State country
Encyclopedia
State country was a unit of administrative and territorial division in the Bohemian crown lands
of Silesia
and Upper Lusatia
, existing from 15th to 18th centuries. These estates were exempt from feudal tenure
by privilege of the Bohemian kings. Some of the state countries were highly autonomous, they had their own legal code and their lords were vassals of the king himself, not of the local dukes or princes.
, whose ruling dynasties - branches of the Silesian Piasts
(see Dukes of Silesia
) - had died out. As a ceased fief their possessions would fall to the Bohemian crown and sometimes were granted to lords of lesser nobility not affiliated with the ducal Piast family. In 1492 King Vladislas II Jagiellon of Bohemia established three state countries within the Duchy of Oleśnica
(Oels), after Duke Konrad X the White
had died without issue:
In 1548 Emperor Ferdinand I of Habsburg
granted the former Duchy of Pszczyna
(Pless) as a state country to Balthasar von Promnitz, Bishop of Wrocław, who also received the hereditary title of a Freiherr
. In 1697 Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg
established two more state countries:
All Silesian state countries de jure existed even after the annexation by Prussia
in 1742 until the end of World War II
; with the exception of Pszczyna, which in 1922 had already fallen to Poland
after the Silesian Uprisings
.
held the status of a state country under the Bohemian crown, represented in the Landtag
diet, where they met the strong opposition of the Lusatian League. Together with whole Lusatia they came under the overlordship of the Saxon Electorate
by the 1635 Peace of Prague
: Muskau and Hoyerswerda were incorporated into the Prussian Province of Silesia
according to the Final Act of the Vienna Congress
in 1815.
Lands of the Bohemian Crown
The Lands of the Bohemian Crown , also called the Lands of the Crown of Saint Wenceslas or simply the Bohemian Crown or Czech Crown lands , refers to the area connected by feudal relations under the joint rule of the Bohemian kings...
of Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
and Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz...
, existing from 15th to 18th centuries. These estates were exempt from feudal tenure
Fiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
by privilege of the Bohemian kings. Some of the state countries were highly autonomous, they had their own legal code and their lords were vassals of the king himself, not of the local dukes or princes.
Silesia
The state countries were formed from former Duchies of SilesiaDuchies of Silesia
The Duchies of Silesia resulted from divisions of the original Duchy of Silesia after 1138.In accordance with the last will and testament of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth, the Kingdom of Poland was, upon his death in 1138, divided into five hereditary provinces distributed among his sons, including...
, whose ruling dynasties - branches of the Silesian Piasts
Silesian Piasts
The Silesian Piasts were the oldest line of the Piast dynasty beginning with Władysław II the Exile, son of Bolesław III Wrymouth, Duke of Poland...
(see Dukes of Silesia
Dukes of Silesia
The Dukes of Silesia were the sons and descendants of the Polish Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth. In accordance with the last will and testament of Bolesław, upon his death his lands were divided into 4-5 hereditary provinces distributed among his sons, and a royal province of Kraków reserved for the...
) - had died out. As a ceased fief their possessions would fall to the Bohemian crown and sometimes were granted to lords of lesser nobility not affiliated with the ducal Piast family. In 1492 King Vladislas II Jagiellon of Bohemia established three state countries within the Duchy of Oleśnica
Duchy of Oels
The Duchy of Oels or Duchy of Oleśnica was one of the duchies of Silesia, with the capital in Oleśnica, Poland.Initially part of the Piast Duchy of Wrocław, the Oleśnica area became part of the Duchy of Głogów in 1294, following an armed conflict between Duke Henry III and Henry V the Fat, Duke of...
(Oels), after Duke Konrad X the White
Konrad X the White
Konrad X the White was a Duke of Oleśnica, Koźle, and half of both Bytom and Ścinawa during 1450–1452 , since 1452 sole ruler over half of Ścinawa, during 1471–1472 sole ruler over Koźle and whole Bytom, and since 1478 sole ruler over Oleśnica.He was the second son of Konrad V Kantner, Duke of...
had died without issue:
- SycówSycówSyców is a town in Oleśnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Syców....
(Groß Wartenberg), granted to the HaugwitzHaugwitzHaugwitz is a Meissen-origin nobility and refers to:* Georg von Haugwitz* Johann IX. von Haugwitz* August Adolph von Haugwitz* Friedrich Wilhelm Graf von Haugwitz , Austrian statesman...
noble family, acquired by Ernst Johann von BironErnst Johann von BironErnst Johann von Biron was a Duke of Courland and Semigallia and regent of the Russian Empire .-Biography:Born as Ernst Johann Biren in Kalnciems, Courland, he was the grandson of a groom in the service of Jacob Kettler, Duke of Courland, who bestowed upon him a small estate, which Biron's...
in 1734, - ŻmigródZmigródŻmigród is a town in Trzebnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Żmigród. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany...
