Editing Lusatia (section)

== History ==

===Early history===
According to the earliest records, the area was settled by culturally [[Celts|Celtic]] tribes. Later, around 100&nbsp;BC, the Germanic [[Semnones]] settled in that area. The name of the region may be derived from that of the [[Lugii|Ligians]]. From around 600 onwards, [[Polabian Slavs|West Slavic]] tribes known as the [[Milceni]] and Lusici settled permanently in the region.

In the 10th century, the region came under the influence of the [[Kingdom of Germany]], starting with the 928 eastern campaigns of King [[Henry the Fowler]]. Until 963 the Lusatian tribes were subdued by the [[Duchy of Saxony|Saxon]] margrave [[Gero]] and upon his death two years later, the [[March of Lusatia]] was established on the territory of today's Lower Lusatia and remained with the [[Holy Roman Empire]], while the adjacent [[Northern March]] again got lost in the Slavic uprising of 983. The later Upper Lusatian region of the Milceni lands up to the [[Silesia]]n border at the [[Kwisa]] river at first was part of the [[Margraviate of Meissen]] under Margrave [[Eckard I, Margrave of Meissen|Eckard I]].

[[File:Polska 992 - 1025.png|thumb|Poland under [[Bolesław I the Brave]] with Lusatia and marked battles of the [[German–Polish War (1003–1018)]]]]
At the same time the [[Polans (western)|Polan]] duke of the later [[Kingdom of Poland (1025–1385)|Kingdom of Poland]] raised claims to the Lusatian lands and upon the death of Emperor [[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto III]] in 1002, Margrave [[Gero II, Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark|Gero II]] lost Lusatia to the Polish Duke [[Boleslaus I of Poland|Boleslaw I]] the Brave, who took the region in his conquests,  acknowledged by Henry II first in the same year in Merseburg and later in the 1018 [[Peace of Bautzen]], Lusatia became part of his territory; however, Germans and Poles continued to struggle over the administration of the region. It was regained in a 1031 campaign by Emperor [[Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor|Conrad II]] in favour of the Saxon German rulers of the Meissen [[House of Wettin]] and the [[House of Ascania|Ascanian]] margraves of [[Margraviate of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]], who purchased the March of (Lower) Lusatia in 1303.

In 1367 the Brandenburg elector [[Otto V, Duke of Bavaria|Otto V of Wittelsbach]] finally sold Lower Lusatia to King [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Karel]] of [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]], thereby becoming a [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Bohemian crown land]].

=== Bohemian rule ===
[[File:Bautzen-nach1620-Merian.jpg|thumb|The siege and capture of [[Bautzen]] by [[John George I, Elector of Saxony]], in September 1620]]
As Margrave [[Egbert II, Margrave of Meissen|Egbert II of Meissen]] supported [[anti-king]] [[Rudolf of Rheinfelden]] during the [[Investiture Controversy]], King [[Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry IV of Germany]] in 1076 awarded the Milceni lands of Upper Lusatia as a fief to the [[Bohemia]]n duke [[Vladislaus I, Duke of Bohemia|Vratislav II]]. After Emperor [[Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick Barbarossa]] had elevated Duke [[Vladislaus II, Duke of Bohemia|Vladislaus II]] to the rank of a King of Bohemia in 1158, the Upper Lusatian lands around Bautzen evolved into a [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Bohemian crown land]]. Around 1200, large numbers of German settlers came to Lusatia in the course of the ''[[Ostsiedlung]]'', settling in the forested areas yet not inhabited by the Slavs. For centuries, from as early as the Middle Ages, trade flourished, and several important trade routes ran through Lusatia, connecting German states in the west, Poland in the east and Bohemia in the south.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Pieradzka|first=Krystyna|year=1949|title=Związki handlowe Łużyc ze Śląskiem w dawnych wiekach|journal=Sobótka|language=pl|location=Wrocław|volume=IV|issue=4|pages=89–91}}</ref> In 1319, the region was divided between the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]] and the [[Duchy of Jawor]], the southwesternmost duchy of fragmented [[Piast dynasty|Piast]]-ruled Poland, while northernmost parts also passed to the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]] in the following years.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bogusławski|first=Wilhelm|title=Rys dziejów serbo-łużyckich|year=1861|location=Petersburg|page=142|language=pl}}</ref> From 1368, it was entirely part of the Bohemian Crown.

