Ethnic groups of Polish Late Medieval cities

[Domen]

Related discussion was for example in this thread on pages 7 - 10 (but there it was OT, which is why I started a new thread):

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=503684&page=8

Maps:

Legend (note: "Polish" includes also Slavic Pomeranian in some cities):

1) Greater Poland "proper" and Cuiavia:

One of the core provinces of the reunited Kingdom of Poland.

Cuiavia was briefly lost to the Teutonic Order during the 14th century, but quickly regained during the same century.

2) Lands of Sieradz and Łęczyca - often counted as part of Greater Poland:

They became parts of the reunited Kingdom of Poland in the 14th century, connecting Lesser Poland with Greater Poland.

3) Lesser Poland:

One of the core provinces of the reunited Kingdom of Poland.

4) Mazovia:

Became part of the reunited Kingdom of Poland in the 14th century.

Some of its parts initially became fiefdoms and were later successively being incorporated directly.

Czech Crown and the Teutonic Order briefly exercised control over some parts of Mazovia during the 14th century, but Poland regained them during the same century.

5) Silesia:

Throughout the 14th century Poland gradually lost almost entire Silesia, which fell under control of the Czech Crown.

Only several small regions of Silesia became parts of the reunited kingdom.

6) Red Ruthenia:

During the 14th century, Poland conquered Red Ruthenia, expanding its territory eastward and southward.

7) Royal Prussia:

Poland lost Pomerelia to the Teutonic Order in the 14th century. Land of Chełmno had been granted to the Teutonic Order already in the 13th century.

During the 15th century Poland regained these lands and conquered new lands from the Order - all of them became known as the province of Royal Prussia.

8) Other lands:

Western Pomerania had been lost by Poland during the 12th century, Land of Lubusz had been lost to Brandenburg during the 13th century. Neumark consisted of two borderland strips of territory of Western Pomerania and Greater Poland conquered by Brandenburg during the 13th and 14th centuries.

My sources, books:

- M. Bogucka, H. Samsonowicz, "Dzieje miast i mieszczaństwa w Polsce przedrozbiorowej"
- joint publication "Atlas Historyczny Polski" edited by W. Czapliński, T. Ładogórski
- joint publication "Państwo Zakonu Krzyżackiego w Prusach. Władza i społeczeństwo" edited by M. Biskup, R. Czaja

Plus some other sources including websites.

 

[Wrymouth3]

One request, can you translate the name of the sources into English, or post the English title?

 

[Domen]

Sure, here are translated titles (I'm not sure if there are English editions):

- M. Bogucka, H. Samsonowicz, "History of cities and burghers in Poland before the partitions"
- joint publication "Historical Atlas of Poland" edited by W. Czapliński, T. Ładogórski
- joint publication "The state of the Teutonic Order in Prussia. The authorities and the society", edited by M. Biskup, R. Czaja

 

[TheLastOne36]

Lubusz being Polish is a surprise. Is this counting Sorbians as Poles?

 

[Domen]

Lubusz being Polish is a surprise. Is this counting Sorbians as Poles?

Sorbian settlement did not reach as far north as Lubusz.

That area was inhabited by ethnic group known as Lubusz Poles (Polacy Lubuscy).

They originated from the tribe of Lubuszanie, which was not one of Sorbian tribes.

On the other hand, Sorbs lived in the area of Silesia west and south of Krosno, Nowogród* and Żagań - but mostly in the countryside.

*Nowadays known as Nowogród Bobrzański.

 

[Pangur Bán]

All that would be interesting. But I am uncomfortable with the stress on ethnicity. And you yourself have wisely pointed out elsewhere, 'Germans' and 'Poles' are not mutually exclusive, not even in the 20th century at the height of nationalist antagonism. German was the lingua franca of eastern Europe until the age of Stalin, but it was a medium of communication and did not necessarily act as an ethnic (rather than, say, a class) trait.

Likewise, if you are grouping all Slavs in P-L as either 'Polish' or 'Ruthenian' you are falling into an ideological trap. Slavic Europe was a dialect continuum, I would be very sceptical about thinking Polish and 'Ruthenian' as ethno-national constructs meant anything on the ground other than, at best, a set of ideological allegiances ... even in the modern period let along the later middle ages.

 

[Domen]

Slavic Europe was a dialect continuum

So was Germanic Europe and even German Europe (since Germans did not all speak the same language / dialect, but many).

