Jump to content

Warmia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ak47K (talk | contribs) at 17:23, 11 March 2006 (→‎rv Matthead vandalism). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

File:Warmia.PNG
Warmia in 1547 as part of the Polish province of Royal Prussia

Warmia (Polish: Warmia, German: Ermland, Latin: Varmia, also historically known as Ermeland) is a region between Pomerania and Masuria in northeastern Poland.

Together with Masuria it forms the Warminsko-Mazurskie Voivodship. To the west of Warmia is Pomesania, to the south Chełmno Land, Sassinia and Galindia (later called Masuria) and to the east Sambia. In the north it borders the Vistula Bay. Because it is located in a border area, Warmia has been under the rule of various rulers over its history; the most notable include the Teutonic Order, Poland, and the Kingdom of Prussia.

The area is associated with the Old Prussian tribe of Warmians (a.k.a. Warms, Varms, Varmi, Warmians, Varmians, Latvian: Vārmieši) subdued by the Teutonic Knights. According to legends, the names may come from a chief called Warmo and his wife and widow, Erma.

History

The first traces of human settlement in the region come from ca. 14-15,000 years ago. They are many traces of settlements made by the Lusatian culture (13th-5th century BC), including above-ground water housings and artificially created islands.

In the early Middle Ages the area was inhabited by various Old Prussian tribes, such as the Pomesanians, Pogesanians, Warmians, Natangians, Bartians, Sambians, Nadrovians, Scalovians, Galindians and Sassinians. However, these tribes only began to coordinate after the 12th century when they were subject to crusade from Teutonic Order.

As the Polish state grew in power, Poles tried to Christianize the Prussians, but this led to conflict and skirmishes, including the martyring of Adalbert of Prague.

Because of his inability to subdue the Prussians, Konrad I of Masovia invited in 1226 the Teutonic Knights to Christianise the pagan Prussians. They were given the small Chełmno Land as a fief for the duration of their crusade, but quickly acquired more land to the north and east. Their actions were considered violations of signed treaties, and the knights were also accused of forging land grants. By the end of the 13th century most of the Prussian region, including Warmia, was conquered by the Teutonic Order. The native Prussians were either killed off or reduced to status of serfs. The Order received the reins of government from Emperor Frederick II in 1228. The grant was confirmed by a papal bull from Pope Gregory IX in 1234, although Poland never recognized the rights of the Order to rule the country.

The Bishopric of Warmia was one of four dioceses created in 1242 by the papal legate William of Modena. Between the 13th and 17th centuries Warmia as well as other parts of Prussia were colonised by Germans in the north and Poles in the south. The bishopric was part of a Polish province of the church. The Bishops of Warmia were usually Germans or Poles, although Enea Silvio Piccolomini, the later Pope Pius II, was an Italian bishop of the diocese.

The Second Treaty of Toruń in 1466 removed Warmia from the control of the Teutonic Knights and placed it under the sovereignty of the King of Poland as part of the province of Royal Prussia. This was confirmed in the Treaty of Piotrków Trybunalski (December 7, 1512), which conceded to the King of Poland a limited influence in the election of bishops. After the Union of Lublin in 1569 Warmia was directly included into the Polish crown within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

During the Partitions of Poland Warmia was incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia in 1772, while the property of the bishop was confiscated by the Prussian state. Ignacy Krasicki, the last prince-bishop as well as a Polish writer, was nominated to the Archbishopric of Gniezno. The Prussian census in 1772 showed a total population of 96,547 including an urban population of 24,612 in 12 towns. 17,749 houses were listed and the biggest city was Braunsberg (Braniewo).

As a result of Prussian partition of Poland in the period 1772-1945, Warmia was part of Lutheran East Prussia, with the exception that the people of Warmia remained Catholic. The population of northern Warmia spoke standard German (as opposed to Low German used in the rest of East Prussia), while the south was populated by Polish-speaking Warmiaks. In 1873 the Polish language was forbidden in all schools in Warmia, including Polish schools founded in the 16th century. In 1900 Warmia's population was 240,000.

After World War I, Poles were subject to persecution by the German government during the Weimar Republic. Polish children speaking their language were punished in schools and often had to wear signs with insulting name, such as "Pollack" [1].

During the Nazi period, Poles in Warmia were subject to even harsher persecution by German authorities. Polish organisations were subject to observation by police, and all their activities were reported. So called "Vertrauensmänner", unpaid informants of German police were supplying information on most active members, meetings, as well as helping in preparing lists of people that would be selected as first to be executed or sent to concentration camps. Having excellent information on who sends children to Polish schools, takes part in masses for Poles, buys Polish newspapers, or organisations, the next phase was the activity of nationalist German militia, which engaged in attacks on Poles. Polish schools, printing houses, headquarters of Polish organisations were demolished. Homes of local Polish activists were subject to attacks as well. Even Polish masses were attacked and dispersed. Polish teachers were harassed, as German nationalists gathered under their homes and shouted „Wenn das Polenblut vom Messer spritzt, dann geht’s noch mal so gut”(When Polish blood will burst from the knife, then everything will be two times better). Discrimination increased in 1939. Most active Poles were ordered to leave their homes. Catholic newspapers were closed as well local cultural centers involved with Poles. At the start of Summer, masses in Polish language were forbidden by German authorities. Just before the German invasion against Poland, in the last days of August, Police went to eradicate all elements of social and political life of Polish minority in Germany, by interning almost all activists of Polish organisations in Germany, teachers, people who worked in Polish banks, community workers, as well as Polish priests. Prominent Polish cultural activists were murdered, such as Seweryn Pieniężny, Leon Włodarczak[2],Juliusz Malewski, Stefan Różycki. Locals who showed interest in Polish culture were frequently murdered as well.[3]. Before being murdered they were usually forced to erase signs, posters or Polish symbols from places that formerly housed Polish organisations[4].

After the war, in 1945 Warmia was restored to Polish state as a result of the decisions of the Potsdam Conference. Considered de facto returned after 173 years to Poland, ethnic Germans were expelled from East Prussia to Germany. Yet, a minority of Germans of Poland remained.

The governments of the two German states accepted Germany's post-war eastern border by treaties in 1950 and 1970, and finally de jure in the prelude to the 1990 reunification. Today Warmia is part of the administrative region Warmia-Masuria.

Major towns

Polish names":

Famous Warmians

See also

References

  • Template:Pl icon Erwin Kruk, "Warmia i Mazury", Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie, Wrocław 2003, ISBN 8373840281
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Warmia&oldid=43309785"