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"Christianity, patriotism and a passionate love of freedom are the dominant trends of the ten centuries of Poland's turbulent history. Few nations have suffered as much, faced so many reverses of fortune and yet retained their ethnic and cultural identity and vigor. Such endurance in the face of adversity inspires confidence in the future of this great nation. Some of those who enjoy freedom - and often take it for granted - may have something to learn from Poland's historical experience".

Duke Mieszko I ca. 960 - 992

The Duke of Poland and the first recognized Polish sovereign. Mieszko I was the son of Siemomysl and father to Boleslav the Brave.

King Boleslav the Brave 992-1025

The first crowned Polish king. Boleslav previously reigned as duke of Bohemia (in 1002-1003).

King Mieszko II Lambert 1025-1031

King of Poland (1025-1031) and Duke of Poland (1032-1034). Mieszko II was renowned for his talent, skill, and education. In both 1028 and 1030, Mieszko II led campaigns against Saxony.

King Casimir the Restorer 1039- 1058

Duke of Poland and monarch from 1034 until 1058. Casimir the Restorer united Polish territories and reclaimed Masovia, Silesia and Pomerania for Poland.

King Boleslav II the Bold 1076-1079

Duke of Poland (1058-1076) and King of Poland ( 1076-1079). Contemporaries and historians both regard Boleslav II as one of the most talented rulers of the Piast dynasty.

King Vladislav Herman 1079-1102

Duke and overlord of Poland (1081-1102). Vladislav Herman sponsored the foundation of new churches across Poland.

King Boleslav III Wrymouth 1107-1138

Duke of Poland (1102-1138). Boleslav III earned his fame through his military campaigns to regain lost Polish territories.

King Boleslav IV the Curly 1146-1173

High Duke of Poland, Duke of Silesia, Duke of Masovia, and Duke of Sandomierz. Thanks to the patronage of the Holy Roman Empire and the Holy See, Boleslav IV quickly acquired the title of Polish High Duke.

King Mieszko III the Old 1173- 1202

High Duke of Poland (r. 1173-1202), Duke of Greater Poland. Mieszko III beheld the face of battle early on when he first became the Duke of Greater Poland.

King Vladislav III the Spindleshanks 1202-1229

High Duke of Poland (1202-1206 and 1227-1229), Duke of Greater Poland. Ascending to power, Vladislav III became embroiled in conflict with his relatives over Seniorate rule.

King Boleslav the Chaste 1243-1279

High Duke of Poland (r. 1243-1279), Duke of Sandomierz, son of Leszek the White and the last of the Piasts of Lesser Poland.

King Przemysl II 1295 - 1296

King of Poland (1295-1296), Duke of Poznan, Cracow and Gdansk. After many languid years, Poland regained its status as a kingdom under the reign of Przemysl II.

King Vladislav the Elbow-high 1320-1333

King of Poland (r. 1320-1333). Thanks to the efforts of Vladislav the Elbow-high, Poland at last reunited. A statesman par-excellence, Vladislav inspired his men on the battlefield, judiciously administered his lands, and navigated hazardous diplomatic waters.

King Casimir III the Great 1333-1370

King of Poland (1333-1370). Casimir III presided over the end of the Piast dynasty, but he nonetheless established himself as a talented and renowned Polish king. Building upon his father's reforms, Casimir III reformed the army, doubled the extent of the Polish frontier, established first Polish University in Cracow (1364), reformed legal system, and oversaw the explosion of newly founded cities, castles, and towns.

King Luis I of Hungary 1370-1382

King of Hungary, Croatia and Poland (1370-1382). A distant, distracted monarch, Luis I attended to his subjects in Hungary more than his newly acquired Polish ones.

Queen Hedwig d'Anjou 1384- 1399

First female King of Poland (1384-1399) and later a Saint of Roman Catholic Church (canonized in 1997).

King Vladislav II Jagiello 1386 - 1434

King of Poland (1386-1399 alongside Hedwig, 1399-1434 as sole King), and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1377-1434). Thanks to marriage with Hedwig, Vladislav II accepted the Christian faith and inherited one of the most powerful Kingdoms of the high middle ages.

King Vladislav III 1434-1444

King of Poland (1434-1444), Hungary and Croatia ( 1440-1444). Dismissed as young and immature, Vladislav III did not inspire respect from the Polish nobility.

