If we were to sum up the medieval history of Poland, It is best to do so to assess the situation of Poland during the reign of each of the Polish kings. In time, two monarchs will emerge, who in the history of Poland became famous as the most outstanding.
They are Kazimierz III Piast (1333-1370) and Wladyslaw Jagiello (1386-1434).
But who one should be considered the best king of medieval Poland? To this end, I ask Poles by collecting voices, which of both kings served Poland best? Here are the results:
What will King Kazimierz III Piast deserve?
King Kazimierz III Piast was an excellent negotiator and a clever strategist. He embraced the throne in Poland in a situation where Poland was fertilized with four opponents. Poland fought wars with the Czech, the State of the Teutonic Order, Lithuania, and Halych Rus which Poland was pacified. Numerous internal wars were also waged with rich owners of earthly estates. Despite such a large number of conflicts, King Kazimierz was able to expand the borders of the state twice. He founded the council with a princess, which was the progenitor of the modern form of the Council of Ministers. And sought to open the Krakow Academy, aware of the need to educate more officials dealing with the tax matters of the state. More tax officials are more money to the king’s treasury. Numerous wars that resulted in the burning of castles and villages fashionable at that time, replacing traditional building material in the form of wood, stone or brick building material. King Kazimierz III ordered in many strategic places in Poland the construction of stone defensive strongholds.
King Kazimierz III made the territorial expansion of Poland, making knights a privileged social layer, which was now called nobility. Giving the Privileges, he bought favor and support for his decisions. However, already then the nobility cleverly used it, making obedience to the king, blackmailing him with a plot with his enemies. The king bought obedience with subsequent privileges. This was not beneficial, maybe the king assumed that the noble knighthood would to some extent to be limited to the deaths of the noblemen in wested wars. But these are only my guesses. Already for King Kazimierz III, some noblemen had property the size of small countries. This situation in the future will lead to the destruction of Poland, but this is a later history.
What did King Wladyslaw Jagiello deserve?
King Wladyslaw was in the Lithuanian prince, to whom the Polish nobility proposed a crown in Poland. Lithuania and Poland had a common enemy it was the Teutonic state. The history of Poland and Lithuania is endless wars and the conclusion of a covenant. Lithuania was a pagan state but very strong with a large territorial area towards expansion to Ruthenia, which Poland was also very interested in. The only way to last was to maintain unity. This was often done by marriage. Such a Lithuanian prince Jagiello understood the Polish Queen for his wife and became the ruler of two countries at the same time. Experienced in wars with Poland Jagiello was a champion of provocation. He provoked the Teutonic State to declare the war to Poland. The huge forces of many allied countries with the Teutonic Knights were thrown towards Poland. It was supposed to be a bloody lesson for Poles. This is how one of the largest battles in the Middle Ages in Eastern Europe took place, in which the Teutonic Knights State was defeated. The news of this circulated all of Europe. Nobody thought that the military power of the Teutonic Knights could be broken. For the first time Poland has become a recognized European state and the largest territorial in the history of this country.
All Poles know what the battle of Grunwald was, it was there that the Teutonic state was humiliated. This event was commemorated with a book, image of the battle and a movie. The image of King Wlładyslaw Jagiello is on the banknote 100 PLN on the most favorite by Poles. In every city we will find the Jagiello street. And the University of Krakow has been called the Jagielonski University and belongs to the elite schools in Poland. It is worth noting that King Jagiello was an illiterate could not read or write.
Movie
Paint
Money
Book
The popularity of King Wladyslaw Jagiello among Poles is definitely greater than King Kazimierz III Piast. But history experts indicate that if it wasn’t for the efforts of King Kazimierz, Jagiello would not have been king and he would not have the support of the Polish nobility. History could look completely different. So the latter owes its successes to the former. That is why in Poland only one king was called the Great, he is Kazimierz The Great – Kazimierz III Piast. (Brux)
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