However, in the 13th to 14th centuries we can already speak about the Polish language and its regional dialects.

On the other hand, in the 10th century there were still just little differences between Polish and Czech languages.

The 16th century saw the rapid evolution and rapid changes of what we call today Polish literary language.

But I am uncomfortable with the stress on ethnicity

By ethnicity I mean primary language / mother tongue, not rubbish like "genes" or whatever else.

German was the lingua franca of eastern Europe until the age of Stalin

Not really, not all the time. For example in the 18th century lingua franca of Poland was French.

Also in Germany French was lingua franca during the 18th century. Frederick II considered German language as barbaric and praised French.

In the Middle Ages lingua franca in Poland was both Latin and German, rather than only German. Latin was actually more important.

In the 16th and 17th centuries the most important lingua franca in multi-ethnic at that time Poland-Lithuania was... Polish.

Polish was also lingua franca in large parts of Russia (Muscovy) during the 16th and early 17th centuries.

Polish as well used to be lingua franca in Moldavia during some historical period, IIRC.

 

[Pangur Bán]

So was Germanic Europe and even German Europe (since Germans did not all speak the same language / dialect, but many).

However, in the 13th to 14th centuries we can already speak about the Polish language and its regional dialects.

On the other hand, in the 10th century there were still just little differences between Polisha and Czech languages.

The 16th century saw the rapid evolution and rapid changes of what we call today Polish literary language.



Not really, not all the time. For example in the 18th century lingua franca of Poland was French.

Also in Germany French was lingua franca during the 18th century. Frederick II considered German language as barbaric and praised French.

In the Middle Ages lingua franca was both Latin and German.

In the 16th and 17th centuries the most important lingua franca in multi-ethnic at that time Poland-Lithuania was... Polish.

Polish was also lingua franca in large parts of Russia (Muscovy) during the 16th and early 17th centuries.

French was an aristocratic lingua franca then, in early modern Europe, not a middle class one. Likewise Latin was the church lingua franca in Europe, but merchants didn't use it very often.

Honestly, not trying to delegimitize any nation. Of course you are correct Germany was the same, as was the Romance region. That's even more reason why we need to understand historic identities in their own terms rather than solely as building blocks for the modern world's political units.

 

[Domen]

French was an aristocratic lingua franca then, in early modern Europe, not a middle class one.

I think that it was also lingua franca among many of important burghers of the 18th century, not only among aristocracy.

Likewise Latin was the church lingua franca in Europe, but merchants didn't use it very often.

Not only church, because also scholars at Medieval universities used it, for example. As well as artists, historians, writers, poets, etc.

German language was limited mostly to international trade between merchants, as you noticed. During the times of the Hanseatic League at least.

But also in trade contracts sometimes Latin was used. As well as local languages when it comes to local trade, rather than international trade.

 

[Pangur Bán]

It was also lingua franca among burghers, not only among aristocracy.



Not only church, because also scholars used it. As well as artists, historians, etc.

German language was limited to trade contracts between merchants, as you noticed. During the times of the Hanseatic League at least.

Latin was the church language, and used by people trained in the university system designed to feed Europe with bureaucrats, lawyers and holy men. So you are right that it was used among parts of the middle classes, but not as a scholarly rather than a middle class lingua franca.

I'd be interested if you substantiate your point about French among burghers (what period, era? where? how many? and so on). Doesn't seem practically possible or useful for them to have learned it en masse beyond insignificant but public acts of aristocratic emulation. France itself wasn't a highly merchantized or urbanized society.

 

[Domen]

I'd be interested if you substantiate your point about French among burghers

For example Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was from a family of burghers from Leipzig and he was writing his works in French language.

Knowledge of French was considered as something obligatory for educated men at that time, like today is English in non-English countries.

 

[Pangur Bán]

I mean actual data. Leibniz was a Saxon from the very heights of the university teacher class, hardly representative of eastern Europeans merchants and specialist craftsmen.

 

[Domen]

Latin was the church language

Yes, but not exclusively, at least when it comes to local Polish conditions.

According to the book by M. Bogucka, H. Samsonowicz, "History of cities and burghers in Poland before the partitions" which I listed above, Latin was also competing with German on the field of trade transactions and business-related matters.

According to this book, also Polish language was at least sometimes used in matters related to trade, which is proven for example by fact, that there existed Polish trade-related, capitalistic terminology already during the 15th century.