King Casimir IV Jagiellon 1444-1492

King of Poland (1444-1492) and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1440- 1492), recipient of the English Order of Garter (KG). Born the youngest son of Vladislav II Jagiello, Casimir IV grew alongside the burgeoning Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

King John I Albert 1492 - 1501

King of Poland (1492- 1501). Young, bold, and but a prince, John I distinguished himself at the Battle of Kopersztyn in 1487, where he routed an opposing Tartar force.

King Alexander I Jagiellon 1501 - 1506

Grand Duke of Lithuania (r. 1492-1506) and King of Poland (r. 1501-1506). Born the heir of Casimir IV Jagiellon. Alexander I granted the Polish Senate the Privilege of Legislative Initiative in 1501 in Milnik and the Nihil Novi Constitution.

King Sigismund I the Old 1507 - 1548

King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1507- 1548). The life of Sigismund I is one of vaunted successes.

King Sigismund II Augustus 1548 - 1572

King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1548-1572). The sun set on the Jagiellonian kings once Sigismund II passed from the mortal world, but the Polish elective monarchy through Union of Lublin endeared him to memory. In 1569, the Union of Lublin laid the cornerstone of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

King Henry Valois 1573-1575

King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania ( 1573-1575), King of France (1574-1589). After many years of constitutional changes, the Commonwealth awed the European world by freely electing their monarch; an achievement never before demonstrated in the history of Poland.

Queen Anna Jagiellon 1575 - 1586

King of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania by her own right from 1575 to 1586. With the abdication of Henry de Valois, the Polish nobility elected Anna Jagiellon and her fiancé Stephan Bathory as co-rulers in the 1576 election.

King Stephen Bathory 1576-1586

King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Prince of Transylvania (1576-1586). Despite his short decade in power, Stephen Bathory proved a model of judicious governance. Two phases defined the reign of Stephen Bathory: the contest with Maximilian and his tenure afterwards.

King Sigismund III Vasa 1587-1632

King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1587-1632) and King of Sweden (1592-1599). Despite receiving the Polish throne, Sigismund III yearned for what he had lost and for what he had yet to gain.

King Vladislav IV Vasa 1632-1648

King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1632-1648), and Tsar of All-Russia (1610-1613). Vladislav IV earned the respect and admiration of his subjects for his meticulous care ensuring the security and prosperity of the Commonwealth.

King Michael I Wisniowiecki 1669-1673

King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1669-1673). Crippled and broken, the Commonwealth suffered further during the reign of Michael I.

King John III Sobieski 1674-1696

King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1674-1696). John III inherited the Commonwealth in chaos, but this would not intimidate him. Widely reputed as the last successful Polish king, John III was a patron of Polish culture, a skillful strategist and endowed with great political foresight.

King August II the Strong 1697-1733

Elector of Saxony (1694-1733), King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania (1697-1733). August II became founded the House Wettin on the Polish throne.

King Stanislaw I Leszczynski 1706-1736

King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania (1706-1709; 1733-1736), Duke of Lorraine and Count of the Holy Roman Empire. A protégé of Swedish king Charles XII of Sweden, Stanislaw I owed his throne to the initial victories of the Swedish forces in 1706-1709.

King Augustus III 1734-1763

King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1734-1763), Elector of Saxony. Emulating his father, Augustus III joined Roman Catholic Church in 1712.

King Stanislaw II Augustus Poniatowski 1764-1795

Last King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1764-1795). The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth needed a miracle, but she received Stanislaw II - one of the most controversial rulers in Polish history.

THE OLD-NEW COMMONWEALTH: RESSURRECTION 1914-1921

In 1918 the Commonwealth was restored albeit within changed borders. They extended farther in the south to include Silesia, but much of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the east had been irrevocably lost.

THE OLD NEW COMMONWEALTH: INTERWAR 1918-1939

In 1918 the Commonwealth was restored albeit within changed borders. They extended farther in the south to include Silesia, but much of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the east had been irrevocably lost.

Resources

Timeline Inspiration / Idea - Lady Blanka Rosenstiel
Text: historic content - Prof. Marek Chodakiewicz
Design - Ewa Mitera

Images sources:
- Paintings of All Kings: Fellowship of the Kings and Princes of Poland author painter Jan Matejko (artist biography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Matejko )
- Prehistory photo fot. G. Solecki/A. Piętak ( https://muzeum.szczecin.pl/zbiory/archeologia/epoka-brazu.html )
- Jagielonian coat of arms http://orzelbialy.edu.pl/czesc-3/ and http://www.wladcy.myslenice.net.pl/
- Piast coat of arms https://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo/Orzel-Bialy;3952080.html
- Józef Piłsudski, Ignacy Paderewski images wikipedia.com
- Polish history map image wikipedia.com