Greater Poland - Name of The Region

Name of The Region

Greater Poland was the settlement area of the Polans and the core of the early Polish state, therefore, the region was at times simply called "Poland" (Latin Polonia). The more specific name is first recorded in the Latin form Polonia Maior in 1257, and in Polish ("w Wielkej Polszcze") in 1449. The name can be construed as referring to old Poland, as opposed to Lesser (or Little) Poland (Polish Małopolska, Latin Polonia Minor), a region in southern Poland with its capital at Kraków.