Duchy of Kalisz in the context of "Casimir II the Just"

Przemysł II (Polish: [ˈpʂɛmɨsw] also given in English and Latin as Premyslas or Premislaus or in Polish as Przemysław; 14 October 1257 – 8 February 1296) was the Duke of Poznań from 1257–1279, of Greater Poland from 1279 to 1296, of Kraków from 1290 to 1291, and Gdańsk Pomerania (Pomerelia) from 1294 to 1296, and then King of Poland from 1295 until his death. After a long period of Polish high dukes and two nominal kings, he was the first to obtain the hereditary title of king, and thus to return Poland to the rank of kingdom. A member of the Greater Poland branch of the House of Piast as the only son of Duke Przemysł I and the Silesian Princess Elisabeth, he was born posthumously; for this reason he was brought up at the court of his uncle Bolesław the Pious and received his own district to rule, the Duchy of Poznań in 1273. Six years later, after the death of his uncle, he also obtained the Duchy of Kalisz.

In the first period of his government, Przemysł II was involved only in regional affairs, first in close collaboration and then competing with the Duke of Wrocław, Henryk IV Probus. This policy caused the rebellion of the prominent Zaremba family and the temporary loss of Wieluń. Working with the Archbishop of Gniezno, Jakub Świnka, he sought the unification of the principalities of the Piast dynasty. Unexpectedly, in 1290, under the will of Henryk IV Probus, he managed to obtain the Duchy of Kraków and with this the title of High Duke of Poland; however, not having sufficient support from the local nobility (who supported another member of the Piast dynasty, Władysław I the Elbow-high) and faced with the increasing threats of King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia, Przemysł II finally decided to retreat from Lesser Poland, which was then under the rule of Přemyslid dynasty.

The Duchy of Gniezno was a feudal district duchy in Greater Poland, with its territorial and administrative core in the Gniezno Land — the region surrounding the city of Gniezno. Its capital was Gniezno. The duchy was established in 1177, following the partition of the Duchy of Greater Poland after a rebellion against Mieszko III. Duke Casimir II the Just of the Piast dynasty became its first ruler.

Initially, Gniezno remained a fiefdom within the broader Duchy of Poland — a term commonly applied to the fragmented realm, which some sources continue to refer to as the Kingdom of Poland — until 1227, when Gniezno gained independence as a duchy. It existed in this form until 1279, when it was united with the duchies of Kalisz and Poznań under the rule of Przemysł II, forming a reconstituted Duchy of Greater Poland.

The Duchy of Poznań (Polish: Księstwo poznańskie; Latin: Ducatus Posnaniensis) was a feudal district duchy in Greater Poland, with its territorial and administrative core in the Poznań Land — the region surrounding the city of Poznań. Its capital was Poznań. The duchy was established in 1177, following the partition of the Duchy of Greater Poland after a rebellion against Mieszko III. Duke Odon of the Piast dynasty became its first ruler.

Initially, Poznań remained a fiefdom within the broader Duchy of Poland — a term commonly applied to the fragmented realm, which some sources continue to refer to as the Kingdom of Poland — until 1227, when Poznań gained independence as a duchy. It existed in this form until 1279, when it was united with the duchies of Gniezno and Kalisz under the rule of Przemysł II, forming a reconstituted Duchy of Greater Poland.