AHC: A Stronger Weak Poland

A slightly confusing title I know but bear with me. Whilst doing some reading on the high middle ages one of the maps of Europe I saw reminded me how roughly close the borders of the Kingdom if Poland up until 1385 or so were with modern day Poland's, not surprising considering that the territory they picked up after WW2 was called the recovered territories. Already knew this but guess had kind of forgotten what with Poland generally being Europe's doormat and having such an ineffectual government for so long.

Anyway, what I looking for is there any way to avoid the union with Lithuania and the long decline after the Piasts so the Poland is able to survive as an independent country - bonus points if they eventually absorb Prussia and Pomerania - that's strong enough to not be everyone's punching bag yet weak enough/internally divided enough that they generally concentrate on internal matters and not go stomping around the region militarily? Poland and Eastern Europe has never really been my strong point so having a look around a couple of points of departure that jump out are perhaps Boleslaw III leaves a slightly less screwed up testament so whilst things fragment a bit it's so bad as in our timeline or Casimir III the Great has a legitimate heir. Anyone else have any interesting ideas on how to achieve this or something like it?
 
You also need to avoid the introduction (under a weak king) of the constitutional rule whereby any new legislation needed the unanimous consent of the entire nobility...
 
Ack, yeah that really needs to be avoided. Forgot to mention that as the two main points of departure predated it. Either that or it's introduced in a slightly less fucked up manner e.g. keep it limited to the major nobility, allow the minor nobility to vote but only title holders so not every son gets involved, or pass legislation separately so that one veto doesn't make all other votes that have been passed null as well. That might be enough to get them to survive with the benefits that came with it such as religious tolerance or pacta conventa balanced with a hereditary monarchy to keep them fairly quiet and not go adventuring.
 
A slightly confusing title I know but bear with me. Whilst doing some reading on the high middle ages one of the maps of Europe I saw reminded me how roughly close the borders of the Kingdom if Poland up until 1385 or so were with modern day Poland's, not surprising considering that the territory they picked up after WW2 was called the recovered territories. Already knew this but guess had kind of forgotten what with Poland generally being Europe's doormat and having such an ineffectual government for so long.

Anyway, what I looking for is there any way to avoid the union with Lithuania and the long decline after the Piasts so the Poland is able to survive as an independent country - bonus points if they eventually absorb Prussia and Pomerania - that's strong enough to not be everyone's punching bag yet weak enough/internally divided enough that they generally concentrate on internal matters and not go stomping around the region militarily? Poland and Eastern Europe has never really been my strong point so having a look around a couple of points of departure that jump out are perhaps Boleslaw III leaves a slightly less screwed up testament so whilst things fragment a bit it's so bad as in our timeline or Casimir III the Great has a legitimate heir. Anyone else have any interesting ideas on how to achieve this or something like it?
I think in 1380's that time Poland has two choices whether to unite with Bohemia or Lithuania, if Polish nobles accepted Sigismund because he is the descendant of the Casimir III or Sigismund marries Jadwiga because Elisabeth of Bosnia wanted to kick him out of Hungary which prevents the Union of Kreva, this will result in a Polish-Bohemian union and an Anti-Hussite Poland or have Jadwiga married to William of Habsburg you could also detach it later from Lithuania if one of the Hohenzollerns of Brandenburg are made Kings of Poland instead of any son of Jogaila...

I think the best scenario is for the Silesian Piasts to centralize Poland or in the late 13th century or both Przemysl of Greater Poland and Henry Probus are not assassinated.
 
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MSZ

Banned
Having Jadwiga marry Wilhelm of Austria, Casimir the Great having children, Henry the Pious uniting Poland earlier and with Silesia are ways to have the Piasts rule longer and prevent the union with Lithuania - but not necessarly have it the same power level as you say. I'll remind you that OTL pretty much was what you decribed for the most time - capable of beating anyone when attacked (why do people forget they conquered friggen Russia...), but not really willing to go on invasion sprees. It managed to have such a power level thanks in a great part to holding Ukraine and getting rich through slae of products obtained from extensive agriculture and harvest. If Poland doesn't get Ukraine, it is not likely to get the same level of power with post-1945 borders + Prussia. Silesia simply isn't as valuable in the middle ages as it was once industralization came and its coal was a power source. So this would have to be attended.

