ThePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth,[b][c] also referred to asPoland–Lithuania or theFirst Polish Republic (Polish:IRzeczpospolita),[d][10][11] was afederativereal union[12] between theKingdom of Poland and theGrand Duchy of Lithuania, existing from 1569 to 1795. This state was among the largest,[13][14] most populated countries of 16th- to 18th-century Europe. At its peak in the early 17th century, the Commonwealth spanned approximately 1,000,000 km2 (390,000 sq mi)[15][16] and supported a multi-ethnic population of around 12 million as of 1618.[17][18] The official languages of the Commonwealth werePolish andLatin, withCatholicism as the state religion.
After a long period of prosperity,[29][30][31] the Commonwealth found itself under sustained, combined assault from its neighbours and entered a period of protracted political[22][32] and military decline. Its growing weakness led to itspartitioning among its neighbours,Austria,Prussia, andRussia, during the late 18th century. Shortly before its demise, the Commonwealth adopted a major reform effort and enacted the3 May Constitution, which was the first modern codified constitution in European history and the second in world history after theUnited States Constitution.[33][34][35][36]
Name
The official name of the state was the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Polish:Królestwo Polskie i Wielkie Księstwo Litewskie,Latin:Regnum Poloniae Magnusque Ducatus Lithuaniae). The Latin term was usually employed in international treaties and diplomacy.[37] By concluding the 1569 Union of Lublin theGrand Duchy of Lithuania remained a separate state from theCrown of the Kingdom of Poland with its own name, laws, and territory.[38][39] The name 'Commonwealth of Two Nations' (Polish:Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów) came into force during the reign ofStephen Báthory (since 1582, and was officially used until 1795).[40] On 28 January 1588,Sigismund III Vasa confirmed theThird Statute of Lithuania in which it was stated that the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth is afederation of two countries – Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland where both countries have equal rights within it.[41]
In the 17th century and later it was also known as the 'Most Serene Commonwealth of Poland' (Polish:NajjaśniejszaRzeczpospolita Polska,Latin:Serenissima Res Publica Poloniae),[42] the Commonwealth of the Polish Kingdom,[43] or the Commonwealth of Poland.[44]
Western Europeans often simplified the name to 'Poland' and in most past and modern sources it is referred to as the Kingdom of Poland, or just Poland.[37][45][46] The terms 'Commonwealth of Poland' and 'Commonwealth of Two Nations' (Polish:Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów,Latin:Res Publica Utriusque Nationis) were used in theReciprocal Guarantee of Two Nations (1791).[47] In thepreamble of the Reciprocal Guarantee of Two Nations (1791) the dualistic nature of the state was confirmed and separate monarchial titles ofStanisław August Poniatowski were included: King of Poland (Polish:Krol Polski) and Grand Duke of Lithuania (Polish:Wielki xiązę litewski), also the land envoys of the Polish Crown and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Polish:posłów ziemskich Korony Polskiey, y Wielkiego Xięstwa Litewskiego) were mentioned.[48] The English term Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and German Polen–Litauen are seen as renderings of the 'Commonwealth of Two Nations' variant.[37]
Other informal names include the 'Republic of Nobles' (Polish:Rzeczpospolita szlachecka) and the 'First Polish Republic' (Polish:I Rzeczpospolita), the latter relatively common in historiography to distinguish it from theSecond Polish Republic. In Lithuania, the state is referred to as 'Republic of Both Nations' (Lithuanian:Abiejų Tautų Respublika).[39][40]
TheKingdom of Poland and theGrand Duchy of Lithuania underwent an alternating series of wars and alliances across the 13th and 14th centuries.[49] The relations between the two states differed at times as each strived and competed for political, economic or military dominance of the region.[50] In turn, Poland had remained a staunch ally of its southern neighbour,Hungary. The last Polish monarch from the nativePiast dynasty,Casimir the Great, died on 5 November 1370 without fathering a legitimate male heir.[51] Consequently, the crown passed onto his Hungarian nephew,Louis of Anjou, who ruled theKingdom of Hungary in apersonal union with Poland.[51] A fundamental step in developing extensive ties with Lithuania was a succession crisis arising in the 1380s.[52] Louis died on 10 September 1382 and, like his uncle, did not produce a son to succeed him. His two daughters,Mary andJadwiga (Hedwig), held claims to the vast dual realm.[51]
The Polish lords rejected Mary in favour of her younger sister Jadwiga, partly due to Mary's association withSigismund of Luxembourg.[53] The futurequeen regnant was betrothed to youngWilliam Habsburg, Duke of Austria, but certain factions of the nobility remained apprehensive believing that William would not secure domestic interests.[54] Instead, they turned toJogaila, the Grand Duke of Lithuania. Jogaila was a lifelongpagan and vowed toadopt Catholicism upon marriage by signing theUnion of Krewo on 14 August 1385.[55] The Act imposed Christianity in Lithuania and transformed Poland into adiarchy, a kingdom ruled over by two sovereigns; their descendants and successive monarchs held the titles of king and grand duke respectively.[56] The ultimate clause dictated that Lithuania was to be merged in perpetuity (perpetuo applicare) with the Polish Kingdom; however, this did not take effect until 1569.[57] Jogaila was crowned as Władysław II Jagiełło atWawel Cathedral on 4 March 1386.[58]
