Małe miasta przy granicy śląsko-małopolskiej w XIV w. Geneza – funkcje – warunki rozwoju.

The article is devoted to the history of small towns incorporated in the 14th century that were located on the borderland of Silesia and Lesser Poland. It analyses four centres located in he so-called central area of the borderland – Będzin, Bieruń, Chrzanów and Mysłowice. The aim of the research is to point to any regularity connected with the creation and functioning of small towns in the specific area of the borderland as well as to show relations between these centres and larger cities such as Krakow or Opole. The development of a settlement of a municipal character in a particular place was influenced by a number of factors, including natural factors, the existence of a city or a market settlement in the neighbourhood, the vicinity of trade routes, fords, as well as the organization of local and regional routes. None of the discussed towns was created from scratch as there were traces of settlements frombefore the incorporation in their vicinity. The early establishment of the towns is additionally corroborated by information about parishes whose existence had been proved in all towns except from Bieruń since the beginning of the 14th century. Small towns played an important role in the economy of their regions as they satisfied the needs of their inhabitants, people from the adjacent villages and merchants travelling through the town. Moreover, the towns fulfilled a series of political, proprietary, and cultural functions in relation to the neighbouring settlements. One can notice some regularities and similarities in the origin, functions and conditions of developing small towns. These factors were not influenced in any major way by the fact that the towns were located at different sides of the border