History
The name Poland comes from the tribe Polanie who settled near Gniezno. In the 9th and 10th century Polanie managed to unite most other Slavic tribes living in the area. They established the state reigned by the Piast dynasty.
The first prince of the Piast dynasty mentioned by historical sources was Mieszko I. He was baptized in the year 966, starting Christianization of Poland. The son of Mieszko, Boleslaw Chrobry, was the first king of Poland. The first capital of Poland was Gniezno. In 1038 the capital was moved to Kraków, and a few centuries later - to Warsaw.
In 1386 Queen Jadwiga married the grand duke of Lithuania, Władysław Jagiełło. This marriage initiated a union between Poland and Lithuania. The Jagiellonian Dynasty reigned Poland until 1572. That was a very good period for Poland, especially the 16th century, which is called the 'golden age' of Poland.
After the end of Jagiellonian Dynasty, the elective monarchy began. The internal rivarly caused the weakness of the state.
The weakness of Poland enabled the first partition of the country by Russia, Prussia and Austria in 1772. These countries annexed nearly 30% of the territory of Poland. It caused the attempts to make reforms in Poland. On the 3 May 1791 was established the Constitution of Poland - the first one in Europe. However, it did not prevent Poland from being partitioned for the second (1792) and the third (1795) time. For 123 years Poland disappeared from the map of Europe.
During the 19th century the Polish people revolted against the occupants. The most significant uprisings were in 1830-1831 and 1863-1864. Poland regained independence after the First World War, in november 1918, as the Second Polish Republic. But the peace did not last long. On the 1st September 1939 Poland was invaded by Germany, and on the 17th September - by Soviet troops. Polish resistance was crushed, and the country was partitioned again, and later - completely occupied by Germany. Many people died in