Topic: Poland under the rule of the Anjou

Target group

5th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

5th‑grade students of elementary school.

VII. Poland in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Pupil:

1 ) describes the territorial development of the Polish state in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries;

2 ) analyzes the achievements of Casimir the Great in the field of internal politics (defense system, urbanization of the country, law, science) and foreign policy;

3 ) describes Poland's relations with Hungarians in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

General aim of education

The students learn about the rule of the Angevin dynasty in Poland

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• to explain the reasons for the Polish‑Hungarian alliance;

• to characterize the decision to choose Jadwiga as the king of Poland;

• to discuss the reasons for the expiration of the Piast dynasty;

• to analyze the importance of privileges received by the Polish nobility and clergy.

Methods/techniques

• activating

  • discussion.

• expository

  • talk.

• exposing

  • film.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

1. Students remember how Poland united under Władysław Łokietek and Kazimierz Wielki.

Introduction

1. The teacher gives the students the subject, the purpose of the lesson and the criteria for success.

2. Then, the teacher, referring to the homework, asks students what happened in 1320 and how the governments of Władysław Łokietek and Casimir the Great looked like.

Realization

1. The teacher begins the discussion, asking the students the question of who could become the king of Poland? Who the overlords most likely wanted on the throne? Asking questions, the teacher remembers that they are to be formulated as the key questions. Then he introduces them to how and why the declaration on the succession of the Polish crown by the Anjouanscame came about, first discussing declaration of Władysław the Elbow‑high, and then Casimir the Great. Students read a fragment of a chronicle by Janek from Czarnków and do Exercise 1.

2. The teacher introduces the circumstances of getting to the Polish throne by King Louis of Hungary, and then his rule. He focuses primarily on the lack of presence of the ruler in the country, the regency of his mother, Elżbieta Łokietkówna, and guaranteeing succession for one of the daughters. Students do Exercise 2 (ordering sentences). The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and gives feedback.

3. Then the teacher introduces Jadwiga's rule. He emphasizes that she was crowned king of Poland and that to her death she focused on helping the needy, donations and the development of culture and science. The teacher, as an example, mentions the Florian Psalter, rationale of Jadwiga, the renewal of the Krakow Academy. Students do Exercise 3, Exercise 4 - based on the attached text of the papal homily - and Exercise 5. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and provides help or feedback..

Summary

1. In summary, the teacher asks students how students think what task the Polish mighty overlords had to face when Jadwiga's minor was crowned? Then, if they did not answer (marriage and ensure continuity of government), the teacher gives it and explains how important it was.

2. Students do Task 1 (calendar of the times of the Angevin rule in Poland), and then the teacher asks about the assessment of the Angevin rule on the Polish throne. Finally, he makes sure that the tasks have been done correctly and gives feedback.

3. The teacher assesses the students' work during the lesson, taking into account their input and commitment. For this purpose, he may prepare an evaluation questionnaire for self‑assessment and evaluation of the teacher's work and other students.

Homework

1. The teacher sets a homework (it is not an obligatory part of the script): Queen Jadwiga was known for her devotion to the needy and the poor. Look for the foundations she made and what she became famous for during her lifetime.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Poland under the rule of the Anjou

After the death of Władysław the Short in 1333, the throne was given to his son, Casimir, who was crowned in the same year. His rule was a time of stabilization and economic development. In contrast to his father, the king did not conduct such expansive policy, he focused on strengthening the state and securing its borders. Despite several marriages, he did not have a male descendant who could take over the throne. In 1339, fearing that the situation wasn’t going to change, he made the first agreement with the Hungarian Anjou dynasty, saying that if the ruler did not leave a male heir, they would take power in Poland. He repeated these promises several more times. This ensured a rapprochement between the rulers of Poland and Hungary and influenced the foreign policy of both countries.

King Casimir the Great died in 1370 without a male descendant. According to his will, Louis the Hungarian took over the power in Poland for the next twelve years. The death of Casimir the Great ended the reign of the Piast dynasty on the Polish throne and handed it to the Anjou dynasty. What is more, Poland and Hungary were united by a personal union. The rule of Louis was characterized by an attempt to win the nobles and chivalry favor to ensure that one of his daughters inherits power. To achieve this, in 1374 the ruler issued the privilege of Koszyce for all the Polish nobility (in 1381 also for the clergy) in exchange for their consent to one of his daughters succession. This contributed to the weakening of the central power and the growing importance of the nobility. In order to calm the situation in the country at the time of his absence, he appointed his mother, Elizabeth (daughter of King Władysław the Short), to become the regent and encouraged the nobles to take part in ruling of the country.

Louis of Hungary died in 1382 and his death began a two‑year period of interregnum. Finally, in 1384 his younger daughter Jadwiga, 10 years old at the time, ascended the throne and was the first female ruler in Poland to be crowned king. After the coronation, the nobles started to look for a husband for Jadwiga who would permanently secure the interests of the country. They choose the ruler of Lithuania, Jagiełło. After the marriage with Jagiełło, Jadwiga remained the ruler of the kingdom. Władysław was only a king consort. She was to make the most important political decisions. However, she focused primarily on charity. She also supported the Church and the development of science, funding, among others, the Florian Psalter. In her will, she donated her jewels for the renewal of the Cracow Academy, contributing to its development. She died in 1399 as a result of childbirth complications. Her relationship with the Crown was stronger and her merit was greater than that of her father, Louis of Hungary. With her death, the rule of the Anjou dynasty on the Polish throne ended. For the next centuries, the power was in the hands of the Jagiellonians.