Country history · Europe

History of Poland

103 recorded states lay in what is now Poland, from the Galindians (100 CE). 11 of them have a full profile, and 14 outside powers ruled here.

ProfileState (capital or seat)14 without a known seat not shownOpen in the atlas →

Profiles

Empires that ruled here

Timeline

2nd century

  1. Galindians100 CE – 1283 CE · tribal confederation
  2. Sudovians100 CE – 1283 CE · tribal confederation

7th century

  1. White Croats600 CE – 992 CE · tribal confederation
  2. Sorbs631 CE – 932 CE · tribal confederation

9th century

  1. Bartians800 CE – 1274 CE · tribal confederation
  2. Lubavians800 CE – 1260 CE · tribal confederation
  3. Natangians800 CE – 1274 CE · tribal confederation
  4. Pogesanians800 CE – 1274 CE · tribal confederation
  5. Pomesanians800 CE – 1236 CE · tribal confederation
  6. Vistulans800 CE – 990 CE · tribal confederation
  7. Warmians800 CE – 1274 CE · tribal confederation
  8. Great Moravia833 CE – 907 CE · principality

10th century

  1. Marca Geronis937 CE – 965 CE · margraviate
  2. Duchy of Poland960 CE – 1025 CE · duchy
  3. Margraviate of Lower Lusatia965 CE – 1815 CE · margraviate
  4. Lutician Federation983 CE – 1150 CE · tribal confederation

11th century

  1. Kingdom of Poland (1025-1385)1025 CE – 1385 CE · kingdom
  2. Principality of Galicia1084 CE – 1199 CE · principality

12th century

  1. Duchy of Pomerania1121 CE – 1637 CE · profile
  2. Duchy of Greater Poland1138 CE – 1320 CE · duchy
  3. Duchy of Krakow1138 CE – 1320 CE · duchy
  4. Duchy of Masovia1138 CE – 1526 CE · duchy
  5. Duchy of Sandomierz1138 CE – 1320 CE · duchy
  6. Duchy of Silesia1138 CE – 1248 CE · duchy
  7. Duchy of Pomerelia1155 CE – 1294 CE · duchy
  8. Margraviate of Brandenburg1157 CE – 1806 CE · profile
  9. Margraviate of Upper Lusatia1158 CE – 1815 CE · margraviate
  10. Principality of Belz1170 CE – 1462 CE · principality
  11. Duchy of Opole and Racibórz1172 CE – 1281 CE · duchy
  12. Kingdom of Bohemia1198 CE – 1918 CE · profile
  13. Kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia1199 CE – 1349 CE · kingdom

13th century

  1. State of the Teutonic Order1226 CE – 1525 CE · profile
  2. Duchy of Leczyca1229 CE – 1352 CE · duchy
  3. Duchy of Kuyavia1233 CE – 1267 CE · duchy
  4. Grand Duchy of Lithuania1236 CE – 1795 CE · profile
  5. Bishopric of Culm1243 CE – 1466 CE · prince bishopric
  6. Bishopric of Pomesania1243 CE – 1527 CE · prince bishopric
  7. Prince-Bishopric of Warmia1243 CE – 1772 CE · prince bishopric
  8. Duchy of Legnica1248 CE – 1675 CE · duchy
  9. Duchy of Wrocław1248 CE – 1335 CE · duchy
  10. Prince-Bishopric of Cammin1248 CE – 1650 CE · prince bishopric
  11. Duchy of Głogów1251 CE – 1506 CE · duchy
  12. Prince-Bishopric of Lebus1252 CE – 1598 CE · prince bishopric
  13. Duchy of Sieradz1263 CE – 1339 CE · duchy
  14. Duchy of Brzesc Kujawski1267 CE – 1332 CE · duchy
  15. Duchy of Inowroclaw1267 CE – 1364 CE · duchy
  16. Duchy of Jawor1274 CE – 1392 CE · duchy
  17. Duchy of Ścinawa1274 CE – 1365 CE · duchy
  18. Duchy of Żagań1274 CE – 1786 CE · duchy
  19. Duchy of Plock1275 CE – 1495 CE · duchy
  20. Duchy of Bytom1281 CE – 1498 CE · duchy
  21. Duchy of Opole1281 CE – 1532 CE · duchy
  22. Duchy of Racibórz1281 CE – 1532 CE · duchy
  23. Duchy of Cieszyn1290 CE – 1918 CE · duchy
  24. Duchy of Nysa1290 CE – 1810 CE · prince bishopric
  25. Duchy of Świdnica1291 CE – 1392 CE · duchy
  26. Duchy of Pomerania-Stettin1295 CE – 1625 CE · duchy
  27. Duchy of Pomerania-Wolgast1295 CE – 1625 CE · duchy

