Royal Prussia (; or , ) or Polish Prussia (Polish: ; German: ) was a province of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, which was established after the Second Peace of Toruń (Thorn) (1466) from territory in Pomerelia and western Prussia which had previously been part of the State of the Teutonic Order (these areas were officially occupied by the Teutonic Knights in 1308, previously they also belonged to Poland). Royal Prussia retained its autonomy, governing itself and maintaining its own laws, customs, rights and German language for German minority.
In 1569, Royal Prussia was fully integrated into the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and its autonomy was largely abandoned. As a result, the Royal Prussian parliament was incorporated into the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1772 and 1793, after first and second partition of Poland, the former territory of Royal Prussia was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia and subsequently re-organized into the province of West Prussia. This occurred at the time of the First Partition of Poland, with other parts of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth being annexed by the Russian Empire and Habsburg Austria.
Geography
The area consisted of the following territories: Pomerelia Gdańsk Pomerania (Pomeranian Voivodeship (1466–1772)) with the mouth of the Vistula, including the city of Gdańsk the Lauenburg and Bütow land, at times ruled as enfeoffed to Poland by the Duchy of Pomerania (Farther) later succeeded by Brandenburg-Prussia Chełmno Land and Michałów Land (Chełmno Voivodeship), including the city of Toruń Western part of the original Prussia, which was forcibly ceded from the Teutonic Order in the Second Peace of Thorn (1466) to the Kingdom of Poland the Prince-Bishopric of Warmia (Ermland) with Frauenburg (Frombork), Heilsberg (Lidzbark Warmiński) and Allenstein (Olsztyn) the Malbork Land, territory covering northern parts of Pomesania and Pogesania with Marienburg (Malbork), Stuhm (Sztum), Christburg (Kiszpork, later Dzierzgoń) and Tolkemit (Tolkmicko), including the City of Elbing (Elbląg)
In contrast, southern remainder of Pomesania and Pogesania, including Marienwerder (Kwidzyn), Deutsch Eylau (Iława), Riesenburg (Prabuty), Rosenberg (Susz), Bischofswerder (Biskupiec), Saalfeld (Zełwałd, later Zalewo), Freystadt (Kisielice), Mohrungen (Morąg), Preußisch Holland (Pasłęk) and Liebstadt (Libsztat, later Miłakowo), formed Upper Prussia (German: , Polish: ) constituting the westernmost part of the Prussian territory left to the Teutonic Knights, known as Teutonic or Monastic Prussia with Königsberg as its capital, later secularized in 1525 to become Ducal Prussia ruled by the Protestant dukes of the Hohenzollern dynasty. From 1618 this area was ruled in personal union with the Electorate of Brandenburg as Brandenburg-Prussia. In 1657 the Treaty of Wehlau granted full independence to the Duchy of Prussia, allowing its later elevation to Kingdom in Prussia.
History
Prussian Confederation
Originally Polish, the Pomerelian part of the region was gradually emancipating during the fragmentation of Poland upon the death of Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1138, culminating in an almost independent Duchy of Pomerelia in 1227. It was, however, reclaimed by the Polish state by 1282, but retained some grade of autonomy. During the rule of Władysław I the Elbow-high of Poland, the Margraviate of Brandenburg challenged his rule over the territory in 1308, leading Władysław to request assistance from the Teutonic Knights, who had ousted the Brandenburgers, but subsequently seized Pomerelia for themselves and incorporated it into the Teutonic Order state in 1309 (Teutonic takeover of Danzig (Gdańsk) and Treaty of Soldin (Myślibórz)). At the beginning of the 15th century, the lands held by the Teutonic Knights were inhabited as a whole by a mixed population; it is estimated that there were about 200 000 Germans in the state altogether, followed by 140 000 native Prussians located in the Prussia proper (east of Vistula), as well about 140 000 Poles in Pomerelia and Masuria.