They write that, for example:

1) - in the city of Olkusz international trade transactions were written more often in German and sometimes in Latin (the same refers to Kraków), while local trade was mostly in Latin.

2) - in year 1450 among 199 entries in book of Olkusz, 60 - so 1/3 - were in German and the rest in Latin.

3) - transactions of merchant Jan Wilk from Warsaw with the city of Wroclaw were written in German, but for example transactions of merchant Mikołaj Baryczka from Warsaw with the city of Danzig (Gdańsk) - in Latin.

4) - in year 1511 trade transcations of merchants from Wroclaw were in both languages - Latin and German.

5) - also various terms of Macaronic language were in use, like for example an item of trade called "Szachczyk roborum wanschos" (they don't write what it was), which was sold to a Prussian merchant by a Mazovian merchant from Zakroczym.

6) - that some role was played by Polish language also in trade-related matters is proven by existence of Polish terminology related to trade, as well as Polish-Latin dictionaries. Examples of such terminology are: "litkupnicy" (mercipotari), "pokup" (emptio), "czerwone złoto" (florenus ungaricus), "istne" (pecunia actualia), "wianował" (dotalitavit), "plathował" (persolvit), "przesscepovyecz dluznikov" (interdictorum creditorum) - comment from the book is: "all these terms are related to the sphere of cash transactions, they show how far they came into use in daily life and Polish language in the 15th century. (...) Even in vocabulary of maritime legal-commercial terms we can find influences of Polish language, many words were accomodated to Polish pronunciation."

Authors of this book also write:

"(...) 15th century handbooks of measures, scales, roads and settlements were taking into consideration Polish language, not only in areas where vast majority of members of all social classes spoke Polish in daily life - such as Lublin, Warsaw, Poznań, Gniezno, etc. - but also in multiethnic academic communities and in towns with large percentage of foreigners among the patriciate. In Danzig, which still belonged to the Teutonic Order, also Polish terms could be seen in civic books - for example Gdanczk. Polish language was also becoming gradually more and more popular among bachelors from Kraków. (...) Polish language in its written form, was being shaped mostly in urban centers. Also there existed and were publishing their works various writing workshops and printshops (...)"

France itself wasn't a highly merchantized or urbanized society.

Neither was major part of Germany, at least after the religious wars of the 1500s and the Thirty Years War of the 1600s.

For example in year 1650 the largest city of entire Germany was Hamburg - with around 60,000 inhabitants.

Hamburg was thus at that time smaller than the largest city of Poland-Lithuania - Gdańsk (Danzig).

Also Moscow was bigger than Hamburg, with over 100,000 inhabitants at that time.

Paris was actually bigger than any of these three cities.

 

[Pangur Bán]

What I said was correct, but thanks for pointing that stuff out.

 

[Domen]

Let me just add that there were not so many Jews in Poland during the Middle Ages - just few / several thousand of them.

For example by the end of the Medieval period - in year 1500 - Jewish communities, both smaller and larger ones (the smallest of them had just a few / a dozen or so people or even one person each, while the largest of them up to several hundred each) existed only in around 10% of all Polish cities.

In year 1600 number of Jews in Poland was already significantly greater than in 1500, but still not very significant (there are various estimations, but probably several dozen thousands). At that time Jewish communities existed in around 30% of all Polish cities, but most of them were very small communities.

In year 1600 most of Polish Jews lived in Ruthenian territories. 46% of all cities in the region of Red Ruthenia had Jewish communities.

Even though between 1600 and 1650 number of Jews in Poland once again increased, in 1650 it was still at least 2 - 5 times lower than later in 1771.

Really massive - compared to all previous periods - influx of Jewish settlers to Poland started in the middle of the 17th century and continued during the 18th century - until the very partitions of Poland - as a response to horrible wartime devastation and epidemies, which caused terrible loss of life, especially great among inhabitants of cities, thus leaving many of small and medium Polish cities almost empty or at least considerably depopulated.

Jewish immigrants filled that gap, once again populating devastated cities and bringing them to life.

Most of Jews who came to Poland during the 1500s, 1600s and 1700s escaped from Germany, fleeing the pogroms, religious wars and the 30 Years War.

