Editing Lesser Poland (section)

=== Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ===
In the 16th century, Lesser Poland retained its position as the most important province of the country. As no major conflicts took place on its territory, it was the center of [[Renaissance in Poland]]. The province was home to numerous scholars, writers and statesmen, and it was here where [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] was created in 1569 (see [[Union of Lublin]]). In the Commonwealth, Lesser Poland proper was the base of the [[Lesser Poland Province, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Lesser Poland Province]], which covered southern lands of the vast country. The province was made of Lesser Poland itself, also [[Podlachia]], [[Red Ruthenia]]/[[Cherven Cities]], [[Volhynia]], [[Podolia]], and [[Dnieper Ukraine|Ukrainian]] voivodeships of [[Kiev Voivodeship|Kijów]] ([[Kyiv]]) and [[Chernihiv Voivodeship|Czernihów]] ([[Chernihiv]]), which, until 1569, had been part of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]].

The period in Polish history known as the [[Polish Golden Age]] was very fortunate for Lesser Poland. Kings of the [[Jagiellonian dynasty]], especially [[Sigismund I the Old]] (himself born in Lesser Poland's [[Kozienice]]), and his son [[Sigismund II Augustus]] (born in Kraków), resided in Kraków, which was the capital of the immense Polish – Lithuanian Commonwealth. Lesser Poland's prosperity was reflected in numerous examples of [[Renaissance]] architecture complexes, built across the province. In 1499, hitherto [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] [[Wawel Castle]] was damaged in a fire, and a few years later, Sigismund I, with help of the best native and foreign artists (such as Francesco the Florentine, Bartholomeo Berrecci or Niccolo Castiglione<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.krakow-poland.com/Tourist-Attractions/Wawel-Castle-Krakow,he |title=Wawel – the Seat of Kings |publisher=Krakow-poland.com |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110915094954/http://www.krakow-poland.com/Tourist-Attractions/Wawel-Castle-Krakow,he |archive-date=15 September 2011}}</ref>) refurbished the complex into a splendid Renaissance palace. Furthermore, in the early 16th century, several palaces were built in Lesser Poland – in [[Drzewica]], [[Szydłowiec]], [[Ogrodzieniec]], and [[Pieskowa Skała]]. The province became rich mostly due to the [[grain trade]], conducted along the Vistula, and among cities which prospered in the 16th century, there are Kraków, Sandomierz, Lublin, [[Kazimierz Dolny]], [[Pilzno]], [[Tarnów]], Radom, [[Biecz]]. In later years of the 16th century, further palaces were built or remodelled in [[Baranow Sandomierski]], and [[Niepołomice]].
[[File:Zamek Pieskowa Skała, ogród włoski.jpg|thumb|[[Pieskowa Skała]]]]
In the early 16th century, [[Protestant Reformation]] spread across the Commonwealth, and Lesser Poland became one of early centers of the movement, when students from [[Wittenberg]] brought the news to Cracow.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boisestate.edu/courses/westciv/reformat/poland.htm |title=Dr. E. L. Skip Knox, The Reformation in Poland. Boise State University |publisher=Boisestate.edu |date=18 August 2000 |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927042011/http://www.boisestate.edu/courses/westciv/reformat/poland.htm |archive-date=27 September 2011}}</ref> In the first years of the century, professor of Jagiellonian University Jakub of [[Iłża]] (Jakub z Ilzy, died 1542) became one of the main promoters of the movement in the region. He actively supported the notions of [[Martin Luther]], and in 1528 was called to the Bishop of Kraków's court. Convinced of heresy, he was forced to leave Poland in 1535. Reformation soon became very popular among Lesser Poland's nobility, especially [[Calvinism]], and according to one estimate, some 20% of local [[szlachta]] converted from Roman Catholicism.<ref>{{cite web |author=Marek Kurkierewicz |url=http://www.magazyn.ekumenizm.pl/content/article/20041209161417737.htm |title=Marek Kurkierewicz, Reformacja na ziemiach polskich, published in Magazyn Teologiczny Semper Reformanda |publisher=Magazyn.ekumenizm.pl |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009134447/http://www.magazyn.ekumenizm.pl/content/article/20041209161417737.htm |archive-date=9 October 2011}}</ref> They were attracted by Calvinism's democratic character, and Lesser Poland's center of the movement was set in the town of [[Pińczów]], which came to be known as ''Sarmatian Athens''. It was in Pińczów, where a local nobleman converted a Roman Catholic parish into a Protestant one, opened a Calvinist Academy, and published its Antitrinitarian confession in 1560 and in 1561.