Polish colonization

Poland never formally had any colonial territories, however over its history the acquisition of such territories was at times contemplated, but never attempted. The closest Poland came to acquiring such territories was indirectly through the actions of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, a fief of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Between World War I and World War II, the government of the Second Polish Republic and Polish business entities considered Brazil, Peru, Angola, Liberia, Mozambique, Tanganyika, Cameroon, and Madagascar as possible venues for colonization. Although lands in these countries were purchased and some Polish emigration took place, formal colonization did not materialize. The Maritime and Colonial League was a major player in promoting settlement and colonization in these areas.

The Polish nobility was interested in colonies as early as the mid-16th century. In a contractual agreement, signed with king Henri de Valois (see also Henrician Articles), the szlachta secured permission to settle in some oversea territories of the Kingdom of France, but after de Valois's decision to opt for the crown of France and return to his homeland, the idea was abandoned.