duchy · Poland, Lithuania and Russia

Duchy of Sandomierz

1138 CE – 1320 CE (approx.) · capital Sandomierz

A Piast duchy of eastern Lesser Poland around the Vistula town of Sandomierz, usually joined to Krakow in the age of division.

Origins

Boleslaw III's testament of 1138 assigned Sandomierz and its land to his young son Henry, who took control in 1146. Henry went on crusade to the Holy Land in 1154 and was killed fighting the pagan Prussians in 1166, after which the duchy passed to his brother Casimir II the Just.

Rule and society

Sandomierz was a prosperous trading town on the Vistula, on the route between Krakow and Rus'. For most of the period it was ruled by the same dukes as Krakow, so the two duchies formed Lesser Poland. The Mongols sacked the town in 1241 and again in 1260, killing many of its inhabitants and the Dominican friars of Saint James.

Decline and legacy

Its rulers included Leszek the White, Boleslaw V the Chaste and Leszek the Black. Wladyslaw I the Elbow-high gained Sandomierz in the early 14th century, and in 1320 it became part of the reunited Kingdom of Poland (1025-1385).

Lineage

Kingdom of Poland (1025-1385) 1025 CE – 1385 CEDuchy of SandomierzKingdom of Poland (1025-1385) 1025 CE – 1385 CE

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