View source for Polish–Bohemian War (1345–1348)

{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict    = Polish–Bohemian War
| image       =
| caption     =
| image_size  =
| date        = 1345–1348
| result      = [[Treaty of Namysłów]]
| place       = [[Silesia]], [[Lesser Poland]]
| combatant1  = [[Kingdom of Poland (1025–1385)|Kingdom of Poland]]
| combatant2  = [[Kingdom of Bohemia]]<br>[[Holy Roman Empire]]
| commander1  = [[Casimir III the Great|Casimir the Great]]
| commander2  = [[John of Bohemia]] (1345-1346)<br>[[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor]]
| strength1   =
| strength2   =
}}
The '''Polish–Bohemian War''' or '''Polish–Czech War''' ({{langx|pl|Wojna polsko-czeska}}) was fought between the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]] under [[John of Bohemia]] and the [[Kingdom of Poland (1025–1385)|Kingdom of Poland]] under [[Casimir III the Great]] between 1345 and 1348. After fighting in [[Silesia]] and [[Lesser Poland]], the Bohemian army advanced on Silesia and Lesser Poland in 1345, including on the Polish capital of [[Kraków]]. An armistice signed later that year held until 1348, when hostilities resumed. Although Poland had a slight military advantage, the war ended with the [[Treaty of Namysłów]] signed in November 1348. No territorial changes were made. The Poles renounced their claims to Silesia, and the Bohemians their claims to the Polish throne.<ref name="Rogers2010">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mzwpq6bLHhMC&pg=RA2-PA288|title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology|author=Clifford J. Rogers|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2010|isbn=978-0-19-533403-6|page=288}}</ref>
== Background ==
[[File:Casimir the Great by Leopold Löffler.PNG|thumb|187x187px|[[Casimir III the Great|Casimir the Great]] by [[Leopold Loeffler|Leopold Löffler]]]]
Kingdoms of Bohemia and Poland had fought over border territories before since [[Polish-Bohemian War (990)|at least 990]]; in 1327, [[John of Bohemia]] raided Silesia and Lesser Poland and reached the Polish capital of [[Kraków]].<ref name="Rogers2010" /> Silesia, in particular, divided into numerous [[Duchies of Silesia]] following the [[History of Poland during the Piast dynasty|fragmentation of Poland]], was a target for Bohemian expansion. Polish King [[Casimir III the Great|Casimir the Great]] already had acknowledged Bohemian control of Silesia in the 1335 [[Treaty of Trentschin]].<ref name="Siebel-Achenbach1994">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sPeuCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA10|title=Lower Silesia From Nazi Germany To Communist Poland 1942-49|author=Sebastian Siebel-Achenbach|date=21 January 1994|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK|isbn=978-1-349-23216-1|page=10}}</ref> However, neither Poland nor Bohemia was satisfied with the status quo, and every few years the border would shift due to diplomatic negotiations or small military escapades.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Monarchia Kazimierza Wielkiego (1333-1370). Rozdz. 4, Polityka zagraniczna Kazimierza Wielkiego|last=Jamróz|first=Agata|publisher=Uniwersytet Wrocławski. Wydział Prawa, Administracji i Ekonomii|year=2012|pages=93–98}}</ref>
== The war ==
[[File:Charles IV-John Ocko votive picture-fragment.jpg|thumb|149x149px|Charles IV]]
The immediate cause of the war was the imprisonment of [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles]], son of John, by the Poles. While he was freed shortly afterwards, this gave the Bohemians a pretext to begin a more extensive military operation against Poland.<ref name=":0" /> The Polish army, led by the king and aided by Lithuanian units, advanced on the borderland [[Duchy of Troppau]], and captured the towns of [[Pszczyna]] and [[Rybnik]].<ref name=":0" /> However, the John of Bohemia stood in the military camp near [[Wodzisław Śląski|Wodzisław]]. Faced with a Bohemian counter-attack, Poles retreated to Kraków. Bohemian army unsuccessfully besieged Kraków (around 12 to 20 July 1345; {{ill|siege of Kraków (1345)|pl|Oblężenie Krakowa (1345)}}), and suffered further defeats at the {{ill|Battle of Lelów|lt=|pl|Bitwa pod Lelowem|WD=}} and the {{ill|Battle of Pogoń|lt=|pl|Bitwa pod Pogonią|WD=}}.<ref name=":0" /> An armistice was signed later that year, and soon the Bohemians found themselves in a much stronger position, as Charles was elected the [[Holy Roman Emperor]] in 1346.<ref name=":0" />
Fighting was renewed in spring/summer of 1348, with engagements near [[Wrocław]] (Breslau).<ref name=":0" /> Through the engagements were not conclusive, and even favorable to the Polish side, the two sides decided to settle the issue through diplomacy, to focus on more other threats (such as, for Poland, that of the [[Teutonic Order|Teutonic Knights]]).<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Kurtyka1997">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mGRmAAAAMAAJ|title=Tęczyńscy: studium z dziejów polskiej elity możnowładczej w średniowieczu|author=Janusz Kurtyka|date=1 January 1997|publisher=Secesja|isbn=978-83-86077-83-0|pages=156, 164}}</ref>
== Aftermath ==
The war ended with the [[Treaty of Namysłów]] signed on 22 November 1348<ref name=":0" /> in which the Poles ''de facto'' renounced their claims to Silesia (the documents do not contain a clear statement to that effect but have been interpreted in such a way by later historians, since it left most of Silesia under ''de jure'' control of Bohemians), and the Bohemians renounced their claims to the Polish throne. No territorial changes occurred.<ref name="Rogers2010" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo/namyslowski-pokoj;3945607.html|title=namysłowski pokój - Encyklopedia PWN - źródło wiarygodnej i rzetelnej wiedzy|website=encyklopedia.pwn.pl|language=pl|access-date=2019-11-01}}</ref><ref name="Fiedor19962">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S3RpAAAAMAAJ|title=Wybrane problemy historii Polski i Niemiec XIX i XX wieku|author=Karol Fiedor|publisher=Wydawn. Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego|year=1996|isbn=978-83-229-1349-9|page=12|quote=Pokój namysłowski to równocześnie ostateczne odejście od państwa polskiego książąt śląskich. Stają się oni z wolna lennikami silniejszych sąsiadów: Czechów i Niemców.}}</ref> This cemented Bohemian control over most of Silesia.<ref name="Rogers2010" />
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polish-Bohemian War 1345-1348}}
[[Category:History of Silesia]]
[[Category:History of Lesser Poland]]
[[Category:Wars involving Poland]]
[[Category:Wars involving Bohemia]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1345]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1346]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1347]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1348]]
[[Category:14th century in Poland]]
[[Category:14th century in Bohemia]]