A History of Warsaw

Medieval Warsaw

The first traces of settlement in the Warsaw area date from the 10th century. The first notable structure does not come in until the beginning of the 14th century, when the dukes of Mazovia built a stronghold on the site where the Royal Palace stands today, thus starting a township. The city's outlay closely followed that of many other medieval Polish towns including a central square with a nearby church and the whole town surrounded by fortified walls for protection. In 1413 Warsaw became the seat of the Mazovian dukes, and the city experiences a wave of development. At about this period saw emergence of the New Town along the northern walls of the Old Town. In 1526 the last duke of Mazovia died without an heir, thus putting Warsaw along with the whole of Mazovia under the direct rule of the Polish king in Krakow.

The Capital of Poland

In 1569 Warsaw became the seat of the Sejm or Polish parliament, due to its central location in the new union between Poland and Lithuania. Four years later the city became the seat of the royal elections, however the King still resided in Krakow. In 1596 Warsaw became the capital after a fire in the residence of King Zygmunt III Waza in Krakow. During the 1655-1660 Swedish invasion of Poland, Warsaw suffered heavy damage this included physical and cultural losses. The 18th century saw some of the most splendid growth of the city. It was during this period that many of the palaces, churches and monasteries were erected and the cultural life flourished, especially during the reign of the last Polish king Stanislaw August Poniatowski.

The Partition of Poland

By 1795 Poland had been totally partitioned by three empires: Prussia, Russia and the Habsburg Empire. Warsaw found itself under the Prussian rule and its role was diminished to that of a small provincial town. However in 1807 Warsaw became the capital when Napoleon created the Duchy of Warsaw. With the collapse of Napoleonic France, however, Warsaw fell to the Russian rule. Despite the Russian occupation, Warsaw continued in its steady development along with a steady population increase. By 1900 Warsaw had 700,000 inhabitants.