What would happen if Bolesław Krzywousty had not divided Poland between his sons? Or if prince senior Władysław showed more determination and defeated his younger brothers? The Krakow historian has no doubts:the fate of our country and this part of Europe could have taken a completely different course.
Bolesław Krzywousty, dividing the country among his sons, wanted to ensure the unity of the state and prevent future power struggles. In practice, however, it turned out that the desire for undivided rule over Poland was too great, and his heirs quickly threw themselves at each other's throats. The senior prince was expelled, central power weakened, and the state broke up into a series of principalities whose rulers began to compete with each other.
The long-term consequences of the neighborhood breakdown were catastrophic. With time, the principle of seniority was abandoned and the central center of power disappeared. The country, so far focused on external expansion, has focused on internal affairs. The Piast dukes started fighting among themselves for the control of Małopolska and Kraków.
The lack of a uniform foreign policy resulted in the loss of other territories:Western Pomerania, Gdańsk Pomerania, the Lubuskie land and Silesia. The monarchy that used to be counted in this part of Europe fell to the category of a fragmented area over which the rulers of Germany and Bohemia tried to extend sovereignty.
Poland as a regional power
Or could it be otherwise? Maybe if the district breakdown did not take place, Poland would have a chance to become a regional power already in the 13th century? Such a hypothesis is put forward by a well-known Krakow historian, professor Andrzej Chwalba in the book entitled "Zwrotnice historów. Alternative Stories of Poland ”.
Poland during the reign of Bolesław Krzywousty.
In his opinion, if Krzywousty had not divided the country, or if Władysław the Exile had managed to defeat his brothers and strengthen his power, Poland would not have become a loose conglomerate of principalities. Instead, it would have a chance to turn into a significant player, dealing cards in the region between the Baltic Sea and the Carpathians. As he says in an interview with Wojciech Harpula:
Let's assume that Poland does not fall into districts, we have one center of political power that deals with the affairs of the entire country. What are the consequences for the country? Huge. Those that could shape the fate of Poland and Poles for centuries. You yourself pointed out that the territorial consequences of the district breakdown were only eliminated in 1945 .
What needed to be done to avoid a subdivision breakdown? Professor Chwalba believes that Krzywousty made a mistake in designating districts for his younger sons. It would be better if he would grant the eldest descendant - Władysław - full power over the entire country, and assign his brothers the role of members of his court or team. He could assign them separate tasks:one with judicial authority, another with organizing the armed force, and another with the clergy. Prince Bolesław could also equip Władysław with competences that would allow him to control the entire state and "keep his younger brothers on a leash". Meanwhile:
giving them power in Poznań and Płock was even an incentive to act against Władysław's sovereignty . In view of the communication possibilities of the time, the distance of the younger brothers from the court in Krakow became an opportunity for them to cooperate against their stepbrother .
The chance of avoiding a split, however, existed even after the country was split. After all, the senior prince, Władysław three times was close to pacifying his younger brothers and consolidating the country under his undivided power:in 1141, 1144 and 1146. Let us remember that this type of operation to remove relatives-competitors and take control of Poland was successful for his ancestors:Bolesław the Brave, Mieszko II, and even the Wrymouth himself. If the firstborn of Bolesław had shown a bit more determination and energy, his fate and that of Poland could have been completely different.
From Rostock to the West…
How would undivided Poland develop? Firstly, economically developed Silesia would remain with it. This wealthy province would radiate to the rest of the country, and the taxes from it would flow into the ruler's purse. The Lubuskie region would also be saved, because a strong Poland would inhibit the expansion of Brandenburg to the east. As emphasized by the Krakow historian:
If Poland were united, Brandenburg would not have had much chance of expansion at our expense, its position would not have increased as much as it actually did. We could also effectively block the influence of the Brandenburgers in West Pomerania.
Krzywousty's successors would probably also have managed to maintain supremacy over Western Pomerania and ensure that there were ruled princes who were favorable to us, and that the ecclesiastical organization was subordinate to the metropolis of Gniezno. Perhaps, over time, it would be possible to join this district more strongly with Poland, and in the future even to incorporate it into the Piast state.
According to professor Chwalba Krzywousty, he should have left the whole legacy to his eldest son Władysław.
"And let us remember that West Pomerania was much more extensive than today, it covered the lands on the left bank of the Oder towards today's Rostock" - reminds Professor Chwalba. Polish influence would extend to at least Szczecin, Wolin and the island of Usedom. Only further westward expansion would most likely be blocked by the German border marches.