This is why Yiddish was the most widespread language among Polish Jews - because most of them escaped to Poland from Germany.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Yiddish

The language historically of Ashkenazic Jews of Central and Eastern Europe, resulting from a fusion of elements derived principally from medieval German dialects and secondarily from Hebrew and Aramaic, various Slavic languages, and Old French and Old Italian.

Website with data on Jewish communities in Poland in years 1500 and 1600 (in Polish):

http://www.czasy-nowozytne.pl/index.php?page=tomy_in&i=15

According to this website, number of cities with Jewish communites was:

Year 1500 - 117 (mostly very small communities)
Year 1600 - 355 (mostly very small communities and disproportionately high % of them in Ruthenian / Ukrainian lands)
Year 1676 - 423 (despite the loss of large portion of eastern and southern territories as the result of wars)

And in 1771 number of Jews was even higher, around 2 - 5 times (depending on source) higher than in 1647 / ca. 1650.

=====================================

Soon before the partitions, in 1771, around 50% - 75% of Polish-Lithuanian Jews lived in cities and the rest of them in the countryside.

Estimations closer to 75% than to 50% are more probable.

 

[Domen]

What I said was correct, but thanks for pointing that stuff out.

Essentially yes, except that you only noticed "the main river" and not "the entire delta or basin". BTW - the richest out of some 136 great merchants who lived in the Royal Prussian city of Toruń in the 17th century was Samuel Edwards. He was an ethnic Scottish guy who came to Poland probably in the 1620s.

Even though he was ethnic Scottish, books of account of his company were indeed written in German language:

http://www.archivesportaleurope.net/web/guest/ead-display/-/ead/fp/PL-69/fa/PL-69-1072/0

=================================================

After the decline of the 17th century and early 18th century, during the 2nd half of the 18th century Polish cities tried to increase their importance:

http://info-poland.buffalo.edu/JJ.html#cities

(...) By then the cities were recovering from the economic decline and were staging a political comeback. The highlight of that comeback occurred in 1789, when the representatives of 140 cities assembled in Warsaw and participated in the "Black Procession" to the Seym, demanding restoration of full rights of representation. Although their demands were only partially fulfilled at the time, the movement and participants of the "Black Procession" they set in motion was unstoppable.

One of propaganda slogans of that movement was, that described in Medieval chronicles Piast the Wheelwright - a semi-legendary founder of Poland and of the Piast dynasty - was a burgher from Kruszwica, rather than a peasant as had been previously interpreted.

Kruszwica was a Polan/Goplan burgh in which Piast the Wheelwright overthrew semi-legendary evil duke Popiel II and took power.

So burghers claimed that Poland was founded by a burgher in order to strengthen their arguments.

=================================

Piast the Wheelwright and his wife Rzepicha - if really existed - were great-great-grandparents of duke Mieszko I.

 

[Wrymouth3]

Sure, here are translated titles (I'm not sure if there are English editions):

- M. Bogucka, H. Samsonowicz, "History of cities and burghers in Poland before the partitions"
- joint publication "Historical Atlas of Poland" edited by W. Czapliński, T. Ładogórski
- joint publication "The state of the Teutonic Order in Prussia. The authorities and the society", edited by M. Biskup, R. Czaja

Thanks a ton.

 

[Domen]

Photos of preserved remnants of Medieval fortifications of some cities from my map posted above:

Poznań:

Some of reconstructed sections of Medieval walls:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=191916&page=6

3D reconstructions of Medieval buildings from Poznań:

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/cldetails?mid=85e1133a4a871951619c80b4d07fdcae&ct=mdcc

Collegiate church of St. Mary Magdalene (construction completed in 14th - 15th centuries, it was 114.8 meters tall until it was destroyed in a fire in 1777 and finally demolished in 1802) - here the church can be seen as part of reconstruction of 16th century Poznań:

http://www.poznan.pl/mim/s8a/docume...nt=576&instance=1011&lang=pl&lhs=s8a&rhs=null

Castle of duke Przemysł:

Modern reconstructed castle of duke Przemysł:

Wieluń:

http://www.historiawielunia.uni.lodz.pl/fortyfikacje2/swawola.jpg

Szydłów:

http://www.mapofpoland.pl/Szydlow,zdjecie,18163,Polskie-Carcassone.html#galeria

http://turystyka.interia.pl/polska/news/szydlow-polskie-carcassonne,1560187,3575

14th century church in Szydłów, funded by king Casimir III the Great:

Sandomierz (19th century picture, object no longer exists):