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.americanunitarian.org/hillarsocinian1.htm |title=ocinian Precursors of the American Constitutional Separation of Church and State by Marian Hillar, Houston, Texas |publisher=Americanunitarian.org |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927143710/http://www.americanunitarian.org/hillarsocinian1.htm |archive-date=27 September 2011}}</ref> Several Calvinist synods took place in Lesser Poland – the first one in [[Słomniki]] (1554), Pińczów (the first united Synod of Poland and Lithuania – 1556{{sfn|Davies|2005|p=143}} 1561), and Kraków (1562). In 1563, also in Pińczów, the so-called [[Brest Bible]] was translated into Polish. In 1570, the [[Sandomierz Agreement]] was signed by a number of Protestant groups, with the exception of the [[Polish Brethren]], another religious group very influential in Lesser Poland. The Brethren had their center in Lesser Poland's village of [[Raków, Kielce County|Raków]], where a main Arian printing press, as well as a college, known as Akademia Rakowska (''Gymnasium Bonarum Artium'') founded in 1602 were located. Among distinguished European scholars associated with the school, there were [[Johannes Crellius]], [[Corderius]], and [[Valentinus Smalcius]] (who translated into German the [[Racovian Catechism]]).

In 1572, the Jagiellon dynasty died out, and next year, [[Henry III of France]] became first elected king of the country. After his short reign, and [[War of the Polish Succession (1587–88)]], which also took place in Lesser Poland, the new ruler was [[Stephen Báthory of Poland]], who died in 1586. The ruler from [[Transylvania]] was followed by [[Sigismund III Vasa]] of Sweden, whose election marked gradual decline of the province. Sigismund's eyes were set on Sweden, and for many years he concentrated his efforts on a futile attempt to regain his former Swedish throne (see [[Polish–Swedish union]], [[War against Sigismund]]). Therefore, Lesser Poland, located in southwestern corner of the Commonwealth, began to lose its importance, which was marked in 1596, when Sigismund moved his permanent residence, court and the crown headquarters to centrally-located Warsaw.<ref>[http://www.warsawhotelstart.com/ Tourist Information – Warsaw Hotel Start] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091030022311/http://www.warsawhotelstart.com/ |date=30 October 2009 }} "Its central location was the main reason for holding royal elections here. After Wawel Castle in Cracow burnt down, King Zygmunt III Waza moved his permanent residence, court and the crown headquarters from Cracow to Warsaw in 1596."</ref>
[[File:Śmierguśnicy.jpg|thumb|left|Members of the regional Folk Group of [[Wilamowice]] "Cepelia Fil Wilamowice"<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fil.wilamowice.pl/page.php?id=14|title=Regionalny Zespół Pieśni i Tańca "Cepelia Fil-Wilamowice"|website=www.fil.wilamowice.pl|access-date=2016-08-03|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817083707/http://www.fil.wilamowice.pl/page.php?id=14|archive-date=17 August 2016}}</ref>]]
[[File:Wyszehradzki Festiwal Folklorystyczny w Jaśle Lachy Sądeckie 4.JPG|thumb|left|[[Lachy Sądeckie]] are a group of ethnic Poles who live in southern Lesser Poland]]
Even though first half of the 17th century was filled with wars, all major conflicts did not reach Lesser Poland, and the province continued to prosper, which was reflected in its castles and palaces, such as the enormous [[Krzyztopor]]. Apart from minor wars, such as [[Zebrzydowski Rebellion]], and [[Kostka-Napierski Uprising]], the province remained safe. [[Cossack]]s of the [[Khmelnytsky Uprising]] reached as far west as [[Zamość]] and [[Lwów]], but did not enter Lesser Poland. The province did not witness other wars, such as [[Polish–Swedish War (1626–1629)]], [[Polish–Russian War (1609–1618)]], [[Polish–Ottoman War (1620–1621)]], and [[Smolensk War]]. Nevertheless, Lesser Poland's nobility took active part in these conflicts – [[Marina Mniszech]], the daughter of Voivode of Sandomierz, [[Jerzy Mniszech]], was wife of [[False Dmitriy I]], as well as [[False Dmitriy II]]. Furthermore, Lesser Poland's lands, especially its northeastern part, became a base for Polish troops, fighting the Cossacks, and King [[John II Casimir Vasa]] often stayed in Lublin with his court, preparing military campaigns in Ukraine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tnn.pl/Powstanie_Chmielnickiego_w_Lublinie_1648_%E2%80%93_1655,2788.html |title=Chmielnicki Uprising in Lublin 1648–1655 |publisher=Tnn.pl |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001053925/http://www.tnn.pl/Powstanie_Chmielnickiego_w_Lublinie_1648_%E2%80%93_1655,2788.html |archive-date=1 October 2011}}</ref> The situation changed with the outbreak of the [[Russo-Polish War (1654–1667)]]. In October 1655, the Russo-Cossack armies under [[Ivan Vyhovsky]] entered [[Eastern Lesser Poland]], reaching the Vistula, and pillaging Lublin, [[Puławy]], and [[Kazimierz Dolny]]. The invaders quickly retreated, but a few months later, Lesser Poland was [[Deluge (history)|flooded]] by the [[Swedish Empire|Swedes]].
