Lubusz Land
Encyclopedia
Lubusz Land is a historical region
and cultural landscape
in Poland
and Germany
, on both sides of the Oder
river.
Originally the settlement area of the West Slavic
Leubuzzi, a Veleti
tribe, the swampy area was located east of Mark Brandenburg
and west of Greater Poland
, south of Pomerania
and north of Silesia
. Presently its eastern part lies within the Polish Lubusz Voivodeship
, the western part with its historical capital Lebus
in the German state of Brandenburg
.
river to conquer the lands of the Veleti, he did not subdue the Leubuzzi people settling beyond the Spree
. Their territory was either already inherited by the first Polish ruler Mieszko I
(~960-992) or conquered by him in the early period of his rule. According to the chronicler Widukind of Corvey
, in the beginning of Mieszkos' reign he ruled over the tribe called the Licicaviki, now commonly identified with the Polabian
Leubuzzi of the Lubusz Land. After Mieszkos' death the whole country was inherited by his son Duke, and later King, Bolesław I Chrobry. After the German Northern March
got lost in a 983 Slavic rebellion, Duke Bolesław and King Otto III of Germany
in 991 agreed at Quedlinburg
to jointly conquer the remaining Lutici
an territory, Otto coming from the west and Bolesław starting from Lubusz in the east. However, they did not succeed. Instead Otto's successor King Henry II of Germany
in the rising conflict over the adjacent Lusatian march concluded an alliance with the Lutici and repeatedly attacked Bolesław.
The Lubusz Land remained under Polish overlordship even after King Mieszko II Lambert
in 1031 finally had to withdraw from the adjacent, just conquered March of Lusatia and accept the overlordship of Emperor Conrad II
. In 1125 Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth of Poland established the Bishopric of Lebus
to secure Lubusz Land. 1124-1125 records note that the new Bishop of Lebus was nominated by Duke Bolesław under the Archbishopric of Gniezno
. However, from the beginning Gniezno's role as metropolia of the Lebus diocese was challenged by the claims of the mighty Archbishops of Magdeburg
, who also tried to make Lebus their suffragan. The Polish position was decisively enfeebled by the process of fragmentation after the death of Duke Bolesław III in 1138. After the Duchy of Silesia
was restored to the descendants of Władysław II the Exile in 1163, Lubusz Land together with the Duchy of Wrocław was given to his eldest son Bolesław I the Tall.
Lubusz remained under the rule of the Silesian Piasts
, though Bolesław's son Duke Henry I the Bearded
in 1206 signed an agreement with Duke Władysław III Spindleshanks of Greater Poland
to swap it for the Kalisz Region
. This agreement however did not last as it provoked the revolt of Władysław's nephew Władysław Odonic, while in addition the Lusatian margrave Conrad II of Landsberg took this occasion to invade Lubusz. Duke Henry I appealed to Emperor Otto IV
and already started an armed expedition, until he was once again able to secure his possession of the region after Margrave Conrad had died in 1210. Nevertheless the resistance against the Imperial expansion waned as the Silesian territories were again fragmented after the death of Duke Henry II the Pious
of Wrocław at the Battle of Legnica
in 1241. His younger son Mieszko
then held the title of a "Duke of Lubusz", but died only one year later, after which his territory fell to his elder brother Bolesław II the Bald. In 1248 Bolesław II, then Duke of Legnica
, finally sold Lubusz to Magdeburg's Archbishop Wilbrand von Käfernburg and the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg
in 1248, wielding the secular reign.
however, the Lebus diocese, comprising most of Lubusz Land, remained subordinate to the Gniezno metropolia. Meanwhile the Brandenburg margraves forwarded the incorporation of Lubusz Land into their New March
, created and expanded further to the northeast after the acquisition of the Santok
castellany in 1296 on the forest areas between the Duchy of Pomerania
and Greater Poland.
