Duchy of Brzeg

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The Duchy of Brzeg (Polish: Księstwo Brzeskie; German: Herzogtum Brieg; Czech: Knížectví břežské) was a small Silesian state created in 1311 during the breakup of the Duchy of Legnica. Its capital was Brzeg, in what is now southwestern Poland. The duchy was carved from Legnica and, in 1329, became a Bohemian fief. By 1348 Brzeg was part of the Bohemian Crown.

Over the years Brzeg was sometimes reunited with Legnica and then separated again, and in 1664 it was once more united with Legnica under Duke Christian. After the Piast dynasty line ended with Duke George William in 1675, Brzeg was ruled directly by the Habsburgs as Kings of Bohemia. Brandenburg-Prussia laid claim to the duchy under an inheritance treaty from 1537, but this agreement was not accepted by the Bohemian king.

In 1742, Prussia annexed most of Silesia, including Brzeg. Today the territory that once belonged to the Duchy of Brzeg is part of Poland.