Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic , was a <a href="/facts/Federation/R846sufb">federative</a> <a href="/facts/Real_union/FhXBVckt">real union</a> between the <a href="/facts/Crown_of_the_Kingdom_of_Poland/oDvfPXaI">Kingdom of Poland</a> and the <a href="/facts/Grand_Duchy_of_Lithuania/9czbKcfs">Grand Duchy of Lithuania</a>, existing from 1569 to 1795. This state was among the largest, most populated countries of 16th- to 18th-century Europe. At its peak in the early 17th century, the Rzeczpospolita spanned approximately 1,000,000 km2 (390,000 sq mi) and supported a multi-ethnic population of around 12 million as of 1618. The official languages of the Commonwealth were <a href="/facts/Polish_language/lzpvYDvV">Polish</a> and <a href="/facts/Latin_Language/pM3Kge85">Latin</a>, with <a href="/facts/Catholic_Church/rJ4F4gqH">Catholicism</a> as the state religion.
The <a href="/facts/Union_of_Lublin/mvur9WtP">Union of Lublin</a> established the Commonwealth as a single entity on 1 July 1569. The two nations had previously been in a <a href="/facts/Personal_union/cBjL324v">personal union</a> since the <a href="/facts/Union_of_Krewo/IbEG1fqF">Krewo Agreement</a> of 1385 (<a href="/facts/Polish%25E2%2580%2593Lithuanian_union/SAhdnP2J">Polish–Lithuanian union</a>) and the subsequent marriage of Queen <a href="/facts/Jadwiga_of_Poland/0YU6C89P">Jadwiga of Poland</a> to Grand Duke Jogaila of Lithuania, who was crowned as <a href="/facts/W%25C5%2582adys%25C5%2582aw_II_Jagie%25C5%2582%25C5%2582o/D0wzcRK6">Władysław II Jagiełło</a>, <a href="/facts/Jure_uxoris/1LSd13Gm">jure uxoris</a> King of Poland. Their descendant, <a href="/facts/Sigismund_II_Augustus/zhCVhmkJ">Sigismund II Augustus</a>, enforced the merger to strengthen frontiers of his dominion and maintain unity as he remained childless. His death in 1572 marked the end of the <a href="/facts/Jagiellonian_dynasty/bQStmRdE">Jagiellonian dynasty</a>. It introduced an <a href="/facts/Elective_monarchy/QbmeAjck">elective monarchy</a>, whereupon members of domestic noble families or external dynasties were <a href="/facts/Royal_elections_in_Poland/vNCIWHhe">elected to the throne</a> for life.
The Commonwealth's <a href="/facts/Parliamentary_system/HAsnSsRz">parliamentary system of government</a> and <a href="/facts/Elective_monarchy/QbmeAjck">elective monarchy</a>, called the <a href="/facts/Golden_Liberty/oxxP6MdR">Golden Liberty</a>, were an early example of <a href="/facts/Constitutional_monarchy/C0TtVRq8">constitutional monarchy</a>. The <a href="/facts/Sejm_of_the_Polish%25E2%2580%2593Lithuanian_Commonwealth/A2zqeALc">General Sejm</a>, the <a href="/facts/Bicameralism/qdbjFfpm">bicameral</a> <a href="/facts/Parliament/n2zfmmBC">Parliament</a>, held legislative power; its lower house was elected by <a href="/facts/Szlachta/u5dCoYbX">szlachta</a> nobles comprising some 15% of the population. A constitutional statute, the <a href="/facts/Henrician_Articles/xqhNpvDq">Henrician Articles</a>, bound the king and his government, which tightly circumscribed royal authority. The country also exhibited unusual levels of ethnic diversity and great <a href="/facts/Religious_tolerance/ho38UdfK">religious tolerance</a> by European standards, guaranteed by the <a href="/facts/Warsaw_Confederation/M4T6s2Us">Warsaw Confederation Act of 1573</a>, though the practical degree of religious freedom varied. Poland acted as the dominant partner in the union. <a href="/facts/Polonization/T6tn3qfm">Polonization</a> of nobles was generally voluntary, but state efforts at religious conversion were sometimes resisted.
After a long period of prosperity, the Commonwealth found itself under sustained, combined assault from its neighbours and entered a period of protracted political and military decline. Its growing weakness led to its <a href="/facts/Partitions_of_Poland/kyVSVxEc">partitioning</a> among its neighbours, <a href="/facts/Habsburg_monarchy/ctwsV3TC">Austria</a>, <a href="/facts/Kingdom_of_Prussia/x796l7vx">Prussia</a>, and <a href="/facts/Russian_Empire/hg1g5SpV">Russia</a>, during the late 18th century. Shortly before its demise, the Commonwealth adopted a major reform effort and enacted the <a href="/facts/Constitution_of_3_May_1791/VzBqlSTW">3 May Constitution</a>, which was the first modern codified constitution in European history and the second in world history after the <a href="/facts/Constitution_of_the_United_States/AJlEWNR3">United States Constitution</a>.

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth open-in-new

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth