World History Timeline

Countries / Europe

History of Poland

15 notable historical events in Poland, in chronological order.

War · 6Politics · 4Treaty · 3Revolution · 1Science · 3Religion · 1Economy · 1Disaster · 1Birth · 1Death · 1

13th century

  1. April 9, 1241★★★★★

    Battle of Legnica

    During the Mongol invasion of Europe, Mongol forces defeat a Polish-led army in Silesia; two days later they rout the Hungarians at Mohi.

    War· Poland, Hungary

14th century

  1. 1315 – 1317★★★★★

    Great Famine in Europe

    Successive crop failures caused by bad weather bring mass famine to northern Europe, killing a significant share of the population.

    DisasterEconomy· United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland

15th century

  1. July 15, 1410★★★★★

    Battle of Grunwald

    The allied forces of Poland and Lithuania defeat the Teutonic Knights in one of the largest battles of medieval Europe.

    War· Poland, Lithuania

16th century

  1. 1543★★★★★

    Copernicus publishes heliocentric theory

    Nicolaus Copernicus's On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres is printed, placing the Sun at the centre and launching the Scientific Revolution.

    Science· Poland, Germany
  3. October 15, 1582★★★★★

    Gregorian calendar introduced

    The Gregorian calendar takes effect in Catholic countries: Julian 4 October 1582 is followed by 15 October.

    ScienceReligion· Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland

17th century

  1. September 12, 1683★★★★★

    Battle of Vienna

    A coalition army led by King John III Sobieski of Poland relieves the siege of Vienna, defeating the Ottomans and halting their advance into Central Europe.

    War· Austria, Poland, Turkey, Germany

18th century

  1. 1772 – 1795★★★★★

    Partitions of Poland

    Russia, Prussia and Austria carve up the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in three partitions, erasing it from the map of Europe by 1795.

    PoliticsTreaty· Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Germany, Austria

19th century

  1. November 7, 1867★★★★★

    Birth of Marie Curie

    Marie Skłodowska-Curie, the first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences, is born in Warsaw.

    BirthScience· Poland

20th century

  1. August 23, 1939★★★★★

    Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact

    Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression pact with a secret protocol dividing Eastern Europe into spheres of influence.

    Treaty· Germany, Russia, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland
  2. September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945★★★★★

    World War II

    Germany invades Poland, starting the deadliest conflict in human history, which ends with Japan's formal surrender on 2 September 1945.

    War· Germany, Poland, United Kingdom, France, Russia, United States, Japan, China
  3. 1941 – 1945★★★★★

    The Holocaust

    Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murder some six million European Jews, along with millions of other victims.

    WarDeath· Germany, Poland, Austria, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Czechia, Netherlands, France
  4. January 27, 1945★★★★★

    Liberation of Auschwitz

    The Red Army liberates the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp, where about 1.1 million people were murdered; the date is now International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

    War· Poland, Germany, Russia
  5. August 31, 1980★★★★★

    Gdańsk Agreement and the rise of Solidarity

    After strikes at the Gdańsk shipyard, Poland's government accepts the right to form independent trade unions, opening the way for Lech Wałęsa's Solidarity movement.

    PoliticsRevolution· Poland

21st century

  1. May 1, 2004★★★★★

    European Union admits ten new members

    In its largest enlargement, the EU admits ten countries, mostly from Central and Eastern Europe, including Poland, the Czech Republic and the Baltic states.

    Politics· Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia
History of Poland · World History Timeline