[[File:ST40s-09c locomotive.jpg|thumb|[[Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line]]]]
Swedish invasion of Poland had catastrophic consequences for the hitherto prosperous province. The attackers, supported by their allies from [[Transylvania]], seized whole Lesser Poland, reaching as far south as [[Nowy Targ]], [[Nowy Sącz]], and [[Żywiec]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nsi.pl/almanach/art-ludzie/pulkownik_mikolaj_giza.htm |title=Jerzy Giza. Pulkownik Mikolaj Giza – komendant Nowego Sacza |publisher=Nsi.pl |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009152623/http://www.nsi.pl/almanach/art-ludzie/pulkownik_mikolaj_giza.htm |archive-date=9 October 2011}}</ref> All major cities were looted and burned, and some of them, like Radom, did not recover until the 19th century.<ref>{{cite web|author=źródło: Dariusz Milewski, "Mówią wieki", nr 3, 2008 |url=http://www.wilanow-palac.art.pl/index.php?enc=895 |title=Jak szwedzki potop zalal Radom, by Dariusz Milewski |publisher=Wilanow-palac.art.pl |access-date=8 October 2011}}</ref> The Swedes captured and pillaged Sandomierz (where they destroyed the Royal Castle, and after the invasion, the city never recovered<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sandomierz.net/kochac_miasto/przestrzen.html |title=Sandomierski Serwis Informacyjny |publisher=Sandomierz.net |date=25 February 1977 |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009152613/http://www.sandomierz.net/kochac_miasto/przestrzen.html |archive-date=9 October 2011}}</ref>), Opoczno,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.opoczno.pl/opoczno/_portal/118966257546e8cf6f48221/Co_o_Opocznie_wiedzie%C4%87_warto.html |title=Urząd Miejski w Opocznie |publisher=Opoczno.pl |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412041948/http://www.opoczno.pl/opoczno/_portal/118966257546e8cf6f48221/Co_o_Opocznie_wiedzie%C4%87_warto.html |archive-date=12 April 2009}}</ref> Lublin,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lublin.eu/Najwazniejsze_wydarzenia_z_historii_Lublina-1-92.html |title=Lublin – miasto inspiracji {{pipe}} oficjalny portal miasta Lublin |publisher=Lublin.eu |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012231724/http://lublin.eu/Najwazniejsze_wydarzenia_z_historii_Lublina-1-92.html |archive-date=12 October 2011}}</ref> Kazimierz Dolny<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kazimierzdolny-aktywnie.pl/|title=www.kazimierzdolny-aktywnie.pl - Wymyszkowane Strony|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313160929/http://www.kazimierzdolny-aktywnie.pl/|archive-date=13 March 2010}}</ref> Pilzno,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pilzno.karmelici.pl/obraz/obraz.htm |title=obraz |publisher=Pilzno.karmelici.pl |date=28 February 2006 |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908072350/http://www.pilzno.karmelici.pl/obraz/obraz.htm |archive-date=8 September 2012 }}</ref> Szydlow,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.szydlow.pl/index.php?id=opis/historia |title=Serwis internetowy Gminy Szydłów |publisher=Szydlow.pl |date=28 September 2011 |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719175024/http://www.szydlow.pl/index.php?id=opis%2Fhistoria |archive-date=19 July 2011}}</ref> Szydłowiec,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.traper.waw.pl/s66/Szydlowiec |title=Sprzęt Turystyczny – Szydłowiec |publisher=Traper |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009152621/http://www.traper.waw.pl/s66/Szydlowiec |archive-date=9 October 2011}}</ref> Tarnów,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.it.tarnow.pl/atrakcje/szlaki_tematyczne/spt_male_miasteczka/ |title=TARNÓW I REGION - atrakcje -> szlaki tematyczne |access-date=2009-11-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620224614/http://www.it.tarnow.pl/atrakcje/szlaki_tematyczne/spt_male_miasteczka/ |archive-date=20 June 2009}}</ref> Kielce,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sztetl.org.pl/?a=showCity&action=view&city_id=458&cat_id=3 |title=Historia miejscowości – Informacje o mieście – Kielce – Wirtualny Sztetl |publisher=Sztetl.org.pl |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501010953/https://sztetl.org.pl/?a=showCity&action=view&city_id=458&cat_id=3 |archive-date=1 May 2018}}</ref> Kraśnik,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.1sp.krasnik.pl/szkola/inne_str/historia/hist_kra.html |title=Rys historyczny Miasta Kraśnika Kraśnik |publisher=1sp.krasnik.pl |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009152624/http://www.1sp.krasnik.pl/szkola/inne_str/historia/hist_kra.html |archive-date=9 October 2011}}</ref> and Kraków. The invaders seized the capital of Lesser Poland after a [[Siege of Kraków (1655)|short siege]], and their occupation of the province was confirmed after their victories in the [[Battle of Wojnicz]], and the [[Battle of Golab]]. In those years, one of the most important and symbolic events in the history of the nation took place in Lesser Poland. It was the [[Siege of Jasna Góra]], which, according to some accounts, turned the course of the war. Furthermore, following the [[Treaty of Radnot]], Lesser Poland was invaded in January 1657 by [[George II Rákóczi]], whose troops caused more destruction. Foreign armies were not chased out of Lesser Poland until 1657, Kraków itself was recaptured on 18 August 1657. After these invasions, the province was ruined, with hundreds of villages, towns and cities burned. The population decreased (the urban population by nearly half<ref>Jaroslav Miller. ''Urban Societies in East-Central Europe''. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. 2008. p. 31.</ref>), the peasantry starved, and like other parts of the Commonwealth, Lesser Poland was devastated. The period of peace lasted for about forty years, when in 1700, another major conflict, the [[Great Northern War]] began. Lesser Poland once again became a battleground, with [[Battle of Kliszów]] taking place there in 1702, and the [[Sandomierz Confederation]] formed in 1704.

After the conflict, Lesser Poland began a recovery, which was hampered by several other factors. Province's cities frequently burned (Lublin 1719, Nowy Targ 1784, Nowy Sącz, Dukla 1758, Wieliczka 1718, Miechów 1745, Drzewica), there also were numerous outbreaks of plagues and typhus (in 1707–1708, some 20,000 died in Kraków and its area<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wawel.net/liczby_kleski.htm |title=Krakow in dates and figures |publisher=Wawel.net |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927110137/http://www.wawel.net/liczby_kleski.htm |archive-date=27 September 2011}}</ref>)

Lesser Poland was one of main centers of the [[Bar Confederation]]. On 21 June 1786 in Kraków, local confederation was announced, and on the same day Voievode of Kraków, Michal Czarnocki, urged his citizens to join the movement. Soon afterwards, Kraków was captured by the Russian troops, and the center of Lesser Poland's insurgency moved to the mountainous south – areas around Dukla and Nowy Sącz.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.beskidniski.pl/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=258&page=2 |title=Beskid Niski – informacje regionalne |publisher=Beskidniski.pl |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009172903/http://www.beskidniski.pl/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=258&page=2 |archive-date=9 October 2011}}</ref> During the Confederation, several battles and skirmishes took place there. In 1770, after the Battle of Iwonicz, the Russians ransacked Biecz. The movement ended in 1772, and its decline was connected with the [[Partitions of Poland]]. Another local center of the movement was [[Jasna Góra Monastery]] in Częstochowa, which was defended by [[Kazimierz Pulaski]] for almost two years (1770–1772).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.krakow-info.com/czestoch.htm|title=Krakow Info - Czestochowa Sanctuary - Jasna Gora monastery - Our Lady of Czestochowa|access-date=5 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401092924/http://www.krakow-info.com/czestoch.htm|archive-date=1 April 2017}}</ref>

[[File:D5sp-czarny.jpg|thumb|right|[[Czarny Staw]] (''Black Pond'') in the [[High Tatras]]]]