Poland without a religious neighbor
There was, however, another direction open to Polish expansion - Prussia. The pagan community there, which did not develop a central power, was a burdensome neighborhood. From time to time its invasions ravaged Mazovia with fire and sword, and the fragmented and quarreling Piast princes could not cope with it. Meanwhile, as argued by professor Chwalba in the "Crossovers of History":
Not broken into districts Poland, ruled by one prince, would conquer Prussia . It was the easiest opponent, the political elite and the knights were interested in expanding in this direction .
The conquest and subordination of Prussia by one's own forces would mean that the Teutonic Knights would not appear on Polish lands. There would be no monastic state and, consequently, no Prussian state. Perhaps the partitions would not have happened in the 18th century - after all, the Kingdom of Prussia ruled by the Hohenzollerns was one of their initiators!
In the opinion of professor Chwalba, had it not been for the district breakdown, the Teutonic Knights would not have to be brought to fight with Prussia.
Moreover, Poland, not having to struggle with the Teutonic Order for two hundred years, could focus its forces on expansion towards the north-east. After the conquest of the Prussian territories, Livonia would probably become the next goal of the Polish state. In such a case, there would be no more room for the Knights of the Sword and there would be no German settlement. There would be no German Livonia and there would be no Baltic Germans who created modern Russia in the 18th century and de facto they ruled the empire . Instead, this area and its inhabitants would serve Poland.
Strong state
In the opinion of professor Chwalba, if the division into districts could be prevented, our country would rule the Baltic coast from Szczecin to the Sambian Peninsula already in the 13th century. Access to the sea on such a long distance would become the foundation of the country's development for centuries. After all, in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the commodity and money economy flourished and the role of maritime trade grew. Exports of grain, timber and other local goods could start bringing Poland profits two hundred years earlier.
In this situation, our country would have its own ports, strong commercial centers and developing urban centers in Silesia, Małopolska, Greater Poland and Pomerania. And it is the rich metropolises that could become an important element used by the Piast rulers - both politically and financially. Relying on them would allow the rulers to become independent from the powerful and pursue their own policy of strengthening the country and the central power.
Cities would support expansion because they would like new markets and new trade routes. Anyway, strong power would also be interested in chivalry, which would like an efficiently administered state. In this way the rulers of Poland would gain political and economic base, allowing them to conduct an effective foreign policy .
The article was based, inter alia, on the book by Andrzej Chwalba and Andrzej Harpula, "Zwrotnice historów. Alternative histories of Poland ”(Wydawnictwo Literackie 2019). Buy with a discount on Bonito.pl
Polish-Lithuanian wars
The historian also believes that the princes and kings of undivided 13th-century Poland would not have reached beyond the Carpathians and would not be interested (like the Jagiellonians later) in the thrones of Bohemia and Hungary. Their expansion would rather go east, to the Ruthenian principalities, which had been broken up after the Mongol invasion. The Vistula king would be able to act freely in this direction. After all, it would have the potential of an economically strong and wealthy state, including Silesia, Lesser Poland, Greater Poland, Gdańsk Pomerania, Prussia, Mazovia and Western Pomerania as a fief.
And so, instead of a union, there would probably have been wars with Lithuania over Ruthenian lands:Włodzimierz Wołyński, Lviv, Kyiv, Grodno, Vilnius ... Perhaps in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries there would also appear factors prompting both countries to come closer. Lithuania would finally have to adopt Christianity, and Poland would be an appropriate intermediary in this process. As Professor Chwalba emphasizes:
The loss of state unity caused us a lot of problems, it meant that we missed many opportunities. The biggest one was the failure by the Piasts to permanently seize almost the entire southern coast of the Baltic Sea. In the future, when the role of Polish exports to the West increases, this would be the key to the country's economic power.
According to Professor Chwalba, even without a personal union, Lithuania would adopt Christianity through Poland. The illustration shows the painting by Jan Matejko "The Baptism of Lithuania".
We would be a more "maritime" country, focused on commercial cooperation with the whole of Europe . The interests and political goals of such a state would be completely different than that of a country that gained access to the sea after many battles in the 15th century. Only in the 15th century! It is over three hundred years after the death of Krzywousty, who set himself the goal of capturing Pomerania. And thanks to the fact that we regained the "window to the world", the civilization and cultural golden age in the 16th century was possible.
With Wolin and Szczecin dependent on the Piasts, with Polish Gdańsk and probably ports in Prussia, we could build the country's wealth and prosperity much earlier. If such possibilities, the host of the class of Casimir the Great had such a basis for action, he would certainly turn them into a political, economic and civilizational success .