List of wars involving Poland

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Below is a list of military conflicts in which Polish armed forces participated or took place on Polish territory.

Contents

Piast Poland

During the Middle Ages, Poland sought to incorporate other Slavic peoples under the rule of the Polan dukes, such as Mieszko I, Boleslaw I and their descendants, and then defend the lands acquired in the West from the Holy Roman Empire. In the East and South it struggled with Ruthenia, Bohemia and Hungary, and Tartar raiders. In the Northeast, it encountered intermittent Lithuanian and Prussian raids.

Jagiellon Poland

For much of its early history as a Christian state, Poland had to contend with Pomeranians, Prussians, Lithuanians and other Baltic peoples in continuous border wars without clear results or end in sight. After the Teutonic Order conquered and assimilated the Prussians, it began incursions into both Polish and Lithuanian territories. This represented a far greater threat to both Poland and Lithuania, and the two countries united in a defensive alliance by the crowning of the Lithuanian Duke Jagiello as King of Poland (as Wladyslaw II) which led to a major confrontation at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 and subsequent wars until 1525, when the Order became a vassal to the Polish Crown.

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The 17th century saw fierce rivalry between the then major Eastern European powers – Sweden, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire. At its heyday, the Commonwealth comprised the territories of present-day Poland, and large parts of Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Russia, and represented a major European power. However, by the end of the 18th century a series of internal conflicts and wars with foreign enemies led to the dissolution of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the partitioning of most of its dependent territories among other European powers.

During the 18th century, European powers (most frequently consisting of Russia, Sweden, Prussia and Saxony) fought several wars for the control of the territories of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. At the end of the 18th century, some Poles attempted to defend Poland from growing foreign influence in the country's internal affairs. These late attempts to preserve independence eventually failed, ultimately ending in Poland's partition and the final dissolution of the remains of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

19th century Partitions and World War I

Poles unsuccessfully struggled to win back their independence throughout the 19th century. At first, they put their hopes in Napoleon. Later, they tried to ignite national uprisings every now and then – most of them bloodily repressed.

Second Polish Republic and World War II

In the turmoil of the First World War, Poles managed to regain independence and then to expand their territory in a series of local wars and uprisings; only to be occupied again during the next world war. The second half of the 20th century was more peaceful, but still tense, as Poland was involved in the Cold War on the Soviet side.

People's Republic of Poland

Third Polish Republic

Polish uprisings

The Polish concept of uprising is derived from the system of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where the szlachta was supposed to play an important role in the governing of the country. Unsatisfied noblemen were allowed to form Rokosz, the legal rebellion against government. Rebellion movements were shaped in the Confederation, a council whose members voted.

Following the example, national uprising were perfectly organised movements against the oppressors. Many of them occurred during the century of uprisings (1764–1864), and were, with small exceptions, all defeated.

Uprisings against the Russian Empire

Uprisings against the Austrian Empire

Uprisings against the German Empire

(Polish: powstania wielkopolskie) were a series of 5 military insurrections of the Polish people in the Greater Poland region (also called the Grand Duchy of Poznań) against the occupying Prussian and German forces, after the partitions of Poland (1772-1795).

The next era of uprising started with forming years of the Poland after World War I:

The Silesian Uprisings (Polish: Powstania śląskie) was a series of three military insurrections (1919–1921) of the Polish people in the Upper Silesia region against the occupying German/Prussian forces in order to liberate the region and join to Poland, that regained her independence after the World War I (1914–1918)

Other

Polish uprisings against Nazi Germany

Anti-communists protests

See also

Lists of wars involving European countries
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