duchy · Germany and Central Europe
Duchy of Silesia
Origins
By the testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1138, Poland was divided among his sons, and Silesia, with its capital at Wrocław, went to the eldest, Władysław II the Exile. Expelled in 1146, he fled to the Empire; his sons returned in 1163 with the support of Frederick Barbarossa and ruled Silesia as a separate duchy.
Rule and society
Henry I the Bearded and his wife Saint Hedwig invited German settlers, founded towns under German law and monasteries such as Trzebnica. Henry I and Henry II the Pious tried to reunite Poland. Henry II was killed fighting the Mongols at the Battle of Legnica in 1241, a disaster for the duchy.
Decline and legacy
After Henry II's death his sons divided Silesia in 1248, the start of its fragmentation into numerous small Piast duchies. In the 14th century these accepted the overlordship of the Kingdom of Bohemia, and Silesia passed later to the Habsburgs and, in 1742, to Prussia.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →More states of Germany and Central Europe →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Duchy of Silesia. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-silesia
- MLA
- “Duchy of Silesia.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-silesia. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Duchy of Silesia.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-silesia.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Duchy of Silesia’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-silesia (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