Gords and cities in Poland in the 13th century in the context of the then settlement changes

Abstract

The presented article revolves around an important academic issue pertaining to the spatial and chronological relations in the gords and towns of the 13th century, operating in Poland in the then Piast duchies. As part of the considerations, selected examples of gords and towns have been presented from the specific historical countries (Greater Poland, Kuyavia, the Gdansk Pomerania, Masovia, Central Poland, Lesser Poland and Silesia) to illustrate the issues in question. At the same time, attempts have been made to refer these examples to models or spatial relations including towns and older settlement as presented by Marian Rębkowski. These considerations lead to a conclusion that the gords and towns in the 13th century often operated next to each other, fulfilling different functions, at the same time complementing each other. Keywords: gords, cities, settlement changes, 13th century.