Duchy of Liegnitz
| Duchy of Legnica | ||||||||||
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Księstwo Legnickie (pl) Herzogtum Liegnitz (de) Lehnické knížectví (cs) |
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Silesian duchy Fiefdom of the Bohemian Crown (from 1348) |
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 Coat of arms
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 Greatest extent of territory of the Duchy during the reign of Henry V (orange)
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| Capital | Legnica | |||||||||
| Political structure |
Silesian duchy Fiefdom of the Bohemian Crown (from 1348) |
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| Historical era | Middle Ages Early modern period |
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| • | Battle of Legnica | 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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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.
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.
The town of Legnica became famous for the Battle of Legnica (or Battle of Wahlstatt) that took place at the nearby village of Legnickie Pole (Wahlstatt) on 9 April 1241, during the Mongol invasion of Poland. A Christian army led by the Polish High Duke Henry II the Pious, supported by the feudal nobility including Poles, Bavarian miners and military orders, was decisively defeated by the Mongols. Although Henry was killed and his forces defeated, their advance into Europe was halted when they turned back to attend to the election of a new Khagan (Grand Khan) following the death of Ögedei Khan in the same year. Minor celebrations are held annually in Legnica to commemorate the battle.
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Wikipedia