Duchy of Greater Poland

The Duchy of Greater Poland was a historical Polish province and district principality that existed from 1138 to 1320 CE. It emerged following the 1138 testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth, which divided the Kingdom of Poland into several hereditary duchies, initiating a period of feudal fragmentation. Although nominally part of the Polish realm, the duchy functioned as a semi-autonomous Piast principality, governed independently by its own dukes. Its capital was Poznań, and its territory roughly corresponded to the present-day Greater Poland Voivodeship in west-central Poland. The duchy was subdivided in 1177 but later reunited in 1279 under Przemysł II, before being reabsorbed into the restored Kingdom of Poland in 1320.