History of Český Těšín [ History ]
The first written mention about Těšín is indicated in a deed of pope Hadrian IV addressed to Bishop Valter of Wroclaw and dated April 23, 1155. It concerned the Těšín (Tescin) Castle that was a centre of the castle periphery - castellany. The town originated from the settlement around the castle situated on a fortified tongue of land over the Olše River, mentioned already in 1223. The urban rights are safely attested by 1290. In that time the town was the capital of Těšín Prince Měšek I Piast.
Relatively small Těšín Principality, that due to often unreasonable economic policy become even smaller, never played a significant historical role. Nevertheless some of its rulers have their strong position in our history. E.g. daughter of the first Těšín Prince Měšek I Viola was wife of the last Przemysl Václav III, Těšín Prince Przemysl I was personal friend and front diplomat of The Emperor Charles IV and his son Václav ... With the death of the last Těšín Princess Alžběta Lukrécia in 1653 the Těšín Piast stock died out and the Principality as the feudal tenure of the Czech Crown fell on the Hapsburgs. They then ruled there up to 1918. The town of Těšín, that already in the 13th century held the Lwow Law and in 1374 received the Magdeburg Law, rapidly developed. It received series of privileges from its Princes. The Princes minted their own coins here, too. The handicrafts developed. Decorated hunting rifles, produced here, were named according the town "Těšínky". The flowering of the town promoted also the transport of copper ore from Slovakia to west at the beginning of the 16th century.