duchy · Germany and Central Europe
Duchy of Wrocław
Origins
In 1248 the sons of Henry II the Pious divided the Duchy of Silesia. Henry III the White received Wrocław, the richest city of the region, and its surrounding lands, while his brother Bolesław II took Legnica. Wrocław had been rebuilt after the Mongol attack of 1241 and refounded under German town law.
Rule and society
The dukes ruled a prosperous land of grain, cloth and trade, encouraging German settlers alongside the Polish population. Henry IV Probus, also remembered as a minnesinger, won Kraków and tried to unite Poland before his death in 1290. Henry V the Fat and Henry VI the Good lost lands to their relatives and had to balance Bohemia against Poland.
Decline and legacy
Henry VI the Good recognised the overlordship of the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1327. On his death in 1335 the duchy passed directly to the Bohemian crown. Wrocław remained Bohemian and Habsburg until Prussia took Silesia in 1742, and it has been Polish since 1945.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Duchy of Legnica split from Duchy of Wrocław1248 CE
- Duchy of Głogów split from Duchy of Wrocław1251 CE
More states of Germany and Central Europe →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Duchy of Wrocław. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-wroclaw
- MLA
- “Duchy of Wrocław.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-wroclaw. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Duchy of Wrocław.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-wroclaw.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Duchy of Wrocław’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-wroclaw (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