# Chełmno Charter (1233)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1233-chelmno-charter
Location: Chełmno

The Teutonic Knights issued the Kulm Law charter for Chełmno and Toruń, a town law model later adopted in many Polish and Prussian towns. Within the broader Fragmentation period: After 1138 Poland split into duchies ruled by rival Piast princes. Mongol invasions, German settlement, the growth of towns and the arrival of the Teutonic Knights reshaped the land before it was reunited. At this point in the timeline (1233), the governing authority was Henry the Bearded (High Duke of Poland). Silesian duke who built a powerful realm and came close to reuniting the Polish lands. Chełmno Charter mattered because it defined rights and institutions that shaped Polish government and society. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Chełmno Charter mattered because it defined rights and institutions that shaped Polish government and society.

Ruler at the time: [Henry the Bearded](https://poland-history.com/rulers/henry-the-bearded)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Kulm law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kulm_law)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Chełmno Charter](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Che%C5%82mno+Charter)
- [Wikipedia — History of Poland during the Piast dynasty (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Poland_during_the_Piast_dynasty#Fragmentation_of_the_realm_(1138%E2%80%931320))