In 1346 six Upper Lusatian cities formed the [[Lusatian League]] to resist the constant attacks conducted by [[Robber baron (feudalism)|robber baron]]s. The association supported King [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund]] in the [[Hussite Wars]] leading to armed attacks and devastation. The cities were represented in the (Upper) Lusatian ''[[Landtag]]'' assembly, where they met with the fierce opposition of the noble [[state country|state countries]]. In 1469 the region passed to [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungary]], and in 1490 it returned to the Bohemian Crown, then under the rule of Polish Prince [[Vladislaus II of Hungary|Vladislaus II]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Köhler|first=Gustav|title=Der Bund der Sechsstädte in der Ober-Lausitz: Eine Jubelschrift|year=1846|publisher=G. Heinze & Comp.|location=Görlitz|page=30|language=de}}</ref>

Following the [[Lutheran]] Reformation, the greater part of Lusatia became [[Protestantism|Protestant]] except for the area between Bautzen, Kamenz and Hoyerswerda. The Lusatias remained under Bohemian rule – from 1526 onwards under the rule of the [[House of Habsburg]] – until the [[Thirty Years' War]].

=== Saxon rule ===
[[File:Lausitz map 18thC.jpg|thumb|upright|Map of the Lusatias by [[Johann Homann|J.B. Homann]], about 1715]]
[[File:Lusatia - Herman Moll.jpg|thumb|Lusatia as part of Saxony in 18th century by [[Herman Moll]]. Included cities [[Guben]], [[Görlitz]], [[Bautzen|Baudissen]], [[Cottbus]], [[Lübben (Spreewald)|Luben]] and [[Żary|Soraw]] (Żary).]]
According to the 1635 [[Peace of Prague (1635)|Peace of Prague]], most of Lusatia became a province of the [[Electorate of Saxony]], except for the region around Cottbus possessed by Brandenburg. After the Saxon elector [[Augustus II the Strong|Augustus the Strong]] was elected king of [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Poland]] in 1697, Lusatia became strategically important as the elector-kings sought to create a land connection between their Saxon homelands and the Polish territories. Two main routes connecting [[Warsaw]] and [[Dresden]] ran through the region in the 18th century and Kings [[Augustus II the Strong]] and [[Augustus III of Poland]] often traveled the routes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dresden-warszawa.eu/pl/prolog/informacja-historyczna/|title=Informacja historyczna|website=Dresden-Warszawa|access-date=22 October 2023|language=pl}}</ref> Numerous Polish dignitaries also traveled through Lusatia on several occasions, and some [[Szlachta|Polish nobles]] owned estates in Lusatia.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Matyniak|first=Alojzy S.|year=1968|title=Kontakty kulturalne polsko-serbołużyckie w XVIII w.|journal=Śląski Kwartalnik Historyczny Sobótka|publisher=[[Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich]]|location=Wrocław|language=pl|volume=XXIII|issue=2|page=243}}</ref> A distinct remnant of the region's ties to Poland are the 18th-century [[milepost]]s decorated with the [[coat of arms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] located in various towns in the region. Polish-Sorbian contacts increased in that period. With the [[Age of Enlightenment]], the Sorbian national revival began and resistance to Germanization emerged.<ref>Matyniak, p. 241</ref>

[[File:A new and accurate Map of Saxony, part of Brandenburg, Silesia, Poland and Bohemia.jpg|thumb|A map of Saxony consisting of Dutchy of Saxony, Marquisat of Lusatia and Marquisat of Misnia (by J. Hinton in 1756)]]
[[Herrnhut]], between [[Löbau]] and [[Zittau]], founded in 1722 by religious refugees from [[Moravia]] on the estate of Count [[Nicolaus Zinzendorf]] became the starting point of the organized [[Protestant]] [[missionary]] movement in 1732 and missionaries went out from the [[Moravian Church]] in Herrnhut to all corners of the world to share the Gospel.

The newly established [[Kingdom of Saxony]], however, sided with [[Napoleon]]; therefore, at the 1815 [[Congress of Vienna]], Lusatia was divided, with Lower Lusatia and the northeastern part of Upper Lusatia around [[Hoyerswerda]], [[Rothenburg, Oberlausitz|Rothenburg]], [[Görlitz]], and [[Lubań|Lauban]] awarded to [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]. Only the southwestern part of Upper Lusatia, which included [[Löbau]], [[Kamenz]], [[Bautzen]], and [[Zittau]], remained part of Saxony.

