Everything about Che Mno Land totally explained
» Not to be confused with Chełm land. Kulmerland redirects here, see also Kulmerland (ship).
Chełmno Land,
Culmland,
Culmerland or
"Kulmerland () is a historical
ziemia region in central
Poland bounded by the
Vistula and
Drwęca rivers. It is named after the city of
Chełmno. The largest cities in the region are
Toruń,
Grudziądz,
Chełmno, and
Chełmża. In various times it was considered to be part of the neighbouring provinces of
Masovia,
Kuyavia,
Greater Poland,
Prussia, and
Pomerania; it's currently part of the
Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodship.
It is located on the right bank of the
Vistula river, from the mouth of the
Drwęca river to Chełmno. Where the Vistula river takes a sharp turn northward, the Drwęca forms the eastern border of the region, while its southern and western border is the Vistula river.
History
In the
10th century Chełmno Land was inhabited by the
Lechitic Kuyavian and Masovian tribes. When this area was subdued by the rulers of the
Polans Chełmno became a local centre of administration (kasztelania). Chełmno Land was
Christianised in the
11th century.
According to the will of Duke
Boleslaus III of Poland, after his death in
1137 Chełmno Land became a part of the duchy governed by his son
Boleslaus IV the Curly and his descendants during the feudal fragmentation of Poland.
By the 13th century the territory was subject to raids by
Prussians, who sacked
Chełmno, the province's main town, in 1216. In 1220
Conrad I of Masovia, with the participation of the other princes of Poland, led a partial reconquest of the province, but the project of establishing a Polish defense of the province failed due to conflicts between the princes. He brought the crusading
Knights of Dobrin to Masovia, where they built a castle at
Dobrzyń in 1224 as a base for attacks against the Prussians. As a result the territory was again sacked and devastated by Prussian raids, which led to depopulation of the province.
Being involved in dynastic struggles elsewhere and too weak to deal with the Prussians alone, Conrad needed to safeguard and establish borders against the heathen
Old Prussians, because his territory of Masovia was also in danger after the Prussians sieged
Płock. Conrad awarded the already devastated Chełmno Land to the
Teutonic Knights, giving them
Nieszawa at first. He also brought in
German settlers to Płock.
In
1226 Duke
Conrad I of Masovia enlisted the aid of the
Teutonic Order to protect
Masovia and help convert the Prussians to Christianity. In return, the knights were to keep Chełmno Land as a fief, although some allege the grant to have been a forgery. The land constituted the base of the
Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights, and its later conquest of
East Prussia, marking the German
Ostsiedlung.
The Teutonic Order obtained an Imperial bull from Emperor
Frederick II before entering Prussia, although this document is also disputed. In
1243 the
papal legate William of Modena divided Prussia into four dioceses under the archbishop of
Riga, one of which was Chełmno Land.
After the
Thirteen Years War between the Prussian cities and the Teutonic Knights ended with the
Peace of Toruń in
1466, Chełmno Land returned to the Polish crown as a part of autonomous
Royal Prussia (see
Chełmno Voivodship).
In
1772 as a result of the
First Partition of Poland, Chełmno Land (with the exception of
Toruń) was seized by the
Kingdom of Prussia. Between
1807 and
1815 Chełmno Land was a part of the
Duchy of Warsaw. In 1815 it become part of the
Grand Duchy of Poznań, but in
1817 Chełmno Land was included in
West Prussia.
Following the
Treaty of Versailles in
1919, Chełmno Land returned to Poland in January
1920. In first days of September 1939 occupied by Germany, October 1939 annexed, January 1945 captured by Red Army and returned to Poland.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Che Mno Land'.
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