page_title: History of Cieszyn
section_title: Piast rule
hierarchical_section_title: History of Cieszyn / History / Piast rule
caption_attribution_description: Čeština: Piastovská věž v polském Těšíně. Polski: Wieża Piastowska w Cieszynie.
context_page_description: Cieszyn, one of the oldest towns in Silesia, has had a Slav population since at least the 7th century. According to a modern legend, in 810 three sons of a Slav king – Bolko, Leszko and Cieszko, met here after a long pilgrimage, found a spring, and in their happiness decided to found a new settlement. They supposedly called it Cieszyn. This well stands in the ulica Trzech Braci, just west of the town square. More scientific explanation for the name is that it's patronymic in origin, derived from the Slavic name *Ciecha or *Ciesza. The town centres on Castle Hill, where the oldest traces of settlement date back to the 6th or 7th centuries. The gród built on the hill gradually gained importance and became and important administrative and religious center, as a castle and a Romanesque chapel were erected within its stakes in the 11th century, the latter surviving to this day.
  The first written reference to Cieszyn came in a document from Pope Adrian IV for the Wrocław bishop Valter from 23 April 1155. It concerned the castle of Tessin, which was listed among other centres of castellanies, however it was no earlier than 1223 that it was explicitly described as castellany.
context_section_description: The town shared the history of Silesia, and after the feudal division of Poland, Piast dukes of the Silesian line ruled the area. Cieszyn became a seat of the Duchy of Cieszyn. In 1327 Kazimierz I swore homage to the Bohemian and titular Polish king John of Luxembourg. Since then, Cieszyn became an autonomic fiefdom of the Bohemian crown. As a capital city of the Duchy, Cieszyn developed quickly and increased its significance. It also became a religious center of the duchy, after creation of a deaconry in the early 14th century. The largest development occurred during the rule of Przemysław I Noszak, who gained the city rights for Cieszyn in 1374 and reconstructed the wooden castle into the bricked one. It was back then when the mayor and city council appeared, in 1387 first known mayor being Mikołaj Giseler. Town hall for the city council has been built.
  Another rapid development of the town occurred during the rule of Casimir II, who invested in infrastructure of the town and erected defense walls around Cieszyn. Casimir II also founded a new market square and donated buildings for a new city council which serve the city to this day. In the 16th century the town became an important centre of trade and commerce, with significant manufacture of arms and jewelry. It also became a centre of the Reformation. The town gradually developed until the 17th century, when it was heavily damaged during the Thirty Years' War. As a result of the war, economic and demographic decline followed in the whole Duchy.
  The rule of the Cieszyn Piast dynasty continued to 1653, ending with the death of the last Duchess Elizabeth Lucretia. Thereupon the duchy lapsed directly to the Kings of Bohemia, at that time Ferdinand IV of Habsburg. The Habsburg takeover of the duchy caused economic and political stagnation of Cieszyn until the end of the century.
caption: Piast Tower in Cieszyn
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