=== Prussian rule ===
The Lusatians in Prussia demanded that their land become a distinct administrative unit, but Lower Lusatia was incorporated into the [[Province of Brandenburg]], while the Upper Lusatian territories were attached to the [[Province of Silesia]] instead.

One of the main escape routes for insurgents of the unsuccessful Polish [[November Uprising]] from partitioned Poland to the [[Great Emigration]] led through [[Lübben (Spreewald)|Lübben]] and [[Luckau]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Umiński|first=Janusz|year=1998|title=Losy internowanych na Pomorzu żołnierzy powstania listopadowego|magazine=Jantarowe Szlaki|volume=4 |language=pl|issue=250|page=16}}</ref>

The 19th and early 20th centuries witnessed an era of cultural revival for Sorbs. The modern languages of Upper and Lower Lusatian (or Sorbian) emerged, national literature flourished, and many national organizations such as [[Maćica Serbska]] and [[Domowina]] were founded. There were also notable Polish communities in Lusatia, such as [[Klettwitz]] ({{langx|hsb|link=no|Klěśišća}}, {{langx|pl|link=no|Kletwice}}), inhabited in the 1930s by some 550 Poles.<ref>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Leksykon Polactwa w Niemczech|year=1939|language=pl|publisher=Związek Polaków w Niemczech|location=Opole|page=364}}</ref>

In the interbellum, the German government carried out a massive campaign of changing of place names in Lusatia in order to erase traces of Slavic origin, and while most of the historic names were restored after [[World War II]], some were retained.

This era came to an end during the [[Nazism|Nazi]] regime in Germany, when all Sorbian organizations were abolished and forbidden, newspapers and magazines closed, and any use of the Sorbian languages was prohibited. During World War II, some Sorbian activists were arrested, executed, exiled or sent as [[political prisoner]]s to [[concentration camps]]. From 1942 to 1944 the underground [[Lusatian National Committee]] was formed and was active in [[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|German-occupied]] [[Warsaw]].

During the war, the Germans established and operated several [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|prisoner-of-war camps]], including [[Oflag III-C]], [[Oflag IV-D]], Oflag 8, Stalag III-B, [[Stalag IV-A]] and [[Stalag VIII-A]], with multiple [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] subcamps in the region. Prisoners included Polish POWs and civilians, and [[French prisoners of war in World War II|French]], Belgian, British, Australian, New Zealander, Canadian, South African, Dutch, Italian, Soviet, Serbian, Slovak and American POWs.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Megargee|first1=Geoffrey P.|last2=Overmans|first2=Rüdiger|last3=Vogt|first3=Wolfgang|year=2022|title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV|publisher=Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|pages=211–212, 235, 240, 405–406, 413, 443–444|isbn=978-0-253-06089-1}}</ref> There were also several Nazi prisons with multiple forced labour subcamps, including in [[Görlitz]], [[Luckau]], [[Zittau]], and a prison solely for women in [[Cottbus]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=1557|title=Gefängnis Görlitz|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=25 November 2023|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=2576|title=Zuchthaus Luckau|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=25 November 2023|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=100001395|title=Gerichtsgefängnis Zittau|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=25 November 2023|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=985|title=Frauenzuchthaus Cottbus|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=25 November 2023|language=de}}</ref> and multiple [[List of subcamps of Gross-Rosen|subcamps]] of the [[Gross-Rosen concentration camp]], the prisoners of which were mostly Jews, Poles and Russians, but also Frenchmen, Italians, Yugoslavs, Czechs, Belgians, etc.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.gross-rosen.eu/historia-kl-gross-rosen/filie-obozu-gross-rosen/|title=Subcamps of KL Gross- Rosen|website=Gross-Rosen Museum in Rogoźnica|access-date=25 November 2023}}</ref>

[[File:GedenksteinBautzen.jpg|thumb|Memorial to Soviet and Polish troops fallen in the [[Battle of Bautzen (1945)]]]]
During the war, the Poles postulated that after the defeat of Germany, the Sorbs should be allowed free national development either within the borders of Poland or [[Czechoslovakia]], or as an independent Sorbian state in alliance with Poland.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Orzechowski|first=Marian|year=1976|title=Kwestia serbołużycka w polskiej myśli politycznej w latach 1939–1947|journal=Śląski Kwartalnik Historyczny Sobótka|publisher=Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, Wydawnictwo [[Polish Academy of Sciences|Polskiej Akademii Nauk]]|location=Wrocław|language=pl|volume=XXXI|issue=2|pages=380–381}}</ref>

