page_title: George William, Duke of Liegnitz
section_title: Legacy
hierarchical_section_title: George William, Duke of Liegnitz / Legacy
caption_attribution_description: English: Funerary medal 1675 Inscription: GEORG. WILHELM. D[ei]: G[ratia]. DVX. SILESIAE. LIGN. BREG. ET. WOLAVIENS. Translation: Georg Wilhelm, by the Grace of God Duke of Silesia, Legnica, Brzeg and Wolow. Tomáš Kleisner: Czech Baroque funerary medals, p. 241 https://www.academia.edu/3301332/Czech_Baroque_Funerary_Medals&lt;/poem&gt;
context_page_description: George William, also known as George IV William; Polish: Jerzy IV Wilhelm; 29 September 1660 – 21 November 1675 was the last Silesian duke of Legnica and Brzeg from 1672 until his death. He was the last male member of the Silesian Piast dynasty descending from Władysław II the Exile.
context_section_description: Upon his death, the Duchy of Legnica-Brzeg reverted to Emperor Leopold as ruler over the Bohemian crown lands, which since 1526 were integral part of the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy. Leopold took up the government by a Landeshauptmann deputy, despite the claims of George William's morganatic uncle Count August of Legnica, and had several Counter-Reformation measures implemented. Duchess Louise retained her lands of Oława until her death in 1680, when they were also incorporated into the Bohemian lands.
  The independent Masovian Piasts had died out in 1526, while the Teschen (Cieszyn) line had become extinct in 1653. George William was therefore the last ruling member of all the Piast dynasty, which finally became extinct with the death of his only surviving sibling, Karolina, in 1707. The term "Piast dynasty" was first used by the Polish historian Adam Naruszewicz in his books History of Poland, which he started in 1779. On George William's burial crypt a text was carved referring to him as the last of the Piast dukes of Silesia, who are since the 17th century  referred to as "Silesian Piasts".
caption: Funerary medal, 1675
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