Having Henry the Pious unite Poland earlier can easily lead Poland to looking westwards to regaining the rest of the silesian dutchies, as well as pretty much guaranteeing it conquering Prussia eventually - the Knights Teutoniconly arrived there to protect Masovia which couldn't protecti itself, so with it being part of Poland that is butterflied away - only the Livonian Order might be a problem in the future. It would also probably require a few wars with Brandenburg to retake everything east of the Oder - not sure who could Poland count as an ally against it in the middle ages.

But first and foremost - Poland must modernize its agriculture to be more intensive and less extensive as well as join the west european trade network. It is possible thanks to Hanzeatic Danzig and Vistula going all the way south to Cracow, so the potential is there. But Denmark could be a problem controling the straits. So best way to remedy that could be a personal union between Denmark and Poland, the latter adopting the formers agricultural techniques and having more free access to trade, while helping Denmark fight off Sweden - a common enemy. This could allow Poland to westernize earlier and thus keep a roughly OTL level of strength in those reduced territories.
 
You'd need an earlier POD than Henry the Pious to butterfly the Teutonic Knights showing up at all, but if Poland reunites in the mid-13th century, they might be kicked out of Prussia the same way Hungary kicked them out of its own border territory and for the same reasons
 
First to kill a dragon: institution of liberum veto come into existence only in 17th Century. Before Union of Lublin (1569) while it was preferred to pass bills by unanimous consent, it was custom to pass bills by majority vote – only after inclusion of Lithuanian magnates, who were used to dictate policy, and the subsequent weakening of middle nobility, system started to derail. If Polish-Lithuanian relationship remained on pre-1569 levels, Poland would most likely evolve along the ways of OTL England.

Now the possible divergences:

1. Keep Jagiellon dynasty keep having enough male members for Polish and Lithuanian thrones to remain held by different individuals. One of the last PODsis Queen Bona not having an accident during hunting in 1520s while pregnant -> so Sigismund I would have two male heirs, instead of only one OTL.

2. Piast ones – late one would be Ziemowit IV of Mazovia becoming the King of Poland. OTL he was actually nearly crowned as a King during the gathering of Polish szlachta in Sieradz in 1383 and only because of a protest of then Voivode of Cracow it didn’t happen. Make Voivode fall ill or have an accident just before and you have a Mazovian Piast on a Polish throne. As OTL Mazovian branch of Piast dynasty died out in 1525, it can be expected that ITTL Piasts will govern Poland till 16th Century.
 
First to kill a dragon: institution of liberum veto come into existence only in 17th Century. Before Union of Lublin (1569) while it was preferred to pass bills by unanimous consent, it was custom to pass bills by majority vote – only after inclusion of Lithuanian magnates, who were used to dictate policy, and the subsequent weakening of middle nobility, system started to derail. If Polish-Lithuanian relationship remained on pre-1569 levels, Poland would most likely evolve along the ways of OTL England.

Now the possible divergences:

1. Keep Jagiellon dynasty keep having enough male members for Polish and Lithuanian thrones to remain held by different individuals. One of the last PODsis Queen Bona not having an accident during hunting in 1520s while pregnant -> so Sigismund I would have two male heirs, instead of only one OTL.

2. Piast ones – late one would be Ziemowit IV of Mazovia becoming the King of Poland. OTL he was actually nearly crowned as a King during the gathering of Polish szlachta in Sieradz in 1383 and only because of a protest of then Voivode of Cracow it didn’t happen. Make Voivode fall ill or have an accident just before and you have a Mazovian Piast on a Polish throne. As OTL Mazovian branch of Piast dynasty died out in 1525, it can be expected that ITTL Piasts will govern Poland till 16th Century.

I think Siemowit IV could also marry Margaret or Anne of Bohemia to bring in Bohemian alliance and he would also be a heir of Casimir III.
 
I think Siemowit IV could also marry Margaret or Anne of Bohemia to bring in Bohemian alliance and he would also be a heir of Casimir III.
It wasn't in the plans. Ziemowit OTL tried to marry Jadwiga - including planned kidnapping attempt, and I don't think that would change ATL. Although he could marry smn else - the main difference would be the fate of Red Ruthenia (it'd remain Hungarian).
 
It wasn't in the plans. Ziemowit OTL tried to marry Jadwiga - including planned kidnapping attempt, and I don't think that would change ATL. Although he could marry smn else - the main difference would be the fate of Red Ruthenia (it'd remain Hungarian).

I think it would be better for Poland if it does not have Red Ruthenia..

I think if Casimir of Pomerania bore sons, he or his sons will gain the Polish throne due to the Support of Masovia and Lithuania(if he has sons with his first wife) either after Casimir III or Louis of Hungary dies.
 
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