Na pograniczu krakowsko-opolskim. Częstochowa pod rządami Władysława Opolczyka.

Abstract

The first piece of information about Częstochowa dates back to 1220, that is the time when it was a small village located at the bottom of Jasna Góra on the edge of a settlement called Opole Mstowskie. Although thanks to the initiative of knights that ruled Częstochowa it became a parish village already before 1326, its development was slow because of its peripheral location near the border and, more importantly, the danger of brigand raids. A breakthrough in the development of Częstochowa occurred during the last years of the reign of Casimir III the Great and the rule of Duke Vladislaus of Opole in the years 1370-1391. King Casimir allowed incorporating the village under the German law in 1356 and after a few years proceeded with planting royal city Częstochowa near that settlement at the Warta River. After the death of the king, Duke Vladislaus of Opole took over the realization of this task, and finished it in 1377. The greatest merits of the Duke include bringing Pauline Fathers from Hungary and founding their monastery on Jasna Góra in 1382 as well as granting the monks with the paining of the Black Madonna two years later. Due to the fact that in that area of the Krakow land existed a large estate and significant endowment of the monastery of Canons Regular in Mstów, Duke Vladislaus had to make his donations to the Pauline Fathers from goods that were frequently far away from Częstochowa. Because of that, the endowment of the monastery was changed a couple of times and corrected by the Duke himself as well as by King Vladislaus Jagiello.