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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 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.


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