The Kingdom of Poland in 14th and 15th centuries (from the aspects of politics, economy, social and culture)

The Slavs, who emerged between the Baltic and the northern shores of the Black Sea, having moved south and south-west, then settled in the Danube and Elbe basins at the beginning of the VIth century, constituting the beginning of the Slavic history. Poland was created by the legendary leader Piast in the early Xth century, when these scattered communities settled along the Warta river near the present-day Poznań and called themselves 'Polonie' meaning 'the people of the field'. It is possible to say that the changing and development process of Poland, which had been in partnership with various countries in line with with her political interests throughout her history, started with the acceptance of Christianity by Mieszko I in the Xth century. The union with Lithuania at the end of the XIVth century enabled her to become one of the most powerful kingdoms in Europe in a very short time. In addition, being a Christian Catholic country, brought her closer to the West and it also affected countries such as Hungary, Bohemia, England and Italy in many areas from trade to literature. One of the most important issues in the historical development of Poland during Middle Ages was her union with Lithuania. The process, which covers the periods we discussed in our thesis, started in the XIVth century and ended at the at the end of the XVIIIth century. This union, which was established in the line with the common interest particularly against the Teutonic Knights and which had a personal character at the beginning, was strengthened with the treaty made in 1413 and became a dynastic union. However the partnership between the two countries weakened over time due to political rivalry, failure in establishment of the monarchy, religious differences, internal conflicts and foreign relations, then disappeared completely in 1795. In our thesis, in which foreign sources are mainly used, the changes and developments in the political, economic, social and cultural fields in XIVth and XVth centuries, the period when the reflections of he period, which was the beginning of Poland's Christianity, emerged most effectively. Due to the lack of comprehensive studies on medieval Poland in our country, it is aimed both to eliminate the deficiency in this subject and shad some light on the researchers that want to work on this issue.