The Expansion of Poland, 14th–15th Centuries

Abstract

Although political stability and cultural flowering characterized Poland during the 14th century, the Teutonic Knights and a growing German settler population from the northern Baltic shore regions caused continuing difficulties for the Polish state. The German presence threatened Poland’s hold on Pomerania and, by extension, its access to the Baltic Sea. The Poles proved unable to effectively handle the increasingly independent Teutonic Knights, and violent clashes between Poles and Knights intensified throughout the 14th century.