By Tim Lambert
966 The ruler of Poland becomes a Christian and his people follow
1201-1238 Henry the Bearded rules Poland. His wife encourages German merchants and craftsmen to come and live in Poland
1241-42 The Mongols invade Poland but soon withdraw
1308 The Teutonic Knights take Pomerania including Gdansk
1333-70 Under Kazimierz the Great Poland expands its territory
1374 The Privilege of Koszyce makes the nobles exempt from most kinds of tax
1410 Poland and Lithuania utterly defeat the Teutonic Knights at the Battle of Grunwald
1505 The king of Poland agrees that no political changes will be made without the consent of the nobles
1543 Copernicus publishes his theory that the Earth and the other planets orbit the Sun
1569 Poland and Lithuania form a federation
1572 The Polish monarchy becomes elective
1573 The Compact of Warsaw allows freedom of worship in Poland
1767 Russia forces Poland to accept a treaty
1772 The first Partition of Poland takes place
1793 A second Partition of Poland takes place
1795 A third partition of Poland takes place
1815 At the Congress of Vienna the great powers divide up Poland
1830 Poles under Russian rule rebel but they are defeated
1863 Again the Poles rebel against the Russians but once again they are defeated
1918 After the First World War ends Poland becomes independent
1919-1921 Poland fights Russia
1921 A new constitution is published
1926 Pilsudski becomes dictator of Poland
1935 Pilsudski dies
1939 Germany invades Poland from the west. Russia invades Poland from the east.
1944 The Warsaw Uprising takes place
1945-47 The Russians impose Communism on the Poles
1956 Anti Communist riots take place in Poland
1970 More anti Communist riots take place
1980 Strikes take place in Poland
1981 The Communists impose martial law
1988 The Communists are forced to give in and call elections
1989 Elections are held in Poland
1997 A new constitution is introduced in Poland
1999 Poland joins NATO
2004 Poland joins the EU
2012 The first Polish satellite PW-Sat is launched
