The history of Poland can be divided into several periods: prehistory until 966 CE when Poland began forming under the Piast Dynasty and adopted Christianity; the Jagiellon Dynasty from 1385-1569 CE when Poland allied with Lithuania and experienced economic and cultural flourishing; the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569-1795 CE which was Poland's Golden Age when it expanded greatly; and partitions by Prussia, Russia, and Austria from 1795-1918 CE when Poland was erased from maps until it regained independence after World War I. Poland then experienced World War II occupation and communism until 1989 when it transitioned to a market economy and joined the EU and NATO.

1. TheHistory of Poland

2. Prehistory(until 966) Many ethnic groups livedinthe regions of what is now known as Poland. We don’tknowanythingsureaboutthelanguagestheyused. The most famous archeological find from Poland prehistoryisfortified settlement (now reconstructed as a museum), dating of the early Iron Age, around 700 BC. Biskupin

3. Piast Dynasty (966–1385) Poland began to form into around the middle of the 10th century under the Piast dynasty. Poland’s first ruler was Mieszko I.He was baptisedin966, adopting Christianityas the nation's newofficialreligion. Mieszko I

4. Jagiellon Dynasty (1385–1569) Under the Jagiellon Dynasty Poland forged athere was a union betweenn Poland and Lithuania.In 1410, a Polish-Lithuanian army defeatedTeutonicKnightsboth countries' main adversary, in the battle of Grunwald. After theThirteenYears war, the Knight's state became a Polish vassal. Polish culture and economy flourished under the Jagiellons. Compared to other European nations, Poland was exceptional in its religioustolerance. Seventy-five Tatar Raidswere recorded into Poland and Lithuania between 1474–1569. WladyslawJagiello – first king form Jagiellon Dynasy

5. Sixteenthcentury after the Union of Lublin which gave birth to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealthwas the golden age for Poland. During the Golden Age period, Poland expanded its borders to become the largest country in Europe, covering most of what today is Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and some parts of modern Russia. In the mid-seventeenth century, a Swedishinvasion("The Deluge") and the Cossacks’Chmielnicki Uprising, famines and epidemics, numerouswars against Russia marked the end of the golden age. Poland becamenear-anarchy controlled by its neighbours. The reforms, particularly those of the Great Sejm, which passed the Constitution of May 3, 1791—the world's second modern constitution and the first in Europe—were destroyedwith the three partitions of Poland (1772, 1793, and 1795) which culminated in Poland's being erased from the map of Europe and its territories being divided between Russia, Prussia, and Austria. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth(1569–1795) The greatest extent of Poland in 1635

6. Partitions of Poland (1795–1918) Poles rebel several times against the partitioners, particularly near the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the nineteenth century. One of the most famous and successful battle for Poland was at Racławice where TadeuszKosciuszkolead peasants and some polish armies into battle against Russia, in 1794. In 1807, Napoleon I of France recreated a Polish state, the Duchy of Warsaw, but after the Napoleonic Wars, Poland was again divided in 1815 by the victorious Allies at the Congress of Vienna. Partitions of Poland

7. Reconstitution of Poland (1918–1939) During World War I, all the Allies agreed on the reconstitution of Poland that United StatesPresident Woodrow Wilson proclaimed in Point 13 of his Fourteen Points. Shortly after the armistice with Germany in November 1918, Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic (II RzeczpospolitaPolska). Poland in 1922

8. World War II (1939–1945) in 1939, Nazi Germanyinvaded Poland on 1 September and the Soviet invadediton 17 September. Warsaw capitulatedon 28 September 1939. Poland was split into two zones, one occupied by Germanywhile the eastern provinces werecontrol led by the Soviet Union. Of all the countries involved in the war, Poland lost the highest percentage of its citizens.Poland made the fourth-largest troop contribution to the Allied war, after the Soviets, the British and the Americans. At theend of the war Poland's borders were shifted to thewestand the western border was moved to the Oder-Neisse line. The new Poland was20% smaller. Warsaw destroyedduringWorld War II

9. Postwarcommunist Poland (1945–1989) The Soviet Union instituted a new communist government in Poland and the People's Republic of Poland (PolskaRzeczpospolitaLudowa) was officially proclaimed in 1952. Poland was not a free country duringthat time. In the 1980"Solidarity" ("Solidarność"), which over time became a political force was formed. It was a labourmovement. Despite persecution itdefeatedthe Communist Partyand by 1989 had triumphed in parliamentary elections. Lech Wałęsa, a Solidarity candidate, eventually won the presidency in 1990. Thanks to the Solidarity movement communism across Eastern Europecollaapsed. Lech Walesa – the first president of free Poland

10. Presentday Poland (1989–present) Poland transformedits economy into a market economy. As with all other post-communist countries, Poland suffered temporary sproblemsin social and economic standardsbut itisconstantlygettingbetter. In 1999, Poland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Poles then voted to join the European Union in a referendum in June 2003, with Poland becoming a full member on 1 May 2004. On April 10, 2010, the President of the Republic of Poland, Lech Kaczyński, and many other high-ranking Polish officials died in a plane crash in Russia. On June 20th we will chooseournewpresident. 1989 – first freeelectionsin Poland