Editing Polonization (section)

== Medieval Poland ==
[[File:Subdue of Ruthenia in 1366.png|thumb|right|''[[The Second Taking of Ruthenia. Wealth and Education]],'' 1888 oil painting by [[Jan Matejko]] depicting the [[cornerstone]] laying for the first Roman Catholic church in [[Lviv]] by [[Casimir III the Great]] of Poland]]
Between the 12th and the 14th centuries, many towns in [[Polish Crown|Poland]] adopted the so-called [[Magdeburg rights]] that promoted the towns' development and [[trade (profession)|trade]]. The rights were usually granted by the king on the occasion of the arrival of migrants. Some integrated with the larger community, such as merchants who settled there, especially [[Greeks]] and [[Armenians]]. They adopted most aspects of Polish culture but kept their Orthodox faith. In Western Poland, many townspeople were Germans. Initially, trade guilds had been exclusively German-speaking. However, this began to change by increasing Polonization in the 15th and 16th centuries.<ref> {{cite book|editor=LOthar Dralle|author= Franciszek Bujak|chapter= Deutsche Siedlung in den Westgebieten Polens|title= Preussen, Deutschland, Polen im Urteil polnischer Historiker: eine Anthologie|publisher=Colloquium-Verlag|year= 1983}}</ref>
Since the Middle Ages, Polish culture, influenced by the West, in turn radiated East, beginning the long process of [[cultural assimilation]].<ref name="Mikos2">[[Michael J. Mikoś]], ''Polish Literature from the Middle Ages to the End of the Eighteenth Century. A Bilingual Anthology'', Warsaw: Constans, 1999. [http://staropolska.gimnazjum.com.pl/ang/renaissance/Mikos_renaissance/index.html Introductory chapters.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927020417/http://staropolska.gimnazjum.com.pl/ang/renaissance/Mikos_renaissance/index.html |date=27 September 2007 }}</ref>