Lidzbark was founded in 1301. The town's
Roman Catholic parish church was constructed in 1350.
Władysław II Jagiełło led his army through Lidzbark on July 9, 1410, before the
Battle of Grunwald. On September 29, 1413, some of the Teutonic Knights in the town revolted against
Heinrich von Plauen the Elder; they were only appeased with Plauen's replacement with
Michael Küchmeister von Sternberg. The town joined the
Prussian Confederation, which opposed Teutonic rule, and upon the request of which King
Casimir IV Jagiellon reincorporated the territory to the
Kingdom of Poland in 1454. On 28 May 1454 Lidzbark pledged allegiance to the Polish King in
Toruń. At the
Second Peace of Thorn (1466) the Teutonic Knights renounced claims to the town and recognized it as part of Poland. Administratively it was located in the
Chełmno Voivodeship in the province of
Royal Prussia in the
Greater Poland Province. A large portion of the city was destroyed by fire in 1764. During the
First Partition of Poland, the town was annexed by the
Kingdom of Prussia in 1772. During the
Napoleonic Wars it was part of the Polish
Duchy of Warsaw from 1807 to 1815, but was reannexed by Prussia afterwards. In 1772, the town had 510 inhabitants and 83 timbered buildings. Agriculture was common in the area along with crafting. In 1789, the population reached 802 of which 41 families were craftsmen. In the beginning of the 20th century, the city had breweries, sawmills, iron mill, engine works and dairy products. In 1920, the area was reintegrated with
Poland after it regained independence. During World War II, it was under
German occupation. The population in 1943 was 4,329. 70% of the town was destroyed during the war. ==Geography==