Siewierz throughout history had a fairly unique and rich history. For many centuries it remained the capital city of the Principality Siewierski, which at some period of its existence it was almost an independent state.
ruins of the castle in Siewierz - a role he held once the summer residence of the Bishops of Krakow.
In the history of the duchy clearly draw the three periods. For simplicity, we can even say that there were three principalities Siewierski: the first was Silesia, a second - the Bishops of Krakow, and the third - "Napoleon."
Duchy of Silesia
At the beginning of its existence Siewierz subject castellany Bytom, which was located within the Cracow. In 1179, Kazimierz the Just gave Castellan Bytomka Plątonogiemu Mieszko (including Auschwitz), and thus Siewierz administratively from Galicia went to Silesia, where he remained for the next 264 years. In 1337, the city acquired the Casimir Teschen, who now began to style the master of the earth Siewierski. For the first time the phrase "principality Siewierski" was used several years later - in 1341.
Episcopal Duchy
Siewierz In 1443, together with adjoining was purchased by the Bishop of Krakow Zbigniew Oleśnicki. From then until 1790, these lands have remained in the hands of the bishops, who also wore the title of princes siewierskich. On the basis of laws of 1790 and 1791, the Principality has been formally incorporated into the Crown as a separate territorial unit in Krakow province.
Principality Napoleon
In 1807 Napoleon Bonaparte reestablished Siewierski Duchy and gave them to his Marshal Jean Lannes, Duke of Montebello. It consisted of a part formed at the same time (formally, even slightly beyond) the Duchy of Warsaw, but did not lasted long because of the defeat of Napoleon. Finally, in 1815 during the Congress of Vienna decided to set up the Polish Kingdom (Russian partition), which hit, among others Siewierz together with the surrounding lands.
Ducatus Severiensis 1443-1790
Duchy Siewierski its prosperity and importance owes to the bishops of Cracow, who purchased them from the Duke Wenceslaus I of Cieszyn as the sum of "six thousand. fines broad Czech cents." Its area was 607 km2, and included the cities: Siewierz, Czeladź and Koziegłowy and villages Gołuchowice, Lagisza, Wojkowice The rent, Rzeniszów, New Village, Strzyżowice, My Community, Myszkowice, Tąpkowice, Wojkowice Church, Dabie, Rogoźnik, Twardowice, the court, Winowno, Będusz, Żelisławice, Bobrowniki, zinc, Chruszczobród, Grodziec and Ożarowice. Fr. Siewierski from the time the bishop was almost independent state. The Bishop was of absolute power - Have its own army, treasury, legislature, judiciary, the right of the sword (death punishment of offenders), the right choice of the official land, the right to confer nobility, etc. ..
A fuller independence, but you can not speak, because the Duchy enjoyed the protectorate of the Republic. Count Maurice Dzieduszycki in his book on writing to Zbigniew Olesnicki moreover explicitly states that the intention of purchase of these lands by the bishop was to join them back to the Polish. Relations between the Crown and the Principality were on the agenda. There is a known case troops that crossed the borders of the Republic of bishops and put it down Dice Napierski Podhale. During the Swedish invasion, although it remained officially neutral Siewierz, however, the castle remained Stefan Czarniecki troops, which gave the Swedes a pretext for its activities. On all maps of that period the area Ducatus Severiensis is presented as part of the Commonwealth, although sometimes it is clearly marked as a separate administrative unit. Law brought an end to the independence of the Great Sejm in 1790 incorporating the State Bishop of the Crown.
Z. Olesnicki was the first bishop in Poland with the title of the real duke. The Bishops of Krakow princely title used in modern times (the last was Cardinal Adam Sapieha, died. In 1951.)
Territory of the former Duchy in the areas of modern cities and municipalities. The wide line is the boundaries of districts Dąbrowa Basin, marked in gray area of \u200b\u200bSilesia - in times of the Duchy he was in another country.
Former Duchy Siewierski territorially very often equated with today's Basin Dabrowski but not fully correspond to the truth. Historical capital of the ZD is the Bedzin, who never part of the SC did not go. Throughout the period of his pre-Partition history, the city is invariably belonged to the province of Krakow and Malopolska.
In areas today Sosnowiec and dzin borderline Ducatus Severiensis determined the Black Przemsza. Downtown Sosnowiec was therefore a part of it, but the vast majority of the current territory of the city - no. Conversely applies to the Bedzin, which remained always on the side of the Crown, but today many of its neighborhoods (Lagisza, Grodziec, Gzichów, Małobądz) is a former princely lands. In Dabrowa boundary line runs along the river Trzebyczki, KS included in the composition, therefore, only the northern districts of the current DG: titmouse, and Trzebiesławice Ujejsce. The border was the Czeladz Brynica - land on the other side of the river, belonging to the townspeople czeladzkich were sometimes attached to the city.
worth noting that area during the bishop's KS was stable and did not change. Currently, there are certainly mistakes and counting to the area of \u200b\u200bthe property on the Bishops of Krakow Crown ie. "Slavkovsky key." It is Slavkov is a mistake because it will never part of that principality was not (well, unless the Napoleonic period, but the other thing duchy was already something totally different and really more an echo of former years, and its exact boundaries are not known ..).
Only a small portion of the current area of \u200b\u200bSosnowiec was part of the former Duchy Siewierski.
Mint
According to some studies, the bishops were also managing the Duchy of which have a mint until the end of eighteenth century struck own coin. Unfortunately, in these legends is merely a grain of truth. Well, around 1800 the then Secretary of the Crown and the Dean of Krakow Michael Sołtyk, shared minted in honor of his uncle - the Bishop of Cracow Kajetan Sołtyka, special, pre-date Siewierski ducats. Do they have never entered into official circulation, but the ones that have survived are still of great value to collectors.
On the obverse minted in gold ducats depicted Sołtyka bishop and the inscription in Latin: CAI Sołtyk EPI DUX SEVERIÆ CRAC (Cajetan Sołtyk bishop of Cracow, Duke of Severia). On the other hand their side the inscription: Coin Avre DVCATVS SEVERIÆ A: 1762 (gold coin princely Siewierski 1762). Dukat has a diameter of 20.7 mm and weighs 3.41 g. There are also silver pennies "Siewierski" minted with the date 1761.
Duchy Duchy Siewierski like Monaco?
Similarities exist, but differences as well. Fr. Siewierski was more similar to Andorra than to modern Monaco. The area is 468 km2 of Andorra and is a constitutional monarchy in which the head of state remain współksiążęta: President of France and English bishop. If the Principality Siewierski survived longer and had no political turmoil in this part of Europe, it is perhaps today would have a status similar to Andorra.
