OUTLINE OF THE HISTORY

Mazovia is a historical region located in the basin of the middle Vistula and its tributary Narew, currently located in central Poland. In the early Middle Ages it was inhabited by the Mazovian tribe. The settlers took the lands mainly on the right bank of the Vistula, near today's Płock, along larger rivers and in the vicinity of Mława. Settlement developed later, which gradually covered more and more areas: part of Kujawy, Dobrzyń land and the lands to the east. and south. from the previous ones. This territory was probably incorporated into the Piast monarchy during the times of Mieszko I. Its name did not appear in the documents until 1041 r. Mazovia was incorporated into two dioceses: Poznań (south-west part) and Płock (remaining area). In 1 half. XI c. Prince Masław (Miecław) he tried to create his own state with the capital in Płock in part of the territory of Mazovia. In years 1138-1526 Mazovia was a district principality ruled by the Dukes of Mazovia, where from mid. XIV c. at the same time it was a fief of the Crown. From the middle of. XIII w. The Duchy of Masovia was further divided. During the reign of Władysław Herman and Bolesław Krzywousty, the capital of Mazovia – Plock – it actually served as the capital of the Polish state. Since the reign of prince Konrad I, the Duchy of Mazovia has become an independent district. Mazovia was destroyed by the invading Prussians, Yotvingians, Lithuanians and Teutonic Knights. Therefore, it was a lagging development in relation to other Polish lands.

A characteristic feature of the Mazovian society was a relatively large number of petty nobility (reaching 20% total population). W XIV-XVI w. there was a lively colonization of poorly inhabited areas, especially in the north. and north-east. parts of Mazovia through Mazovia from the rest of its parts. The resettlements were also directed to areas outside the Masovian Voivodeship, like Masuria, Podlasie, voiv. Łęczyca, Lithuania and Russia. The childless death of successive rulers of Mazovia resulted in the incorporation of parts of it (lands) within the borders of the Crown. In 1462 r. The land of Gostynin and Rawa were incorporated, w 1476 r. the land of Sochaczew, w 1495 r. Płock land, a w 1529 r. (3 years after the death of the last dukes of Mazovia, Stanisław and Janusz III) – last – the land of Warsaw and Czersk. Immediately after incorporation, they were created from the former lands of the principality of the voivodeship: Masovian Voivodeship, Płock and Rawa were experiencing a period of economic boom. Cities were relatively underdeveloped, with the exception of centers located on traditional trade routes. At that time, Warsaw was one of the largest, Plock, Lomza, Pułtusk and Ciechanów. Do 1540 r. Mazovia had its own parliament (later transformed into a general sejmik), a do 1570 separate law. After the Union of Lublin, St. 1569 r., the central location of Mazovia in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth made it, that its main center – Warsaw – began to function as the capital. Polish Sejms took place here–Lithuanian, from 1573 r. there were elections of kings, a w 1596 r. the royal court moved here. From the middle of. 17th century. there was an economic regression in Mazovia caused by the wars.

As a result of the partitions, Mazovia was divided between Prussia and Austria. In years 1806-13 Napoleon's army passed through the region several times. There were major battles. In 1807 r. Mazovia was included in the Duchy of Warsaw (south-east part. from 1809 r.). After 1815 r. found itself in the Kingdom of Poland. In 1831 r. Many important battles of the Polish-Russian war took place in Mazovia, which broke out in the wake of the November Uprising. After the defeat of the November Uprising, the tsar limited the autonomy of the Kingdom of Poland. In years 1863-64 Many battles and skirmishes took place in Mazovia during the January Uprising. In 1864 r. after the defeat of the uprising, repressions and liquidation of the separateness of the Kingdom of Poland followed. In 1866 r. In administrative terms, Mazovia found itself in the newly created governorates: Łomża, Płocka and Warsaw. Second half. XIX w. is a period of economic development. Roads were built and modernized, Railway routes and numerous industrial plants were built. Agriculture also revived, m.in. in connection with the introduction of sugar beet cultivation and industrial processing. At the end of the 19th and the beginning of. XX w. a new type of service has appeared in the region – holiday services. Centers, which were then away from communication routes, began to decline.

During World War I, Mazovia was the site of many battles, prolonged positional fights, Chemical weapons were also used on a large scale in some places.

In 1918 r. Mazovia became part of the independent Polish state. In terms of administration, it was located in the Warsaw voivodship and partly in Białystok and Lublin voivodeships. For extremely fierce battles, largely with the use of voluntary units, took place during the Polish-Bolshevik war in 1920 r. The interwar period was used to build numerous industrial plants (mainly in the sub-Warsaw region) and the development of urban centers.

During the defensive war in September 1939 r. fierce fights in Mazovia took place on the north. – in the vicinity of Mława, Rose, on the Bzura river, in the Kampinos Forest and around Warsaw. Warsaw defended the longest (do 28 September) and Modlin (do 29 September). After the September defeat, Mazovia was divided: north-west part. was attached to the Third Reich, southern part. to the General Government. The Nazis committed many murders at that time, arrests, they were sent to forced labor and concentration camps. They dealt with the Jewish population especially ruthlessly and cruelly. Initially, Jews were placed in specially created ghettos, and then in extermination camps. Almost the entire Jewish population was murdered in this way. Partisan detachments were active throughout Mazovia during the occupation. In years 1944-45 fierce battles between the Soviet and Polish and German armies took place here. After the end of the war, some partisan units did not lay down their arms.

Do 1956 r. in Mazovia, the process of reconstruction from the war damage was underway and the liquidation of all groups unfavorable to the authorities of the time. The following years saw the construction of large industrial plants, especially in cities, and the creation of large farms in the villages. After 1968 r. some industrial plants were divided into smaller units and moved to smaller centers as part of the deglomeration of the capital's industry. Do 1975 r. Mazovia was part of the provinces: of Warsaw, Łódź and Białystok. As a result of the new administrative division in Mazovia, voivodeships were created: the capital of Warsaw, Ciechanów, Ostrołęka, Płock and Łomża. Part of the lands of historical Mazovia was incorporated into others, neighboring to the above-mentioned voivodships.

In the nineties of the twentieth century. in Mazovia, after the new forces took power and the introduction of significant political changes, there was a decline in industrial production, collapse of state farms, crisis in housing construction (multi-apartment buildings), unemployment has emerged. However, there has been a recovery in trade, especially in large urban centers, development of telecommunications, specialist construction (office buildings, hotel, bank, gigantic commercial facilities) and single-family housing (especially grouped in luxury estates).

Mazovia within its historical borders