Several minor agreements were struck before unification, notably theUnion of Kraków and Vilnius, theUnion of Vilnius and Radom and theUnion of Grodno. Lithuania's vulnerable position and rising tensions on its eastern flank persuaded the nobles to seek a closer bond with Poland.[59] The idea of a federation presented better economic opportunities, whilst securing Lithuania's borders from hostile states to the north, south and east.[60] Lesser Lithuanian nobility were eager to share the personal privileges and political liberties enjoyed by the Polishszlachta, but did not accept Polish demands for the incorporation of the Grand Duchy into Poland as a mere province, with no sense of autonomy.[61]Mikołaj "the Red" Radziwiłł (Radvila Rudasis) and his cousinMikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł, two prominent nobles and military commanders in Lithuania, vocally opposed the union.[62]
A fierce proponent of a single unified Commonwealth wasSigismund II Augustus, who was childless and ailing. According to historians, it was his active involvement which hastened the process and made the union possible.[63] A parliament (sejm) convened on 10 January 1569 in the city ofLublin, attended by envoys from both nations. It was agreed that the merger will take place the same year and both parliaments will be fused into a joint assembly.[64] No independent parliamentary convocation ordiet was henceforth permitted.[64] Subjects of the Polish Crown were no longer restricted in purchasing land on Lithuanian territory and a singlecurrency was established.[65] Whilst the military remained separate, a unified foreign policy meant that Lithuanian troops were obliged to contribute during a conflict not to their advantage.[66] As a result, several Lithuanianmagnates deplored the accords and left the assembly in protest.[67] Sigismund II used his authority as grand duke and enforced the Act of Unionin contumaciam. In fear, the absent nobles promptly returned to the negotiations.[68] TheUnion of Lublin was passed by the gathered deputies and signed by attendees on 1 July, thus creating the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.[67]
Sigismund's death in 1572 was followed by aninterregnum during which adjustments were made to the constitutional system; these adjustments significantly increased the power of thePolish nobility and established a trulyelective monarchy.[69]
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth at its greatest extent in 1619.
On 11 May 1573,Henry de Valois, son ofHenry II of France andCatherine de' Medici, was proclaimed King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania in the first royal election outsideWarsaw. Approximately 40,000 nobles cast a vote in what was to become a centuries-long tradition of a nobles' democracy (Golden Liberty). Henry already posed as a candidate before Sigismund's death and received widespread support from the pro-French factions. The choice was a political move aimed at curtailingHabsburg hegemony, ending skirmishes with the French-alliedOttomans, and profiting from the lucrative trade with France. It was also believed that an Austrian Archduke could be too powerful and attempt to limit noble privileges. French envoys had also offered large amounts of bribes, amounting to several hundred thousandecus.[70] Upon ascending the throne, Henry signed the contractual agreement known as thePacta conventa and approbated theHenrician Articles.[71] The Act stated the fundamental principles of governance andconstitutional law in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.[72] In June 1574, Henry abandoned Poland and headed back to claim the French crown following the death of his brother and predecessor,Charles IX.[73] The throne was subsequently declared vacant.
The interregnum concluded on 12 December 1575 when primateJakub Uchański declaredMaximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, as the next king.[74] The decision was condemned by the anti-Habsburg coalition, which demanded a "native" candidate, known as "Piasts".[70][75] As a compromise, on 13 December 1575Anna Jagiellon – sister of Sigismund Augustus and a member of theJagiellonian dynasty – became the new monarch.[76] The nobles simultaneously electedStephen Báthory as co-regent, who ruledjure uxoris.[75] Báthory's election proved controversial – Lithuania andDucal Prussia initially refused to recognise the Transylvanian as their ruler.[77]Piotr Zborowski supported Bathory as he wanted to promote a princely or ducal candidate. He also endorsed theDuke of Ferrara.[70] The wealthy port city ofGdańsk (Danzig) staged arevolt, and, with the help ofDenmark, blockaded maritime trade to neutralElbląg (Elbing).[78] Báthory, unable to penetrate the city's extensive fortifications, succumbed to the demands for greater privileges and freedoms.[78] However, his successfulLivonian campaign ended in the annexation ofLivonia and theDuchy of Courland and Semigallia (modern-dayEstonia andLatvia, respectively), thus expanding the Commonwealth's influence into theBaltics.[79] Most importantly, Poland gained theHanseatic city ofRiga on theBaltic Sea.
