Duchy of Legnica
Silesian duchy (1248–1675) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Duchy of Legnica (Polish: Księstwo Legnickie, Czech: Lehnické knížectví) or Duchy of Liegnitz (German: Herzogtum Liegnitz) was one of the Duchies of Silesia. Its capital was Legnica (Liegnitz) in Lower Silesia.
Quick Facts Status, Capital ...
Duchy of Legnica | |||||||||
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1248–1675 | |||||||||
Status | Silesian duchy Fiefdom of the Bohemian Crown (from 1348) | ||||||||
Capital | Legnica | ||||||||
Historical era | Middle Ages Early modern period | ||||||||
1241 | |||||||||
• Partitioned from Lower Silesia | 1248 | ||||||||
• Split off Duchy of Głogów | 1251 | ||||||||
• Vassalized by Bohemia | 1329 | ||||||||
• Inheritance treaty with Brandenburg | 1537 | ||||||||
• Seized by Habsburg | 1675 | ||||||||
• Annexed by Prussia | 1763 | ||||||||
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Legnica Castle had become a residence of the Silesian dukes in 1163 and from 1248 was the seat of a principality in its own right, ruled by the Silesian branch of the Piast dynasty until the extinction of the line in 1675. Formed by Bolesław II the Bald, Duke of Lower Silesia at Wrocław, Legnica shared the fate of most of the others Silesian duchies, falling into Bohemian, Austrian and eventually—after the First Silesian War—Prussian spheres of influence.