Kalisz:

Piotrkow:

Warszawa (Warsaw):

Reconstructions - Warsaw:

Kraków (Cracow):

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/8061/krakow01zl0.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img341/8032/krakow09ho0.jpg

3D model of Florian gate:

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=f0a19dd8ab4ec197c7cc8010f5bd603b&prevstart=0

Kazimierz - Casmirus (nowadays part of Cracow - Cracovia):

Toruń:

 

[Domen]

Opatów:

=========================================
=========================================

Translated to English excerpt from the article about roads and trade routes in Medieval Poland:

http://www.znaki-drogowe.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=114&Itemid=157

"(...) In the 14th century network of cities in Poland was already stabilized and roads connecting them constituted the primary land communication network of the kingdom, reunited and centralized by Władysław Łokietek. Those roads or, writing precisely, rutty routes and tracks, were accessible for countrymen and for foreigners. Special roads for distant transit, different than local roads, were not present and could not be present neither in Poland nor in the rest of Europe. At the time nobody was building roads in technical meaning of this word.

At the beginning of 15th century the basic road network in Poland was as follows:

Baltic roads from Gdansk:

- to Gniezno (via Skarszewy-Raciąż-Tuchola-Kamień-Nakło-Żnin),
- towards Samogitia (via Elbing-Konigsberg),
- to Lubeck (via Słupsk-Sławno-Kołobrzeg-Stargard-Szczecin),
- to Toruń (via Elbing-Marienburg-Grudziądz-Chełmno and further along the right bank of the Vistula)

Pomerelian roads from Toruń:

- to Wrocław (via Inowrocław-Strzelno-Powidz-Pyzdry-Żerków-Pleszew-Koźmin-Milicz-Trzebnica),
- to Lviv (via Brześć Kujawski-Przedecz-Łęczyca-Inowłódz-Opoczno-Radom-Opatów-Sandomierz-Jarosław-Przemyśl-Gródek),
- towards Lithuania (via Dobrzyń-Rypin-Serock-Wyszków-Brok-Nieskurzyn-Gródek-Brańsk-Bielsk),
- to Kraków (via Brześć Kujawski-Przedecz-Łęczyca-Zgierz-Piotrków-Rozprza-Miechów-Słomniki),

Lesser Polish roads from Kraków:

- towards Germany (via Olkusz-Będzin-Bytom-Opole-Brzeg-Oława-Wrocław),
- to Kijow / Kiev (via Wiślica-Sandomierz-Zawichost-Włodzimierz-Łuck),
- to Kaffa / Caffa (via Jarosław-Przemyśl-Lwów-Trembowla-Kamieniec),
- towards Hungary (via Wieliczka-Bochnia-Czchów-Nowy Sącz-Stary Sącz-Rytro),

Greater Polish roads from Poznań:

- towards Germany (via Buk-Zbąszyń-Krosno-Gubin),
- to Marienburg (via Gniezno-Trzemeszno-Mogilno-Strzelno),
- to Szczecin (via Szamotuły-Wronki-Stargard),
- to Wrocław (via Kościan-Radomicko-Wschowa-Głogów),

"Salt" roads from Wieliczka [and Bochnia]:

- towards Hungary (via Dobczyce-Myślenice-Jabłonka-Orawa),
- towards Bohemia (via Skawina-Zator-Oświęcim-Żary-Racibórz),
- to Wrocław (via Kraków-Bytom-Opole).

In vast majority those roads, except for "salt" roads, didn't have any names. Among those which had names were:

- the road from Poznań to Kraków - "Via Magna",
- the road from Poznań to Wrocław via Głogów - "Via Poznaniensis",
- the road from Kraków to Kaffa - "Via Tartarica",
- the road from Kraków to Kijow (Kiev) - "Magna Strata". (...)"

And here some definitions of roads from that period (or a bit later period - 16th century):

1) - "iter" - a road for walkers and horsemen, so actually a pathway, probably of a width of around 1 meter.
2) - "actus" - a road for horse carts, one-way road, of a width of between 2 and 3 meters.
3) - "via" - as a proper public highway which enabled two-way vehicular movement was called: it was about 6 meters wide.

==========================================

Maps from the same article:

1) Map of main roads in Medieval Poland:

2) Main trade routes connecting Slavic lands with Western Europe in period 9th - 13th centuries (before the Mongol invasion):