russia
and Austria signed a sectret treaty providing for the 3rd partition of
the remaining Polish territory.
-7.0, 1st
Polish revolt againsr Russian occupation, 1794
9 November 1794, Russian forces entered Warsaw, ending the Polish
rebellion.
10
October 1794, The Polish
army, 7,000 men� under Tadeusz Kosciusko was heavily defeated by the
Russians, 16,000 men, at Maciejowice, and its leader taken prisoner. Kosciusko
was released by Czar
Paul in 1796, and died on 15 October 1817 when his horse fell over a
precipice.Polish army was heavily defeated by the Russians, and its leader taken
prisoner.
26 August� 1794, Russian forces began an unsuccessful
siege of Warsaw, to 6 September 1794, which was being held by nationalists
resisting Russian occupation.
3
April 1794, Polish Nationalist leader Tadeusz Kosciuzko, leading an
insurrection against Russian and Prussian forcers, defeated the Russians at
Raclawice.
-8.0, Partition
of Poland � 2 stages, 1772 and 1793 (1755 � 1793)
23 January 1793, Prussia signed a treaty
with Russia.� Poland was partitioned, with Prussia obtaining Danzig, Thorn,
Posen, and most of Great Poland.� Russia
received Minsk, Pinsk, and the frontier on the Zbrucz.� Austria received promises of help in
re-conquering Belgium, as well as some Polish territories.
23 July 1792, The Polish King, faced by
a political division and disintegration of his country, abdicated. Katherine the
Great of Russia, also alarmed by the French revolution, now enforced
a second partition on Poland.
See map at https://etc.usf.edu/maps/pages/7400/7471/7471.htm
18 May 1792. Russian troops invaded Poland.
3 May 1791, Poles,
seeking the rebirth of their country, declared a parliamentary constitution in
Warsaw. Before this date the Polish aristocracy could block the adoption of
any measure into the Diet (Parliament) by a single vote. Therefore there was no
taxation on the nobility, the Treasury was empty, the monarch was powerless,
and Poland had limited representation abroad. Russia, alarmed, sent an army against Poland.
The Sjem backed down.
7 October 1788, The Polish Sejm, elected
this day, began aligning the country with Prussia, away from Russia. Poland
began remodelling its constitution on western European lines.
5 August�
1772.
Russia, Prussia, and Austria signed a treaty agreeing on the partition of Poland. Poland lost about a third
of its land and half its population. Frederick II of Prussia wanted the wedge of
territory known as West Prussia separating Brandenburg from East Prussia.
Catherine of
Russia saw a weak Poland as an opportunity for Russian expansion. To
appease Austrian concerns about an expansionist Russia, Austria was given the
Polish land of Silesia.
1768, The Confederation of Bar
was formed. It was a patriotic Polish, anti-Russian, association of Catholic
nobles. When Protestants and Greek Orthodox Christians were granted equal
rights with Catholics in Poland, the Confederation started an uprising that led
to civil war and the First Partition of Poland (5 August� 1772).
23 February 1766, Stanislas I Leszczynski , former
King of Poland, died.
25 November 1763, The intervention of the
Russian Army ensured that Poniatowski, not the Saxony candiudate, was
crowned King of Poland this day, see 5 October 1763. Russia was now able to
reinforce the rights of Russian Orthodox Christians in Poland, threatening the
Catholic hegemony there. The Ottoman Empire was alarmed by the expansion of
Russian influence into Poland. Austria was also concerned, see 5 August� 1772.
5 October 1763, Death of King
Augustus III of Poland, also Grand Duke of Lithuania. Born 17
October 1696, he acceded to the throne in 1734.This created a vacancy for the
Polish throne, and there were two contenders. Catherine the Great of Russia
wanted her ally Poniatowski;
however the House of Saxony wanted their candidate as Polish King. See 25
November 1763.
29 August�
1755,
Jan
Dombrowski, Polish General, was born (died 19 June 1799).
-9.0, War of the Polish Succession, 1733 - 35
26 January 1736, Stanislas I Lesczynski formnally
abdicated as King of Poland.
5 October 1735, The War of the Polish
Succession ended with the Treaty of
Vienna. The Elector
of Saxony was accepted as King Frederick Augustus III of Poland.