The Lebus bishops tried to maintain their affiliation with Poland and in 1276 therefore moved their residence east of the Oder river to Górzyca (Göritz upon Oder)
, an episcopal fief. When in 1320 the Brandenburg House of Ascania became extinct, King Władysław I the Elbow-high took the chance, allied with Bishop Stephan II and campaigned the New March. In return the head of secular government in Lubusz, governor Erich of Wulkow, loyal to the new Brandenburg margrave Louis I of Wittelsbach
, raided and captured the episcopal possessions in 1325, burning down the Górzyca cathedral. Bishop Stephan fled to Poland.
In 1354 Bishop Henry Bentsch reconciled with Margrave Louis II
and the episcopal possessions were returned. The see of the bishopric returned to Lebus, where a new cathedral was built. In 1373 the diocese was again devastated by a Bohemian army, when Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg
took the Brandenburg margraviate from the House of Wittelsbach. The see of the bishopric now moved to Fürstenwalde.
In 1424 the Lebus bishopric became a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Magdeburg, finally leaving the Polish Gniezno ecclesiastical province. In 1518 Bishop Dietrich von Bülow bought the secular lordship of Beeskow-Storkow, in secular respect a Bohemian fief, in religious respect mostly no part of his diocese but of the Diocese of Meissen. The castle in Beeskow
became the episcopal residence. The last Catholic bishop was Georg von Blumenthal
, who died in 1550 after a heroic non-military counter-reformatory campaign. However, when in 1547 Bishop Georg tried to recruit and arm troops in order to join the Catholic Imperial forces in the Smalkaldic War, his vassal city of Beeskow refused to obey.
From 1555 the bishopric was secularised and became a Lutheran
diocese and the area east of the Oder was later called Eastern Brandenburg. In 1575 King Ferdinand I of Bohemia
ceded the Beeskow lordship of the Lebus diocese to Brandenburg. When in 1598 the Magdeburg administrator Joachim Frederick of Hohenzollern
became Elector of Brandenburg, all official links with Poland had long been cut.
But new links to Poland developed, because since 1618 the prince-electors of Brandenburg ruled Prussia, then a Polish fief, in personal union
. In 1657 Prussia regained its sovereignty, so in 1701 the electors could upgrade their simultaneously held Prussian dukedom to Kingdom of Prussia
, dropping the title of elector of the Holy Roman Empire
at its dissolution in 1806. In 1815 the kingdom joint the German Confederation
, in 1866 the North German Confederation
, which enlarged in 1871 to united Germany
.
By the 17th century most of the population, consisting of autochthon Polabians and German settlers had mingled and assimilated to German language
. By later eastward extensions of Brandenburg on the expense of Polish territory also a new Polish-speaking minority was incorporated. The most numerous Polish minority was in the village of Kaława (Kalau), although the great majority (90+%) of the population spoke German.
, while Germany retained areas west of the Oder-Neisse line
including the historical capital Lebus as well as the towns of Fürstenwalde and Frankfurt
. Polish and Soviet authorities expelled most of the population from the Polish annexed part of Lubusz Land. Refugees, who had fled before the Soviet forces were inhibited to return to their homes.
The area was then resettled with Poles expelled from Soviet-annexed eastern Poland and migrants from central Poland. The largest city of the Polish Lubusz Voivodeship today is Gorzów Wielkopolski
(Landsberg an der Warthe), which however was not part of the historical Lubusz Land (cf. map above).
Historical region
Historical regions are delimitations of geographic areas for studying and analysing social development of period-specific cultures without any reference to contemporary political, economic or social organisations....
and cultural landscape
Cultural landscape
Cultural Landscapes have been defined by the World Heritage Committee as distinct geographical areas or properties uniquely "..represent[ing] the combined work of nature and of man.."....
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, on both sides of the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
river.
Originally the settlement area of the West Slavic
Polabian Slavs
Polabian Slavs - is a collective term applied to a number of Lechites tribes who lived along the Elbe river, between the Baltic Sea to the north, the Saale and the Limes Saxoniae to the west, the Ore Mountains and the Western Sudetes to the south, and Poland to the east. They have also been known...
