Duchy of Cieszyn

Duchy of Teschen
Księstwo Cieszyńskie (pl) Těšínské knížectví (cs) Herzogtum Teschen (de) Ducatus Tessinensis (la)
Silesian duchy Fiefdom of the Kingdom of Bohemia (1327) and the Bohemian Crown (1348)
1290–1742
Coat of arms¹
Silesia 1290-91: Duchy of Cieszyn (yellow) under Mieszko I
Capital		Cieszyn
Languages		Latin (officially) German (later) Polish (popularly) Czech
Religion		Lutheranism Roman Catholicism
Government		Principality
Dukes
•	1290–1315	Mieszko I (first duke)
•	1625-1653	Elizabeth Lucretia (last Piast ruler)
•	1895–1918	Archduke Frederick Habsburg (last duke)
History
•	Partitoned from Racibórz	1290
•	Split off Oświęcim	1315
•	Vassalized by Bohemia	1327
•	Split off Bielsko	1572
•	Habsburg rule	1653
•	Part of Austrian Silesia	1742
•	Spa Conference	28 July 1920
Population
•	1910 est.	350,000
Preceded by Succeeded by Duchy of Racibórz Austrian Silesia
¹ Coat of arms of the Duchy of Teschen and the regional branch of the Piast dynasty

Coat of arms¹

The Duchy of Teschen (German: Herzogtum Teschen), also Duchy of Cieszyn (Polish: Księstwo Cieszyńskie) or Duchy of Těšín (Czech: Těšínské knížectví, Latin: Ducatus Tessinensis) was an autonomous Silesian duchy centered on Cieszyn (Teschen) in Upper Silesia. During the feudal division of Poland it was split off from the Duchy of Racibórz in 1281 and ruled by Silesian dukes of the Piast dynasty from 1290.

The ducal lands initially comprised former Lesser Polish territories east of the Biała River, which in about 1315 again split off as the Duchy of Oświęcim, while the remaining duchy became a Bohemian fief in 1327. After the bulk of Silesia was conquered by the Prussian king Frederick the Great in 1742, Cieszyn/Těšín together with the duchies of Troppau (Opava), Krnov and Nysa remained with Austrian Silesia. The ducal title was held by the Austrian archdukes of the House of Lorraine until 1918.