A few years ago, Krakow grandly celebrated the 750th anniversary of the city's founding. According to tradition, it was on the basis of a document issued in 1257 that the princely (and later royal) stronghold became a full-fledged city. Only that this tradition does not quite agree with the facts. Krakow obtained city rights at least 30 years earlier. And if you heard anything else in school, you were lied to horribly!
It does not take great knowledge of history to notice that something is wrong with the official date of the foundation of Krakow (1257). Other important towns were granted city rights much earlier. Wrocław already in 1226, Płock in 1237, Sandomierz before 1243, and Poznań in 1253. Why should Krakow - a city with a venerable, capital tradition - be left behind?
Leszek Biały is not left behind
Well, he didn't stay. The first municipal commune was established near Wawel already before 1228. According to a recognized Cracovianist, professor Jerzy Rajman, it is not, in the light of (...) source references, the slightest doubt.
The initiator of the transformation of Krakow into a fully-fledged, modern (for those realities) city was Prince Leszek the White. This rather unfortunate ruler sat on the throne as a child, and in the annals of history he went down above all by his death in an assassination attempt (he was attacked in a bathhouse during a Piast rally in Gąsawa).
Location privilege of Krakow from 1257. In fact, Krakow became a city much earlier.
He made the decision to locate Krakow very early:probably at the beginning of the 20s of the 13th century, when he heard about the first successful reforms of this kind made in Silesia.
As Jerzy Rajman writes in one of his books, his personal contacts with Prince Henryk the Bearded, who initiated the foundation of Wrocław, could have played an important role. At least an equally important figure was the Krakow bishop Iwo. A man who is extremely darting and with broad horizons. It cannot be ruled out that it was the bishop who really stood behind the whole initiative.
Leszek Biały and Bolesław the Chaste. In fact, it was the first one who "founded" Krakow.
In the times of Leszek Biały, a colony of German, and probably also French and Italian, merchants was established in Kraków. Leszek the White gave them privileges and seriously thought about ways to permanently strengthen his princely residence. For this purpose he hired a certain Peter from an unknown family.
First location
According to the interpretation of Jerzy Wyrozumski, this very Piotr served as the duke's steward for several years. At the behest of the ruler, he dealt with the transformation of the Krakow market settlement into a municipal community governed by German law. Then he became its mayor (that is, the chief clerk of the duke's granting). Unfortunately, no location act has survived, but in 1228 the kehilla certainly already existed. This is confirmed by a document from this year, mentioning the "mayor Piotr".
Unfortunately, very little is known about this first attempt to modernize Krakow. Probably the location did not follow the Magdeburg Law (which later gained great popularity in Poland), but a slightly different one - almost Flemish. Most likely, the parish church of the city was St. Mary's Church. It is harder to say where the city market was - there are so many concepts that it is a pity to list them all.
There are, however, two things that are beyond doubt. First of all, the location was not completed, but Krakow evidently functioned as a city from the 1920s and (contrary to the opinion of some historians) it did not cease to be one after the tragic Mongol invasion in 1241. This is evidenced by various later documents.
The oldest preserved view of Krakow included in the "Book of chronicles" by Hartmann Schedel from 1493.
Why, then, the next prince, Bolesław the Chaste, decided to start the entire location process anew? He probably wanted to sort out the chaos of the previous location (which, as you might suspect, was carried out a bit negligently), but also ... to give glory to his own name. Which does not in any way change the fact that Krakow was already a city under German law. And celebrating the anniversaries of 1257 is not very well justified.
Source:
Trivia is the essence of our website. Short materials devoted to interesting anecdotes, surprising details from the past, strange news from the old press. Reading that will take you no more than 3 minutes, based on single sources. This particular material is based on:
- Jerzy Rajman, Krakow. Settlement complex, location process, townspeople until 1333 , Scientific Publishers of the Pedagogical Academy, Krakow 2004.
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"There's nothing like water!" is another article that we publish as part of our cooperation with the Historical Museum of the City of Krakow. Those interested in the origins of Krakow and its location are invited to the underground branch of this museum. We also recommend the album Krakow in Christian Europe of the 10th – 13th centuries, released a few years ago.