# Władysław the Elbow-high takes Kraków (1306)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1306-wladyslaw-the-elbow-high-takes-krakow
Location: Kraków
Categories: ruler-change

After the murder of Wenceslaus III, Władysław I the Elbow-high captured Kraków and Sandomierz. 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 (1306), the governing authority was Władysław I the Elbow-high (King of Poland). Reunited the core Polish lands and was crowned King of Poland in Kraków in 1320, restoring the kingdom. Władysław the Elbow-high takes Kraków mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy. 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
Władysław the Elbow-high takes Kraków mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy.

Ruler at the time: [Władysław I the Elbow-high](https://poland-history.com/rulers/wladyslaw-i-the-elbow-high)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Władysław I Łokietek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_I_%C5%81okietek)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Władysław the Elbow-high takes Kraków](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw+the+Elbow-high+takes+Krak%C3%B3w)
- [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))