The [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]] reached Lusatia in early 1945, with Soviet and Polish troops defeating the Germans and capturing the region. In [[Horka, Saxony|Horka]], on April 26, 1945, the Germans carried out a [[Niederkaina massacre|massacre of a field hospital column of the 9th Polish Armored Division]], killing some 300 POWs, mostly wounded soldiers and medical personnel (see ''[[German atrocities committed against Polish prisoners of war]]'').<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Woszczerowicz|first1=Zuzanna|date=2022|url=https://www.journals.polon.uw.edu.pl/index.php/zl/article/view/954|title=Recenzja: Zbigniew Kopociński, Krzysztof Kopociński, Horka – łużycka Golgota służby zdrowia 2. Armii Wojska Polskiego|journal=Zeszyty Łużyckie|volume=57|pages=257|doi=10.32798/zl.954 |issn=0867-6364|language=pl|doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Since 1945 ===
[[File:Flag of Sorbs.svg|thumb|right|upright=0.8|The flag of the Lusatian National movement]]
[[File:Krainy-historyczne-Polski.png|thumb|upright=1.25|Lusatia (Łużyce) and other historical lands of Poland against the background of modern administrative borders (names in Polish)]]

After World War II according to the [[Potsdam Agreement]], Lusatia was divided between [[Allied-occupied Germany]] ([[Soviet occupation zone]]) and the [[People's Republic of Poland|Republic of Poland]] along the [[Oder–Neisse line]]. Poland's communist government [[Flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland during and after World War II|expelled]] all remaining Germans and Sorbs from the area east of the Neisse river in 1945 and 1946 in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement. The Lusatian National Committee in Prague claimed the right to self-government and separation from Germany and the creation of a Lusatian Free State or attachment to [[Czechoslovakia]]. The majority of the Sorbian intelligentsia was organized in the [[Domowina]], though, and did not wish to split from Germany. Claims asserted by the Lusatian National movement were postulates of joining Lusatia to Poland or Czechoslovakia. Between 1945 and 1947 they produced about ten memorials<ref>[http://www.prolusatia.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=159:dziaalno-wojciecha-wojcecha-kocki-w-serbouyckim-ruchu-narodowym-w-latach-1945-1950&catid=2:wszelkie-artykuy&Itemid=14 on site Prolusatia foundation "Działalność Wojciecha (Wojcecha) Kócki w serbołużyckim ruchu narodowym w latach 1945 – 1950" ]</ref> to the United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain, France, Poland, and Czechoslovakia; however, this did not bring any results. On 30 April 1946, the Lusatian National Committee also submitted a petition to the Polish Government, signed by Paweł Cyż – the minister and an official Sorbian delegate in Poland. There was also a project to proclaim a Lusatian Free State, whose Prime Minister was intended to be the Polish archaeologist of Lusatian origin, [[Wojciech Kóčka]].

In 1945, the northeastern part of Upper Lusatia west of the Neisse rejoined [[Saxony]] and in 1952, when the state was divided into three administrative areas (''Bezirke''), the Upper Lusatian region became part of the [[Dresden (Bezirk)|Dresden]] administrative region. After the East German [[Revolutions of 1989|Revolution of 1989]], the state of Saxony was reestablished in 1990. Lower Lusatia remained with [[Brandenburg]], from 1952 until 1990 in the ''Bezirk'' of [[Cottbus (Bezirk)|Cottbus]].

In 1950, the Sorbs obtained language and [[cultural autonomy]] within the then–East German state of Saxony. Lusatian schools and magazines were launched and the Domowina association was revived, although under increasing political control of the ruling Communist [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany]] (SED). At the same time, the large German-speaking majority of the Upper Lusatian population kept up a considerable degree of local, 'Upper Lusatian' patriotism of its own. An attempt to establish a Lusatian [[States of Germany|''Land'']] within the Federal Republic of Germany failed after [[German reunification]] in 1990. The constitutions of [[Saxony]] and Brandenburg guarantee cultural rights, but not autonomy, to the Sorbs.