Kraków Voivodeship (14th century – 1795)

Kraków Voivodeship Palatinatus Cracoviensis Województwo Krakowskie
Voivodeship of Poland
← 1300–1795 →   →   →
Coat of arms
Kraków Voivodeship in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1635.
Capital		Kraków
History
•	Established	January 5, 1300
•	First partition	August 5, 1772
•	Third partition	October 24, 1795
Area
•	1606	10,000 km2(3,861 sq mi)
Population
•	1606	320,000
	Density	32 /km2  (82.9 /sq mi)
Political subdivisions		counties: 7 (as for 1662)

Coat of arms

Kraków Voivodeship 1300–1795 (Latin: Palatinatus Cracoviensis, Polish: Województwo Krakowskie) – a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland from the 14th century to the partitions of Poland in 1772–1795 (see History of Poland during the Piast dynasty, Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569), and Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth). Located in the southwestern corner of the country, it was part of the Little Poland province (together with two other ancient voivodeships of Poland – Sandomierz Voivodeship, and Lublin Voivodeship).

Kraków Voivodeship emerged from the Duchy of Kraków, which was created as Seniorate Province in the Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty (1138). According to Zygmunt Gloger, it was one of the richest provinces of the Kingdom of Poland, with salt mines in Bochnia and Wieliczka, silver and lead mines in Olkusz, and very fertile soil around Proszowice. Its boundaries changed little for centuries. In 1457, the Duchy of Oświęcim was incorporated into the voivodeship, in 1564 – the Duchy of Zator (the Silesian County was created out of the two), and in 1790, the Duchy of Siewierz. Among cities and towns of contemporary Poland, which were part of Kraków Voivodeship, are Będzin, Biała, Bochnia, Brzesko, , Dąbrowa Górnicza, Jasło, Jaworzno, Jędrzejów, Krzepice, Kłobuck, Miechów, Nowy Sącz, Nowy Targ, Oświęcim, Sosnowiec, Szczekociny, Zakopane, Zator, Zawiercie, and Żywiec. In the first partition of Poland, in 1772 Habsburg Monarchy annexed southern half of the voivodeship (south of the Vistula). In 1795, the third and final partition of Poland, Austria annexed the remaining part of the province, with the exception of its northwestern corner (around Częstochowa), which was seized by the Kingdom of Prussia, as New Silesia.

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