Sigismund III Vasa, who reigned between 1587 and 1632, presided over an era of prosperity and territorial expansion of the Commonwealth.
Sigismund III then initiated a policy ofexpansionism, andinvaded Russia in 1609 when that country was plagued by a civil war known as theTime of Troubles. In July 1610, the outnumbered Polish force comprisingwinged hussars defeated the Russians at theBattle of Klushino, which enabled the Poles to take and occupyMoscow for the next two years.[87] The disgracedVasili IV of Russia was transported in a cage to Warsaw where he paid a tribute to Sigismund; Vasili was later murdered in captivity.[88] The Commonwealth forces were eventually driven out on 4 November 1612 (celebrated asUnity Day in Russia). The war concluded with atruce that granted Poland–Lithuania extensive territories in the east and marked its largest territorial expansion.[89] At least five million Russians died between 1598 and 1613, the result of continuous conflict, famine and Sigismund's invasion.[90]
Sejm (parliament) of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the early 17th century
ThePolish–Ottoman War (1620–21) forced Poland to withdraw fromMoldavia in southeastern Europe, but Sigismund's victory over the Turks atKhotyn diminished the supremacy of the Sultanate and eventually led to the murder ofOsman II.[91] This secured the Turkish frontier for the duration of Sigismund's rule. In spite of the victories in thePolish–Swedish War (1626–1629), the exhausted Commonwealth army signed theTreaty of Altmark which ceded much of Livonia to Sweden underGustavus Adolphus.[92] At the same time, the country's powerfulparliament was dominated by nobles (Pic. 2) who were reluctant to get involved in theThirty Years' War; this neutrality spared the country from the ravages of a political-religious conflict that devastated most of contemporary Europe.[93]
During this period, Poland was experiencing a cultural awakening and extensive developments in arts and architecture; the firstVasa king openly sponsored foreign painters, craftsmen, musicians and engineers, who settled in the Commonwealth at his request.[94]
Sigismund's eldest son,Ladislaus succeeded him as Władysław IV in 1632 with no major opposition.[95] A skilled tactician, he invested inartillery, modernised the army and fiercely defended the Commonwealth's eastern borders.[96] Under theTreaty of Stuhmsdorf, he reclaimed regions of Livonia and the Baltics which were lost during the Polish-Swedish wars.[97] Unlike his father who worshipped the Habsburgs, Władysław sought closer ties with France and marriedMarie Louise Gonzaga, daughter ofCharles I Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, in 1646.[98]
The Commonwealth's power and stability began waning after a series of blows during the following decades. Władysław's brother,John II Casimir, proved to be weak and impotent. The multicultural and mega-diverse federation already suffered domestic problems. As persecution of religious and ethnic minorities strengthened, several groups started to rebel.[citation needed]
A major rebellion of self-governedUkrainian Cossacks inhabiting south-eastern borderlands of the Commonwealth rioted against Polish and Catholic oppression of OrthodoxUkraine in 1648, in what came to be known as theKhmelnytsky Uprising. It resulted in a Ukrainian request, under the terms of theTreaty of Pereyaslav, for protection by the Russian Tsar. In 1651, in the face of a growing threat from Poland, and forsaken by his Tatar allies,Khmelnytsky asked the Tsar to incorporate Ukraine as an autonomous duchy under Russian protection. Russian annexation of Zaporizhian Ukraine gradually supplanted Polish influence in that part of Europe. In the years following, Polish settlers, nobles, Catholics andJews became the victims of retaliation massacres instigated by the Cossacks in their dominions.
