Duchy of Nysa

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Coat of arms of the Duchy of Nysa

The Duchy of Nysa (Polish: Księstwo Nyskie) or Duchy of Neisse (German: Herzogtum Neisse) was one of the duchies of Silesia. Alongside the Duchy of Siewierz, it was the only ecclesiastical duchy in the region, as it was ruled by a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church.

In 1198 Jarosław Opolski, son of Bolesław I the Tall and also bishop of Wrocław, was given the territories near Nysa (Neisse) by his father. After Jarosław's death in 1201, Henry I the Bearded decided to leave Nysa, as well as the castellany of Otmuchów, under control of the Bishopric of Wrocław. In 1290 Henryk IV Probus gave the bishops privileges of autonomy on their lands in Nysa, creating the legal basis for the Duchy of Nysa. Henryk z Wierzbna, bishop of Wrocław (1302-1319), was the first to use the title of Duke of Nysa.

The duchy was abandoned by the bishops during the Silesian Wars and annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1810 it was secularized by Prussia, its autonomy removed and it was incorporated into the Prussian administrative structure. The small part remaining in Austria was likewise secularized in 1850.