Poland was an important Eastern-European kingdom between the 11th and 18th centuries. For the next 123 years, it was partitioned between other countries. In 1918 it became a democratic republic, which after World War II joined Warsaw Pact. In 2004, Poland joined the European Union. Check full tag ...
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Popularity of knight-robbery in the 15th century in Germany, Poland and Silesia
I've found the term Raubritter (German), which is translated to Robber-knight, and I was wondering - was it a popular thing in the 15th century? Were there many such knights? If they were tolerated by ...
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157 views
Did Hitler not intend a major war while invading Poland?
A J P Taylor in his book "The Origins of the Second World War" writes,
"Hitler never intended a major war and at most was prepared for only a
limited war against Poland."
"In 1938-39, the ...
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1answer
73 views
Husaria, the winged hussars
The Polish husaria did carry wings -- as can be seen here or here. Their purpose has been debated with no clear answer. What I want to know is was there an evolution in the wings design or just one ...
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1answer
50 views
Of which countries was Ludwig von Mises a citizen?
This is a question regarding the economist and political thinker Ludwig von Mises.
A short biography: Mises was born in 1881 in Lviv, then part of Austria–Hungary. He studied and worked in Vienna ...
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3answers
172 views
When Louis I of Hungary died in 1382, why did Polish lords choose Jedwiga instead of Mary as the monarch?
I am looking at a particular moment in Polish history when Louis I of Hungary died in 1382. Although the Hungarian throne was inherited by his daughter Mary, local power brokers back in Poland did not ...
8
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2answers
177 views
Ethnic Germans in Russian service in Poland
General Brusilov wrote in his memoirs that a few years before the war he was serving in a high military position in Russian-controlled Poland and that he was appalled by the fact that all Russian high ...
3
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1answer
110 views
Were the “hussars” that Jan Sobieski used at the battle of Vienna actually elite troops?
Apparently, the decisive blow at the 1683 Battle of Vienna was struck by Jan Sobieski, with only 3,000 "hussars" (cavalry). This seems a bit hard to believe, given that the Turkish army had about ...
3
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1answer
99 views
Did Marie Leszczyńska, queen of France, have any lovers?
"Always going to bed, always pregnant, always giving birth" said Marie Leszczyńska, queen of France. Marie was chosen to be wife of Louis XV for two reasons. First of all, she was ready to get ...
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1answer
48 views
Was Pawiak prison in Warsaw originally for political or general prisoners?
I was reading about Pawiak prison in Warsaw and the general consensus appears to be that it was built between 1829 and 1835 during a time of Russian occupation. It seems clear that after the January ...
8
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2answers
149 views
How and why did Charles XII Get to Poltava?
The decisive battle of the Great Northern War between Sweden and Russia was the battle of Poltava. That's located deep in the Ukraine, southeast of Kiev, between Cherkassy and Kharkov.
That seems ...
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186 views
Why did Poland keep Warsaw as its capital instead of returning it to Krakow in the 20th century?
My recollection is that Krakow was Poland's capital for much of the Middle Ages, having moved there from Thorn(?) shortly after 1000 A.D.
My understanding is that Warsaw, a newer city, became ...
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64 views
Why have Polish kings been such a “mixed bag?”
"Mixed bag" is an American term that might be translated as "apparently random." I'll date the question from the mid-16th century Union with Lithuania until 1795.
During this time, there was a French ...
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Was Swedish king Charles X Gustav's horse killed during Siege of Kraków (1655)?
My question is related to Siege of Kraków, which took place in 1655, between 25th of September and 13th of October, during Second Northern War, which is usually referred to as "Swedish Deluge" in ...
6
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4answers
138 views
How would Eastern European emigres have traveled across Eastern Europe to Warsaw in the early 20thC?
I was looking back at my grandmother's voyage to America, she made the trip from Zbaraz in the Ukraine through Warsaw and then on to Gdanks and through steerage class to the New York. I know she took ...
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4answers
743 views
Where was the pre-war (ww2) border between Poland and Germany?
I am interested in mapping the pre-war (WWII) border between Poland and Germany.
Is there any data available in a public resource? Can anyone describe waypoints along the border in terms of modern ...
5
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1answer
113 views
What corrections did the Catholic church make to the Copernicus work “De revolutionibus”?
Catholic encyclopedia says:
On 5 March, 1616, the work of Copernicus was forbidden by the Congregation of the Index "until corrected", and in 1620 these corrections were indicated. Nine sentences, ...
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1answer
78 views
Why Californian Indian leader Estanislao was named after Polish martyr?
Researching for Polish people dealing with Indians during 19th century, I've found out about Estanislao, one of Yokuts' leaders, who led different groups of Californian Indian rebels against Mexican ...
4
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1answer
67 views
What happened to copies of Holy Lance (Holy Roman Empire regalia)?
This question is only about copies of the spear that's kept in Vienna, not the Roman one or any other that are connected with "original" Holy Lance. I'm making this research for the story I'm in the ...
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1answer
58 views
How come the British did not notify the Poles about the Molotov-Ribbentrop secret protocol?
I have just read this answer and would like to know if there is a known reason why the British did not inform the Poles. Or is the whole thing wrong?
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85 views
In which document was the exact course of the northern part of the German-Polish border decided?
While researching the answer to "How was Germany's border decided?", I didn't manage to find any documents which would precisely describe the borders between Germany and Poland between the points 53° ...
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2answers
128 views
How did Poland fare under “personal unions?”
On at least two occasions, Poland appointed as kings, rulers of other countries. Once was in the fourteenth century, when the king was Lajos of Hungary. Another was in the eighteenth century when the ...
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6answers
347 views
Besides Magna Carta and general decentralization, what specifically led to democratization in England?
In England, the gradual weakening of the central government (starting with the Magna Carta), and the gradual rights given to nobility slowly pushed England to a democratic form of government. Yet in ...
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5answers
933 views
Why did Britain and France not declare war against the Soviet Union when it invaded Poland in WW2?
At the beginning of WW2, although they were slow in actually attacking Germany, Britain and France did declare war against it after Germany invaded Poland. The reason for this was the treaty where ...
11
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4answers
607 views
What is the origin of the stereotype that Polish people lack intelligence?
There are an innumerable amount of jokes or unfair stereotypes regarding Polish people as being of inferior intelligence in American culture.
Where did this stereotype originate?
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Was Russo-Polish of 1919-1920 a war of independence?
What evidence is there to call the 1919-1920 conflict between Poland and the Soviet Union a "war of independence"? As for a definition of independence, I would say it is a full political, legal, and ...