Leubuzzi, a Veleti
Veleti
The Veleti or Wilzi were a group of medieval Lechites tribes within the territory of modern northeastern Germany; see Polabian Slavs. In common with other Slavic groups between the Elbe and Oder Rivers, they were often described by Germanic sources as Wends. In the late 10th century, they were...
tribe, the swampy area was located east of Mark Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
and west of Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
, south of Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
and north of Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
. Presently its eastern part lies within the Polish Lubusz Voivodeship
Lubusz Voivodeship
- Administrative division :Lubusz Voivodeship is divided into 14 counties : 2 city counties and 12 land counties. These are further divided into 83 gminas....
, the western part with its historical capital Lebus
Lebus
Lebus is a town in the southeast of the Märkisch-Oderland District in Brandenburg, Germany. It had a population of 3,375 as of 2005. It was the center of the historical region known as Lubusz Land.-Location:...
in the German state of Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
.
Kingdom of Poland
When in 928 King Henry I of Germany crossed the ElbeElbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
river to conquer the lands of the Veleti, he did not subdue the Leubuzzi people settling beyond the Spree
Spree
The Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
. Their territory was either already inherited by the first Polish ruler Mieszko I
Mieszko I of Poland
Mieszko I , was a Duke of the Polans from about 960 until his death. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was son of Siemomysł; grandchild of Lestek; father of Bolesław I the Brave, the first crowned King of Poland; likely father of Świętosława , a Nordic Queen; and grandfather of her son, Cnut the...
(~960-992) or conquered by him in the early period of his rule. According to the chronicler Widukind of Corvey
Widukind of Corvey
Widukind of Corvey was a Saxon historical chronicler, named after the Saxon duke and national hero Widukind who had battled Charlemagne. Widukind the chronicler was born in 925 and died after 973 at the Benedictine abbey of Corvey in East Westphalia...
, in the beginning of Mieszkos' reign he ruled over the tribe called the Licicaviki, now commonly identified with the Polabian
Polabian Slavs
Polabian Slavs - is a collective term applied to a number of Lechites tribes who lived along the Elbe river, between the Baltic Sea to the north, the Saale and the Limes Saxoniae to the west, the Ore Mountains and the Western Sudetes to the south, and Poland to the east. They have also been known...
Leubuzzi of the Lubusz Land. After Mieszkos' death the whole country was inherited by his son Duke, and later King, Bolesław I Chrobry. After the German Northern March
Northern March
The Northern March or North March was created out of the division of the vast Marca Geronis in 965. It initially comprised the northern third of the Marca and was part of the territorial organisation of areas conquered from the Wends...
got lost in a 983 Slavic rebellion, Duke Bolesław and King Otto III of Germany
Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto III , a King of Germany, was the fourth ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire. He was elected King in 983 on the death of his father Otto II and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 996.-Early reign:...
in 991 agreed at Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg is a town located north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In 1994 the medieval court and the old town was set on the UNESCO world heritage list....
to jointly conquer the remaining Lutici
Lutici
The Lutici were a federation of West Slavic Polabian tribes, who between the 10th and 12th centuries lived in what is now northeastern Germany. Four tribes made up the core of the federation: the Redarians , Circipanians , Kessinians and Tollensians...
an territory, Otto coming from the west and Bolesław starting from Lubusz in the east. However, they did not succeed. Instead Otto's successor King Henry II of Germany
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...
in the rising conflict over the adjacent Lusatian march concluded an alliance with the Lutici and repeatedly attacked Bolesław.
The Lubusz Land remained under Polish overlordship even after King Mieszko II Lambert
Mieszko II Lambert
Mieszko II Lambert was King of Poland during 1025–1031, and Duke from 1032 until his death.He was the second son of Bolesław I the Brave, but the eldest born from his third wife Emmilda, daughter of Dobromir, possible ruler of Lusatia. He was probably named after his paternal grandfather, Mieszko I...
in 1031 finally had to withdraw from the adjacent, just conquered March of Lusatia and accept the overlordship of Emperor Conrad II
Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor
Conrad II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1027 until his death.The son of a mid-level nobleman in Franconia, Count Henry of Speyer and Adelaide of Alsace, he inherited the titles of count of Speyer and of Worms as an infant when Henry died at age twenty...
. In 1125 Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth of Poland established the Bishopric of Lebus
Bishopric of Lebus
The Bishopric of Lebus was a Roman Catholic diocese and later an ecclesiastical territory of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed from 1125 until 1598...
to secure Lubusz Land. 1124-1125 records note that the new Bishop of Lebus was nominated by Duke Bolesław under the Archbishopric of Gniezno
Archbishops of Gniezno and Primates of Poland
Archbishops of the Archdiocese of Gniezno and simultaneously Primates of Poland since 1418. They also served as interrex in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.*Since 1821 until 1946 in personal union with the Archdiocese of Poznań....
. However, from the beginning Gniezno's role as metropolia of the Lebus diocese was challenged by the claims of the mighty Archbishops of Magdeburg
Archbishopric of Magdeburg
The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese and Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River....
, who also tried to make Lebus their suffragan. The Polish position was decisively enfeebled by the process of fragmentation after the death of Duke Bolesław III in 1138. After the Duchy of Silesia
Duchy of Silesia
The Duchy of Silesia with its capital at Wrocław was a medieval duchy located in the historic Silesian region of Poland. Soon after it was formed under the Piast dynasty in 1138, it fragmented into various Duchies of Silesia. In 1327 the remaining Duchy of Wrocław as well as most other duchies...
was restored to the descendants of Władysław II the Exile in 1163, Lubusz Land together with the Duchy of Wrocław was given to his eldest son Bolesław I the Tall.
Lubusz remained under the rule of the Silesian Piasts
Silesian Piasts
The Silesian Piasts were the oldest line of the Piast dynasty beginning with Władysław II the Exile, son of Bolesław III Wrymouth, Duke of Poland...
, though Bolesław's son Duke Henry I the Bearded
Henry I the Bearded
Henry I the Bearded , of the Silesian line of the Piast dynasty, was Duke of Silesia at Wrocław from 1201 and Duke of Kraków and thus High Duke of all Poland - internally divided - from 1232 until his death.-Heir of Wroclaw:...
in 1206 signed an agreement with Duke Władysław III Spindleshanks of Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
to swap it for the Kalisz Region
Kalisz Region
Kalisz Region is a historical and ethnographical area of Poland, located in central Poland mainly in the Greater Poland Lakes Area and South Greater Poland Plain. It forms the eastern part of Greater Poland proper....
. This agreement however did not last as it provoked the revolt of Władysław's nephew Władysław Odonic, while in addition the Lusatian margrave Conrad II of Landsberg took this occasion to invade Lubusz. Duke Henry I appealed to Emperor Otto IV
Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto IV of Brunswick was one of two rival kings of the Holy Roman Empire from 1198 on, sole king from 1208 on, and emperor from 1209 on. The only king of the Welf dynasty, he incurred the wrath of Pope Innocent III and was excommunicated in 1215.-Early life:Otto was the third son of Henry the...
and already started an armed expedition, until he was once again able to secure his possession of the region after Margrave Conrad had died in 1210. Nevertheless the resistance against the Imperial expansion waned as the Silesian territories were again fragmented after the death of Duke Henry II the Pious
Henry II the Pious
Henry II the Pious , of the Silesian line of the Piast dynasty was Duke of Silesia at Wrocław and Duke of Kraków and thus High Duke of all Poland as well as Duke of Southern Greater Poland from 1238 until his death. During 1238–1239 he also served as a regent of two other Piast duchies: Sandomierz...
