duchy · Germany and Central Europe

Duchy of Legnica

1248 CE – 1675 CE · capital Legnica

The longest-lived Silesian Piast duchy, ruled from Legnica until 1675 and home to the first Protestant university project in Europe.

Origins

In the 1248 partition of the Duchy of Silesia, Bolesław II the Bald, son of Henry II the Pious who died fighting the Mongols near Legnica in 1241, received the duchy around Legnica. His successors also gained Brzeg and at times Wrocław.

Rule and society

The Legnica Piasts accepted Bohemian overlordship in 1329 while keeping their ducal rule. The duchy prospered from agriculture, mining and cloth. Frederick II of Legnica introduced the Lutheran Reformation in the 1520s and founded a university in 1526, the first Protestant one, though it soon closed. The dukes later adopted the Reformed faith and maintained a cultivated court at Legnica and Brzeg.

Decline and legacy

The last Piast duke, George William, died in 1675, ending the dynasty that had ruled since the 10th century. The duchy passed to the Habsburgs and in 1742 to Prussia. Legnica has been part of Poland since 1945.

Lineage

Duchy of Silesia 1138 CE – 1248 CEDuchy of Wrocław 1248 CE – 1335 CEDuchy of LegnicaKingdom of Bohemia 1198 CE – 1918 CE

Connections (3)

More states of Germany and Central Europe →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Duchy of Legnica. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-legnica
MLA
“Duchy of Legnica.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-legnica. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Duchy of Legnica.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-legnica.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Duchy of Legnica’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-legnica (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