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A reunited realm: the last Piastian monarchs
In the reigns of the last Piastian kings, Władysław Łokietek (Vladislaus the Elbow-high), and Kazimierz Wielki (Casimir the Great), most of the Polish lands were reunited.
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Marienburg (now Malbork) Castle, erstwhile stronghold of the Teutonic Knights |
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| Poland became a strong, well-managed kingdom, actively participating in the political, economic and cultural life of Europe. In 1364 a university was founded in Cracow, the second university foundation in Central Europe after Prague. Cracow served as a major diplomatic centre: in 1364 it played host to a congress of monarchs. The main problem for the country lay in the incessant conflicts with the Czechs (disputes over Silesia) and, since 1226, the Teutonic Order, which had managed to set up a strong principality in Prussia and constantly threatened the Polish borders. Casimir had no heir in the male line, which spelled the end of the Piast dynasty (1370) and the Polish throne passed to allied relatives of the Piasts, the Hungarian branch of the House of Anjou (1370-1384; King Louis the Hungarian and his daughter Jadwiga). The threat from the Teutonic Order induced Poland to enter a treaty with Lithuania. The negotiations culminated in the marriage of Jadwiga, who had ascended the throne of Poland while still in her minority, with Jagiełło (Iogaila)Grand Duke of Lithuania, Lithuania's conversion to Christianity, and a personal union of both countries (Krewo, 1385).
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