of Wrocław at the Battle of Legnica
Battle of Legnica
The Battle of Legnica , also known as the Battle of Liegnitz or Battle of Wahlstatt , was a battle between the Mongol Empire and the combined defending forces of European fighters that took place at Legnickie Pole near the city of Legnica in Silesia on 9 April 1241.A combined force of Poles,...
in 1241. His younger son Mieszko
Mieszko, Duke of Lubusz
Mieszko of Lubusz was a Piast Duke of Lubusz during 1241–1242. He was the second son of the Silesian duke Henry II the Pious of Wrocław, by his wife Anne Přemysl, daughter of King Ottokar I of Bohemia.-Life:...
then held the title of a "Duke of Lubusz", but died only one year later, after which his territory fell to his elder brother Bolesław II the Bald. In 1248 Bolesław II, then Duke of Legnica
Duchy of Legnica
The Duchy of Legnica or Duchy of Liegnitz was one of the Duchies of Silesia. Its capital was Legnica in Lower Silesia....
, finally sold Lubusz to Magdeburg's Archbishop Wilbrand von Käfernburg and the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
in 1248, wielding the secular reign.
Margraviate of Brandenburg
As to secular rule Lubusz Land was finally separated from Silesia, according to canon lawCanon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
however, the Lebus diocese, comprising most of Lubusz Land, remained subordinate to the Gniezno metropolia. Meanwhile the Brandenburg margraves forwarded the incorporation of Lubusz Land into their New March
Neumark
Neumark comprised a region of the Prussian province of Brandenburg, Germany.Neumark may also refer to:* Neumark, Thuringia* Neumark, Saxony* Neumark * Nowe Miasto Lubawskie or Neumark, a town in Poland, situated at river Drwęca...
, created and expanded further to the northeast after the acquisition of the Santok
Santok
Santok is a village in Gorzów County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Santok. It is located at the confluence of the Noteć and Warta rivers, approximately east of Gorzów Wielkopolski...
castellany in 1296 on the forest areas between the Duchy of Pomerania
Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania ....
and Greater Poland.
The Lebus bishops tried to maintain their affiliation with Poland and in 1276 therefore moved their residence east of the Oder river to Górzyca (Göritz upon Oder)
Górzyca, Lubusz Voivodeship
Górzyca is a village on the Oder river in Słubice County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland, close to the German border at Reitwein. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Górzyca...
, an episcopal fief. When in 1320 the Brandenburg House of Ascania became extinct, King Władysław I the Elbow-high took the chance, allied with Bishop Stephan II and campaigned the New March. In return the head of secular government in Lubusz, governor Erich of Wulkow, loyal to the new Brandenburg margrave Louis I of Wittelsbach
Louis V, Duke of Bavaria
Louis V, Duke of Bavaria, called the Brandenburger was Duke of Bavaria and as Louis I also Margrave of Brandenburg and Count of Tyrol. Louis V was the eldest son of Emperor Louis IV and his first wife Beatrix of Świdnica...
, raided and captured the episcopal possessions in 1325, burning down the Górzyca cathedral. Bishop Stephan fled to Poland.
In 1354 Bishop Henry Bentsch reconciled with Margrave Louis II
Louis VI the Roman
Louis the Roman was the eldest son of Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian by his second wife, Margaret II, Countess of Hainault, and a member of the House of Wittelsbach. Louis was Duke of Bavaria as Louis VI and Margrave of Brandenburg as Louis II...
and the episcopal possessions were returned. The see of the bishopric returned to Lebus, where a new cathedral was built. In 1373 the diocese was again devastated by a Bohemian army, when Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
took the Brandenburg margraviate from the House of Wittelsbach. The see of the bishopric now moved to Fürstenwalde.