14th century

  1. Duchy of Koźle1303 CE – 1355 CE · duchy
  2. Duchy of Brzeg1311 CE – 1675 CE · duchy
  3. Duchy of Niemodlin1313 CE – 1382 CE · duchy
  4. Duchy of Rawa1313 CE – 1462 CE · duchy
  5. Duchy of Strzelce1313 CE – 1460 CE · duchy
  6. Duchy of Oswiecim1315 CE – 1457 CE · duchy
  7. Duchy of Oleśnica1320 CE – 1884 CE · duchy
  8. Duchy of Ziębice1322 CE – 1791 CE · duchy
  9. Lusatian League1346 CE – 1815 CE · other
  10. Electorate of Saxony1356 CE – 1806 CE · profile
  11. Hanseatic League1356 CE – 1669 CE · profile
  12. Duchy of Pomerania-Stolp1368 CE – 1459 CE · duchy
  13. Duchy of Krnov1377 CE – 1918 CE · duchy
  14. Kingdom of Poland (1385-1569)1385 CE – 1569 CE · kingdom

15th century

  1. Duchy of Siewierz1443 CE – 1790 CE · duchy
  2. Duchy of Zator1445 CE – 1494 CE · duchy
  3. County of Kladsko1459 CE – 1742 CE · county
  4. Royal Prussia1466 CE – 1772 CE · other

16th century

  1. Duchy of Prussia1525 CE – 1701 CE · duchy
  2. Margraviate of Brandenburg-Küstrin1535 CE – 1571 CE · margraviate

17th century

  1. Swedish Pomerania1630 CE – 1815 CE · duchy

18th century

  1. Kingdom of Prussia1701 CE – 1918 CE · profile
  2. Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia1742 CE – 1918 CE · duchy
  3. Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria1772 CE – 1918 CE · kingdom

19th century

  1. Austrian Empire1804 CE – 1867 CE · profile
  2. Confederation of the Rhine1806 CE – 1813 CE · other
  3. Kingdom of Saxony1806 CE – 1918 CE · kingdom
  4. Duchy of Warsaw1807 CE – 1815 CE · duchy
  5. Free City of Danzig (1807-1814)1807 CE – 1814 CE · city state
  6. Congress Poland1815 CE – 1915 CE · kingdom
  7. Free City of Krakow1815 CE – 1846 CE · city state
  8. German Confederation1815 CE – 1866 CE · profile
  9. Grand Duchy of Posen1815 CE – 1848 CE · duchy
  10. North German Confederation1867 CE – 1871 CE · other

20th century

  1. Ober Ost1915 CE – 1918 CE · other
  2. Kingdom of Poland (1916-1918)1916 CE – 1918 CE · kingdom
  3. Free State of Prussia1918 CE – 1947 CE · republic
  4. Komancza Republic1918 CE – 1919 CE · republic
  5. Lemko-Rusyn Republic1918 CE – 1920 CE · republic
  6. Republic of Tarnobrzeg1918 CE – 1919 CE · republic
  7. Republic of Zakopane1918 CE – 1918 CE · republic
  8. Second Polish Republic1918 CE – 1939 CE · republic
  9. Weimar Republic1918 CE – 1933 CE · republic
  10. West Ukrainian People's Republic1918 CE – 1919 CE · republic
  11. Nazi Germany1933 CE – 1945 CE · profile

In the encyclopedia

Shared histories

States that also lay in other present-day countries:

States of Germany and Central Europe → States of Poland, Lithuania and Russia → All country histories →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). History of Poland. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/poland
MLA
“History of Poland.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/poland. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “History of Poland.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/poland.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘History of Poland’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/poland (Accessed: ).