The Slavs settle in the regions of eastern Europe and western Russia

The Poles are first recorded as a tribal group when a German knight comes into contact with them in the region round Gniezno

Mieszko, pagan chieftain of the Poles, marries a Christian Czech princess and brings all his people into the Roman Catholic fold

Mongols of the Golden Horde defeat the Poles at Legnica and ravage the city of Cracow

The Teutonic knights seize the coastal area round Gdansk, cutting off Poland's access to the sea

Wladyslaw I is crowned king of Poland in Cracow, which he makes his capital city

The long reign of Casimir III, known as the Great, is a time of prosperity and achievement in Poland

Jadwiga, 12-year-old queen of Poland, marries Jogaila, her 34-year-old pagan neighbour - uniting the crowns of Poland and Lithuania

The Poles defeat the Teutonic knights between Tannenberg and Grunwald, bringing the coastal strip around Gdansk into the Polish kingdom

Matthias Corvinus begins a long reign which brings Moravia, Silesia and much of Austria within the Hungarian kingdom

In the treaty of Torun the Teutonic knights finally cede Prussia to Poland

John I Albert summons the first recorded sejm, a parliament representing the whole of Poland

Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus publishes a book suggesting that the earth moves round the sun

Stefan Báthory, prince of Transylvania, is elected king of Poland

A Cossack rebellion leads to the eventual transfer of their territory from Poland to Russia

The Turks are driven from the walls of Vienna by the Polish king John Sobieski, in what proves a historic turning point

Poland, Russia and Denmark attack Sweden, beginning the 21-year Northern War

A charismatic leader, Baal Shem Tov, develops Hasidism in Poland as an influential revivalist movement within Judaism

Frederick II, the king of Prussia, invades the neighbouring Habsburg province of Silesia, launching the War of the Austrian Succession

Frederick's Prussian army defeats the Austrians at Mollwitz, securing his hold on most of Silesia

Russia, Prussia and Austria agree a treaty enabling them to divide the spoils in the first partition of Poland

The first partition of Poland begins the process of Lithuania being progressively absorbed into Russia

Russia and Prussia agree on a second partition of Poland

Poland's neighbours – Russia, Prussia and Austria – are all on hand for the final partition of the kingdom

Part of Poland is recovered from Prussia to become the grand duchy of Warsaw, a small state dependent upon Napoleon