Opole's history begins in the 8th century. At this time, according to the
archeological excavations, the first Slavic settlement was founded on the
Ostrówek - the northern part of the Pasieka island in the middle of the Odra
river. In the early 10th century it developed into one of the main gróds of the
Slavic Opolanie. At the end of the century Silesia became part of Poland and
was ruled by the Piast dynasty; the land of the pagan Opolanie was conquered by
Duke Mieszko I in 992. From the 11th-12th centuries it was also a castellany.
After the death of Duke Władysław II the Exile, Silesia was divided in 1163
between