In 1424 the Lebus bishopric became a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Magdeburg, finally leaving the Polish Gniezno ecclesiastical province. In 1518 Bishop Dietrich von Bülow bought the secular lordship of Beeskow-Storkow, in secular respect a Bohemian fief, in religious respect mostly no part of his diocese but of the Diocese of Meissen. The castle in Beeskow
Beeskow
Beeskow is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, and capital of the Oder-Spree district. It is situated on the river Spree, 30 km southwest of Frankfurt an der Oder....
became the episcopal residence. The last Catholic bishop was Georg von Blumenthal
Georg von Blumenthal
Georg von Blumenthal was a German Prince-Bishop of Ratzeburg and Prince-Bishop of Lebus. He also served as a Privy Councillor of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and Chancellor of the University of Frankfurt , commonly called the Viadrina.Bishop von Blumenthal negotiated the second marriage of ...
, who died in 1550 after a heroic non-military counter-reformatory campaign. However, when in 1547 Bishop Georg tried to recruit and arm troops in order to join the Catholic Imperial forces in the Smalkaldic War, his vassal city of Beeskow refused to obey.
From 1555 the bishopric was secularised and became a Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
diocese and the area east of the Oder was later called Eastern Brandenburg. In 1575 King Ferdinand I of Bohemia
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
ceded the Beeskow lordship of the Lebus diocese to Brandenburg. When in 1598 the Magdeburg administrator Joachim Frederick of Hohenzollern
Joachim Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg
Joachim III Frederick , of the House of Hohenzollern, was Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg from 1598 until his death.-Biography:...
became Elector of Brandenburg, all official links with Poland had long been cut.
But new links to Poland developed, because since 1618 the prince-electors of Brandenburg ruled Prussia, then a Polish fief, in personal union
Personal union
A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states have the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...
. In 1657 Prussia regained its sovereignty, so in 1701 the electors could upgrade their simultaneously held Prussian dukedom to Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
, dropping the title of elector of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
at its dissolution in 1806. In 1815 the kingdom joint the German Confederation
German Confederation
The German Confederation was the loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to coordinate the economies of separate German-speaking countries. It acted as a buffer between the powerful states of Austria and Prussia...
, in 1866 the North German Confederation
North German Confederation
The North German Confederation 1866–71, was a federation of 22 independent states of northern Germany. It was formed by a constitution accepted by the member states in 1867 and controlled military and foreign policy. It included the new Reichstag, a parliament elected by universal manhood...
, which enlarged in 1871 to united Germany
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
.
By the 17th century most of the population, consisting of autochthon Polabians and German settlers had mingled and assimilated to German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. By later eastward extensions of Brandenburg on the expense of Polish territory also a new Polish-speaking minority was incorporated. The most numerous Polish minority was in the village of Kaława (Kalau), although the great majority (90+%) of the population spoke German.
In Poland and Germany
Most of the Lubusz Land was transferred to Poland by the 1945 Potsdam ConferencePotsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 16 July to 2 August 1945. Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
, while Germany retained areas west of the Oder-Neisse line
Oder-Neisse line
The Oder–Neisse line is the border between Germany and Poland which was drawn in the aftermath of World War II. The line is formed primarily by the Oder and Lusatian Neisse rivers, and meets the Baltic Sea west of the seaport cities of Szczecin and Świnoujście...
including the historical capital Lebus as well as the towns of Fürstenwalde and Frankfurt
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the Oder River, on the German-Polish border directly opposite the town of Słubice which was a part of Frankfurt until 1945. At the end of the 1980s it reached a population peak with more than 87,000 inhabitants...
. Polish and Soviet authorities expelled most of the population from the Polish annexed part of Lubusz Land. Refugees, who had fled before the Soviet forces were inhibited to return to their homes.
The area was then resettled with Poles expelled from Soviet-annexed eastern Poland and migrants from central Poland. The largest city of the Polish Lubusz Voivodeship today is Gorzów Wielkopolski
Gorzów Wielkopolski
Gorzów Wielkopolski is a city in western Poland, on the Warta river. It is the biggest city in the Lubusz Voivodeship with 125,149 inhabitants...
(Landsberg an der Warthe), which however was not part of the historical Lubusz Land (cf. map above).