2 June 1734, Danzig
fell to the Russians after an 8-month siege. Stanislas managed to escape to
Prussia.
12 September 1733, Stanislas
Lesczcynski (1677-1766) was elected as (disputed) King of Poland.
1 February 1733, Augustus II
of Poland died aged 62, precipitating the War of the Polish Succession.
Austria and Russia demanded the succession of Augustus�s only legitimate son,
the 36-year old Elector
of Saxony, However France persuaded the Polish nobility� to restore Stanislas Leszczynski. Russia
invaded Poland, forcing Leszczynski to flee to Danzig.
-10.0, Disputed Polish succession; Swedish backed candidate versus
German candidate, 1704 - 09
8 July 1709,
Following the Battle of Poltava this
day, Augustus
of Saxony renounced the Treaty of Altranstadt and reclaimed the
Polish throne. He failed to make his post hereditary, but succeeded in holding
it until his death in 1733,
24 September 1706, Elector
Augustus II of Saxony abdicated the Polish Crown in the Treaty of Altranstadt, and recognised Stanislas
Lesczyinski as Polish King. Augustus II broke his alliance with
Peter the Great of Russia.
24 September 1705, Stanislas
Leszczynski was elcted King of Poland, with Swedish help (see 2 July
1704). He assisted King Charles XII of Sweden in his war against
Russia, in the Great Northern War
(see Sweden,
Russia)
2 July 1704, King Charles
XII of Sweden used intimidation and bribery, through his ambassador
at Warsaw, to secure the elction of Stanislas Leszcynski, aged 37, as Polish King
to replace the Elector
of Saxony, Augustus II.
22 September 1702, Battle of Thorn, Great Northern War.
Sweden, under Charles
XII, defeated the Poles and installed Stanislas Leszcynski as King of Poland.
10 June 1701, Swedish
forces under King Charles XII relieved Riga, which had been under siege by Saxony troops (Great Northern
War). Charles
XII then went on to invade Poland.
2 June 1697, Frederick
Augiustus I, Elector of Saxony, was elected King of Poland as Augustus II.
17 October 1696, Augustus III, King of
Poland, was born in Dresden (died in Saxony 5 October 1763).
17 June 1696, John III Sobieski, King of Poland, died aged
72, after a 20-year reign. In 1697 Poland chose the Elector of Saxony, Frederick
Augustus, aged 27, to succeed him. He was crowned in September 1697
and ruled as Augustus
II until his death in 1733.
Polish
conflict with Turkey, 1670-83
1 April 1683, Poland
made a treaty of mutual defence with the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I,
against the threat from Ottoman Turkey.
16 October 1676, The Treaty of Zuravno ended the 4 year war
between Poland and the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman Turkey acquired Podolia and much
of the Polish Ukraine, thereby bringing Ottoman territory up to the border with
Russia.
21 May 1674, Jan III
Sobieski was elected King of Poland-Lithuania.
11 November 1673, Second
Battle of Chocin (Chotyn). Sobieski annihilated a Turkish army of 30,000
men, and captured the fortress of Chocin. Turkey then withdrew its forces from
Poland.
9 December 1671, Ottoman Sultan
Mohammed IV declared war on Poland. In 1667 Poland and Russia had
agreed a common frontier along the Dnieper River, which left the territory of
Cossack Chieftain Peter Doroshenko within Poland. However Doroshenko
refused to accept Polish rule and in 1668 made allegiance to Turkey. Poland
made efforts to suppress the �Cossack Revolt�, and Turkey then demanded cession
of the Ukraine. Poland refused, although it was unprepared for war.
1670, The Ukrainian Cossacks rebelled against Polish rule, but
were defeated by General Sobieski.
Cossack rebellion begins; war with Ottoman Turkey
12 May 1670, Augustus II, King of
Poland, was born in Dresden (died 1 February 1733 in Warsaw).
19 June 1669, Michael
Wisniowiecki, Lithiuanian, was elected King of Poland, thereby
thwarting French attempts to gain influence in the country.
19 September 1668, King John II
Casimir of Poland abdicated, aged 58, to become a priest.
31 January 1667, After
eight years war between Russia and Poland, the Treaty of Andruszow between them divided up Ukraine between them,
along the Dneiper River.