(Trachenberg), acquired by the House of SchaffgotschHouse of SchaffgotschThe Schaffgotsch family is one of the oldest noble Silesian families extant, dating back to the thirteenth century. They were first mentioned in the St. Gallen book of documents in 804 and 809, when they were domiciled in the Margraviate of Meissen, Franconia, and the Tyrol...
in 1592, from 1494 together with - MiliczMiliczMilicz is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of Milicz County, and of the smaller administrative district called Gmina Milicz...
(Militsch), acquired by the Maltzan noble family in 1590.
In 1548 Emperor Ferdinand I of Habsburg
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
granted the former Duchy of Pszczyna
Duchy of Pless
The Duchy of Pless The Duchy of Pless The Duchy of Pless (or the Duchy of Pszczyna ^ Tadeusz Walichnowski, (Przynaleznosc terytorialna archiwaliow Panstwa Polskiego w stosunkach miedzynarodowych), Polish Scientific Publishers, Warsaw, 1977. Polish State Archives. ^Nagel's Encyclopedia Guide,...
(Pless) as a state country to Balthasar von Promnitz, Bishop of Wrocław, who also received the hereditary title of a Freiherr
Freiherr
The German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...
. In 1697 Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
established two more state countries:
- BytomBytomBytom is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The central-western district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 millions. Bytom is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Bytomka river .The city belongs to the Silesian Voivodeship since...
(Beuthen), held by the Henckel von DonnersmarckHenckel von DonnersmarckThe Henckel von Donnersmarcks are a Silesian noble family from the former region of Spiš in Upper Hungary, now in Slovakia. The founder of the family was Henckel de Quintoforo in the 14/15th Century...
comital family - Bytom OdrzańskiBytom OdrzanskiBytom Odrzański is a town on the Oder river in western Poland, in Nowa Sól County of Lubusz Voivodeship.-History:Archaeological findings from the Stone Age and Bronze Age around Bytom suggest a early settlement. A Slavic gród is mentioned in 1005...
(Beuthen an der Oder), held by the House of Schoenaich-CarolathSiedlisko, Nowa Sól CountySiedlisko is a village on the Oder river in Nowa Sól County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Siedlisko...
.
All Silesian state countries de jure existed even after the annexation by Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
in 1742 until the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
; with the exception of Pszczyna, which in 1922 had already fallen to Poland
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
after the Silesian Uprisings
Silesian Uprisings
The Silesian Uprisings were a series of three armed uprisings of the Poles and Polish Silesians of Upper Silesia, from 1919–1921, against German rule; the resistance hoped to break away from Germany in order to join the Second Polish Republic, which had been established in the wake of World War I...
.
Upper Lusatia
The estates of Upper Lusatia:- MuskauBad MuskauBad Muskau is a spa town in the historic Upper Lusatia region in Germany at the border with Poland. It is part of the Görlitz district in the State of Saxony....
(Mużaków), from 1811 until 1845 held by Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau - ZawidówZawidówZawidów is a town in Zgorzelec County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland, close to the Czech border. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany...
(Seidenberg), - HoyerswerdaHoyerswerdaHoyerswerda is the largest city in the district of Bautzen in the German state of Saxony. It is located in Lusatia, a region where many people speak the Sorbian languages in addition to German.-Geography:...
and later also - KönigsbrückKönigsbrückKönigsbrück is a town in the Bautzen district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated west of Kamenz, and northeast of the Saxon capital Dresden...
established in 1562
held the status of a state country under the Bohemian crown, represented in the Landtag
Landtag
A Landtag is a representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority.- Name :...
diet, where they met the strong opposition of the Lusatian League. Together with whole Lusatia they came under the overlordship of the Saxon Electorate
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
by the 1635 Peace of Prague
Peace of Prague (1635)
The Peace of Prague of 30 May 1635 was a treaty between the Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand II and the Electorate of Saxony representing most of the Protestant states of the Holy Roman Empire...
: Muskau and Hoyerswerda were incorporated into the Prussian Province of Silesia
Province of Silesia
The Province of Silesia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1815 to 1919.-Geography:The territory comprised the bulk of the former Bohemian crown land of Silesia and the County of Kladsko, which King Frederick the Great had conquered from the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th...
according to the Final Act of the Vienna Congress
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
in 1815.