Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and, after 1791, the Commonwealth of Poland, was a state of Poland and Lithuania that was ruled by a common monarch. The Commonwealth was an extension of the Polish-Lithuanian Union, a personal union between those two states that had existed from 1386. It was one of the largest[9] countries of 16th- and 17th-century Europe and had one of the largest populations. The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth covered more than the present lands of Poland and Lithuania since it also had all of present-day Belarus, a large part of present-day Ukraine and Latvia, and the western part of present-day Russia.
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth | |||||||||||||||
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| 1569–1795[1] | |||||||||||||||
 Royal Banner (c. 1605)  Royal Coat of arms | |||||||||||||||
Motto:
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| Anthem: Gaude Mater Polonia "Rejoice, oh Mother Poland" | |||||||||||||||
.png) The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (green) with vassal states (light green) at their peak in 1619 | |||||||||||||||
| Capital | (de jure)
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| Common languages | Official: Polish and Latin Regional:
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| Religion | Official: Roman Catholicism | ||||||||||||||
| Government |
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| King / Grand Duke | |||||||||||||||
• 1569–1572 | Sigismund II Augustus (first) | ||||||||||||||
• 1764–1795 | Stanisław August Poniatowski (last) | ||||||||||||||
| Legislature | General sejm | ||||||||||||||
• Privy council | Senate | ||||||||||||||
| Historical era | Early modern period | ||||||||||||||
• Union established | 1 July 1569 | ||||||||||||||
• 1st Partition | 5 August 1772 | ||||||||||||||
• 3 May Constitution | 3 May 1791 | ||||||||||||||
| 23 January 1793[1] | |||||||||||||||
• 3rd Partition | 24 October 1795[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||||
| 1582 | 815,000[6] km2 (315,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| 1618 | 1,000,000[7][8] km2 (390,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||||
• 1582 | ~8,000,000[6] | ||||||||||||||
• 1618 | ~12,000,000 | ||||||||||||||
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The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth had high levels of ethnic diversity and religious tolerance.[10] However, the amount of religious freedom varied over time.[11]
After several decades of prosperity,[12] it entered a period of political,[13] military and economic[14] decline. The Commonwealth ended with the final Partitions of Poland in 1795. Its growing weakness led to it being invaded and divided by its more powerful neighbours: Austria, Prussia and the Russian Empire.
Some information
- In Poland, the official languages were Polish and Latin. In Lithuania, the official languages were Old Belarusian, Latin, and Lithuanian.
- The Commonwealth was one of largest countries of its time. It had a large population. At one time, the Commonwealth covered about 400,000 square miles. Population was around 11 million. People of different ethnicities lived in the Commonwealth.
- For about 200 years, the Commonwealth fought wars with other powers of Europe of that time: Muscovy Russians, the Ottoman Empire, and the Swedish Empire.
- The Commonwealth developed a system of laws and legislature that reduced the power of the monarch. Some concepts of democracy also developed in the Commonwealth like constitutional monarchy.
- In theory, the two countries of the Commonwealth were equal, but Poland had a leading role.
- The Commonwealth had a major influence of the Catholic Church. However, the government allowed peoples of different religions to follow their religions. Thus, peoples of many religions lived in the Commonwealth.
- The Commonwealth also produced a national constitution, the first in Europe.
- Agriculture was the main economic activity in the Commonwealth.
References
Notes