3 November 1656, Treaty of Nimieza ended the
war between Poland and Russia.� There was
a three year truce and an anti-Swedish alliance was formed.
28 July 1656, The Battle of Warsaw began
(ended 30 July 1656). Warsaw fell to a Swedish-Brandenburg army.
26 September 1654, Czar Alexis captured Smolensk
after a siege of nearly 3 months (2 July 1654)
2 July 1654, Czar Alexis began a siege of
Smolensk, see 26 September 1654.
1654,
Russia, seeking revenge for past defeats by Poland, now took advantage of
Poland�s conflict with the Cossacks. The Cossack leader, Bogdan Chmielnicki, offered to
surrender the Ukraine to the Czar. Russia invaded Lithuania.
20 May 1648, King Ladislas IV of Poland died
aged 55, after a 16-year reign. He was succeeded by his 39-year-old Jesuit
brother, who reigned until 1668 as John II Casimir.
1632,
Polish King Sigismund
III Vasa died aged 65 after a 44-year reign. Russia declared
war on Poland as Sigisund�s
son, King Ladislas
IV, aged 37, began a 16-year reign.
1630s Swedish campaign to acquire the southern Baltic, see also Germany and Sweden
25 September 1629,� The
Treaty of Altmark ended the Polish-Swedish war, for six years. Gustavus of
Sweden was now, summer 1627, to start a campaign in northern
Germany.
2 June 1624, John Sobieski,
King of Poland, was born.
24 September 1621, Jan Chodkiewicz,
Polish General, died (born 1560).
13 February 1619,
Treaty of Delino ended the Russian-Polish war.
1596, Warsaw replaced Krakow as capital of Poland.
18 October 1588, The
Polish postal service was created,
when King
Zygmunt August established a permanent postal route from Krak�w to
Venice.
18
September 1587, Poland elected the
Swedish King
Sigismund III Vasa (1566 � 1632) as their King.
-11.0, King Stephen Bathory, 1575 -
86
12 December� 1586, Stephen Bathory of Poland died
suddenly, aged 53 after an 11-year reign. He was succeeded by the 12-year old
son of the Swedish King� as Sigismund II.
10 August� 1582. After 25 years of conflict,
Russia made peace with Poland and gave up its claim on the Baltic state of
Livonia.
15 January 1582, Ivan IV, The
Terrible, of Russia ceded, at the Peace of Zapoli, Livonia and
Polotsk to Stephen
Bathory of Poland. He also ceded this day, by the Trucve of Ilyusa,
Ingria to Sweden. Muscovy lost the Baltic seaboard for over a century.
5 August� 1579, Stanislaus Hosius, Polish
Cardinal, died (born 5 May 1504).
15 December�
1575,
Stephen
Bathory of Transylvania, aged 42, was elected King of Poland. He
reigned until his death in 1586.
28 January 1573, The Compact
of Warsaw gave all non-Catholics in Poland freedom of worship.
7 July 1572, The Estates of Poland now declared the monarchy to
be elective. Henry,
Duke of Anjou, heir to the French throne, was elected to the Polish
throne in May 1573.
6 July 1572, Sigismund II, King of Poland, died.
1 July 1569, The Union
of Lublin united the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Treaty was signed at Lublin Castle. This strengthened Poland
against possible attacks from Russia.
28 November 1561, The Order of the Teutonic Kinghts ceased toi rule Livonia.
By the Union of Wilno, the last Master of the Teutonic Kinghts, Gotthard
Kettler, became a secular Duke and Wilno was ceded to Poland.
1 April 1548, Sigismund I, King of Poland, died aged 81, after a
reign of 42 years. He was succeeded by his 28-year old son, Sigismund II
who ruled for 24 years.
8 September 1514, At the Battle
of Orsha, a combined force of Poles and Ukrainians defeated the Russians.
24 January 1507, Cornation of King Sigismund I of Poland.
20 October 1506, King Sigismund I of Poland succeeded the late King Alexander
I.
5 August� 1506. Death of King Alexander
of Poland. Born in 1461, he succeeded his brother Albert
to the Polish throne in 1501.His power was greatly eroded by the Polish
nobility and senate. Consequently, because of lack of funds, Alexander
was unable to restrain much the expansion of the Muscovy or the Teutonic Order
in Prussia.
5 May 1504, Stanislaus Hosius, Polish Cardinal, was born
(died 5 August� 1579).
-12.0, King
Casimir IV, 1447 - 92
6/1492, King Casimir IV died aged 65
after a 45-year reign. He was succeded by his 33-year-old son who ruled until
1501 as John
Albert.
19 October 1466, King Casimir IV signed the Second Peace of Thorn, ending the� warfare which began in 1454 when Casimir IV
agreed to help the Prussian Confederation against the Teutonic Knights.
Under this Treaty, Prussia was divided; half was still controlled by the Teutonic Knights,
and half became a vassal state of Poland.
17 September 1462, The Poles
decisively defeated the Teutoinic Knights at the Battle of Pluck, a
fortress on the Vistula River south of Tczew.
1455, Gdansk (Danzig) was captured by Poland from the Teutonic Knights.
1454, The Thirteen Years War began
between Poland and the Teutonic Order Knights.
25 June 1447, The nobility of Poland
chose the 20-year-old Grand Duke of Lithiania to succeed the late Ladislas VI,
his older brother. He began a 45-year reign as Casimir IV. He reunited Poland
and Lithuania, giving Poland access to the Baltic.
10 November 1444, Ladislas VI, King of Poland, died.
1 June 1434, Ladislas V Jagiello, (born ca. 1362), King of
Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, died aged 84 after a 38-year reign. He was
succeeded by his 10-year-old son who ruled as Ladislas VI until his death in
1444.
30 November 1427, King Casimir IV of Poland was born.
1 February 1411, The Teutonic Knights regained their
supremacy at the Peace of Torun. Poland and Lithuania failed to gain any Baltic
territories, and the Knights only had to surrender part of Lithuania.
15 July 1410. The Poles and Lithuanians defeated the Teutonic Knights
at the First Battle of Tannenberg /
Battle of Grunwald). The Order of the Teutonic Knights had established a State in
Prussia, from where they launched Crusades against their non-Christian
neighbours to the east, including the Duchy of Lithuania. In 1386 the ruler of
Lithuania converted to Christianity and married the Queen of Poland; on her
death� he became ruler of Poland, as King Ladislav
II Jagiellon. The Teutonic Knights contested the sincerity if his
conversion, and in 1409 their Grand Master, the volatile Ulrich von Jungingen, declared
war on Poland and Lithuania. He had underestimated the power and unity of the
joint Polish-Lithuanian State. In Summer 1410 a joint Polish-Lithuanian army,
led by King
Jagiellon and Grand Duke Witold of Lithuania, marched upon
the Teutonic Knights capital at Marienberg. The Knights confronted the invaders
at a point between the villages of Grunwald and Tannenberg; they enjoyed
initial success but were outflanked by Lithuanian cavalry and mostly
slaughtered. However the Poles did not press on and take Marienberg, and peace
terms were mild. In Soviet Russia, some credit was claimed for this battle
because troops from Smolensk also supported the Poles. In an early German victory
over Russia in World War One, the Germans called this battle �Tannenberg� to
avenge defeat 5 centuries earlier.
1382, Louis King of Poland died. He
was succeeded by his daughter Jadwiga (Hedwig) who married Jagiello, Grand Duke of
Lithuania, in 1386 and ruled Poland for 48 years as Vladislov V.
17 November 1370, King Louis I of Hungary, having been nominated
by the childless Casimir III as his successor, was crowned King of Poland,
formally uniting the two countries. However the Poles never fully submitted to
his rule.
5 November 1370. King Casimir III of Poland died in a hunting
accident, aged 60, after a 37 year reign. He had repulsed a Mongol invasion,
annexed Galicia, and encouraged the immigration of Jews to serve as bankers and
tax collectors. He founded the University of Cracow, and codified the law and
administration.
8 July 1343, Casimir III of Poland ceded his Pomeranian
territories to the Tuetonic Knights.
-13.0, King
Ladislas IV, 1306 - 33
3/1333, King Ladislas IV of Poland died
aged 72, after a 13-year reign he was succeeded by his 23-year-old son who
ruled for 37 years as Casimir III.
1332, First recorded mention of
the present day city of Lodz.
27 September 1331, Battle of Plowce. The Teutonic Knights were defeated by a
Polish army under Ladislas IV Lokietek.
1320, Poland�s King Ladislas IV Lokotiek was
finally crowned, 14 years after ascending the throne.
30 April 1310, King Casimir III of Poland was
born.
12 November 1308, The Teutonic Knights
seized Danzig (Gdansk), massacring its inhabitants.
1306, With the death of King Wenceslas III
(see 1305) the Premyslid Dynasty
became extinct. King
:Ladislas IV aged 46 now became ruler of Poland, backed by Pope
Boniface VIII. Ladislas united the Principalities of Great
and Little Poland. He was crowned at Cracow in early 1320, and reigned until
1333.
1305, Poland�s King Wenceslas
II abdicated, and died soon afterwards. He had ruled for 5
years.� He was succeeded as King of
Poland and Bohemia by his 16-year-old son who reigned until his death in 1306
as King
Wenceslas III. See Bohemia and Germany.
18 March 1241, The Mongols plundered the Polish city of Cracow, their
furthest penetration westwards.
-14.0, Reign of King
Boleslav III (Wry Mouth), 1102-38
1138, King Boleslav III (Wry-mouth) of
Poland died aged 62 after a 36-year reign, He divided his realm amongst his
five sons. Krakow became the capital of Poland.
1109, Boleslav III defeated the Pomeranians
at the Battle of Naklo, and defeated
the Germans at the Battle of Hundsfeld,
near Breslau.
1102, King :Ladislas I Hermann
resigned the throne after a 22 year reign, in an effort to procure peace by
supporting Holy
Roman Emperor Henry IV. Her was succeeded by his 16-year old son,
who after a struggle for the kingship with another son became King Boleslav
III.
-15.0, Reign of King
Boleslav II (The Bold), 1058 - 81
1081, King Boleslav II died (born
1039, succeeded his father Casimir I in 1058).
1067, King Boleslav II captured the
city of Kiev.
28 November 1058, Poland�s Grand Duke Casimir died aged 43, having
restored Christianity
and regained much of the territory Poland lost with the help of the late King Henry III
of Germany. Casimir was succeeded by his 19-year-old son
who ruled until 1079 as Boleslav II (The Bold).
15 March 1034, King Mieszco II of Poland died. Paganism
re-emerged in Poland.
-16.0, King Boleslav
I, 992-1025
1025, King Boleslav I died, having made
Poland one of Europe�s most powerful countries, with Russia as a vassal state,
ruling territory from the Danube to the Baltic. He was succeeded by his son, Mieszko II,
who ruled until 1034; however other sons fought for parts of the country, and
Poland lost much of its territorial gains to neighbouring countries.
21 July 1018, Boleslav I defeated Jaroslav of Novgorod, who had
seized Kiev. Anti-Polish uprisings then forced Boleslav to retreat, but
nevertheless he still retained Czerwien and Przemsyl for Poland.
30 January 1018, The Treaty of
Bautzen ended a 15-year war between Germany and Poland. Boleslav the
Brave gained Lusatia.
8/1017, German Emperor Henry II made an
unsuccessful attack on Polamd.
24 May 1012, Boleslav of Poland paid homage to the German Emperor
Henry II,
and kept all his conquests except Bohemia.
31 March 1000, Easter Sunday. Emperor Otto III crowned Boleslav I as King of Poland,
recognising Poland�s ecclesiastical and political independence.
994, Boleslav compeleted his invasion
of eastern Pomerania.
992, Meiszko I of the Plast family
died. He was succeeded by 25-year-old Boleslav the Brave (Chobry),who ruled until
1025. Boleslav
invaded eastern Pomerania so as to gain access to the Baltic.
997, Earliest mention of the city of
Gdansk (as Danzig, German Prussia).
14 April 966, Mieczyslaw I,
the first King of Poland, was baptized a Christian. This
is usually considered the beginning of the Polish state.
965,
Mieczyslaw I
arrived at what is now Poznan Castle, on an island in the Warta/Cybina Rivers.
960,
Mieczyslaw I
became the first King of Poland.