In the late 17th century, the king of the weakened Commonwealth,John III Sobieski, allied with Holy Roman EmperorLeopold I to deal crushing defeats to theOttoman Empire. In 1683, theBattle of Vienna marked the final turning point in the 250-year struggle between the forces of Christian Europe and theIslamic Ottomans. For its centuries-long opposition to Muslim advances, the Commonwealth would gain the name ofAntemurale Christianitatis (bulwark of Christianity).[99][100] During the next 16 years, theGreat Turkish War would drive the Turks permanently south of theDanube River, never again to threaten central Europe.[101]
Political turmoil and the enlightenment (1697–1771)
John Sobieski's death in 1696 arguably ended the period of national sovereignty, and Poland's relative authority over the region dwindled swiftly. By the 18th century, destabilization of its political system brought the Commonwealth to the brink ofcivil war and the state became increasingly susceptible to foreign influence.[102] The remaining European powers perpetually meddled in the country's affairs.[103] Upon the death of a king, several royal houses actively intruded in the hope of securing votes for their desired candidates.[104] The practice was common and apparent, and the selection was often the result of hefty bribes directed at corrupt nobles.[105]Louis XIV of France heavily invested inFrançois Louis, Prince of Conti, in opposition toJames Louis Sobieski,Maximilian Emanuel of Bavaria andFrederick Augustus of Saxony.[106] The latter's conversion fromLutheranism to Catholicism awed the conservative magnates andPope Innocent XII, who in turn voiced their endorsement.[107] Imperial Russia andHabsburg Austria also contributed by financing Frederick, whose election took place in June 1697. Many questioned the legality of his elevation to the throne; it was speculated that the Prince of Conti had received more votes and was the rightful heir. Frederick hurried withhis armies to Poland to quell any opposition. He was crowned as Augustus II in September and Conti's brief military engagement near Gdańsk in November of the same year proved fruitless.[108]
TheHouse of Wettin ruled Poland–Lithuania and Saxony simultaneously, dividing power between the two states. In spite of his controversial means of attaining power, Augustus II lavishly spent on the arts and left an extensive cultural and architectural (Baroque) legacy in both countries. In Poland, he expandedWilanów and facilitated the refurbishment of theWarsaw Royal Castle into a modern palatial residence.[109] Countless landmarks and monuments in the city bear a name referencing the Saxon kings, notablySaxon Garden,Saxon Axis and the formerSaxon Palace.[110] The period saw the development of urban planning, street allocation, hospitals, schools (Collegium Nobilium), public parks and libraries (Załuski Library). First manufactories producing on a mass scale were opened to satisfy the demands of the nobility as consumers.[111]
At the height of theGreat Northern War a coalition (Warsaw Confederation) against Augustus II was formed byStanisław Leszczyński and other magnates sponsored by Sweden. The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was formally neutral at this point, as Augustus entered the war as Elector of Saxony. Disregarding Polish negotiation proposals supported by the Swedish parliament, Charles crossed into the Commonwealth and vanquished the Saxe-Polish forces at theBattle of Kliszów in 1702 and at theBattle of Pułtusk in 1703.[112] Charles then succeeded in dethroning Augustus and coercing the Sejm (parliament) to replace him with Stanisław in 1704.[113] Augustus regained the throne in 1709,[114] but his own death in 1733 sparked theWar of the Polish Succession in which Stanisław once more attempted to seize the crown, this time with the support of France.[115] ThePacification Sejm culminated inAugustus III succeeding his father Frederick Augustus of Saxony.[116]
The relative peace and inactivity that followed only weakened Poland's reputation on the world stage.[117]Aleksander Brückner noted that Polish customs and traditions were abandoned in favour of everything foreign, and neighbouring states continued to exploit Poland to their advantage.[117] Moreover, Western Europe's increasing exploitation of resources in the Americas rendered the Commonwealth's supplies less crucial which resulted in financial losses.[118] Augustus III spent little time in the Commonwealth, instead preferring the Saxon city ofDresden. He appointedHeinrich von Brühl as viceroy and minister of Polish affairs who in turn left the politics to Polish magnate families, such as theCzartoryskis and theRadziwiłłs.[119] It was also during this period that thePolish Enlightenment began to sprout.
Poniatowski's attempts at reform were met with staunch resistance both internally and externally. Any goal of stabilizing the Commonwealth was dangerous for its ambitious and aggressive neighbours. Like his predecessors, he sponsored artists and architects. In 1765 he founded theWarsaw Corps of Cadets, the first state school in Poland for all classes of society.[121] In 1773 the king and parliament formed theCommission of National Education, the first Ministry of Education in European history.[122][123] In 1792, the king ordered the creation ofVirtuti Militari, the oldest military decoration still in use.[124] Stanisław August also admired the culture of ancient kingdoms, particularly Rome and Greece;Neoclassicism became the dominant form of architectural and cultural expression.
Politically, however, the vast Commonwealth was in steady decline and by 1768, it started to be considered by Russians as aprotectorate of theRussian Empire despite the fact that it was still an independent state.[125][126] A majority of control over Poland was central to Catherine's diplomatic and military strategies.[127] Attempts at reform, such as theFour-Year Sejm'sMay Constitution, came too late. The country waspartitioned in three stages by the Russian Empire, theGerman Kingdom of Prussia, and the AustrianHabsburg monarchy. By 1795, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth had been completely erased from the map of Europe. Poland and Lithuania were not re-established as independent countries until 1918.[128]
The political doctrine of the Commonwealth wasour state is a republic under the presidency of the King.ChancellorJan Zamoyski summed up this doctrine when he said thatRex regnat et non-gubernat ("The King reigns but [lit. 'and'] does not govern").[129] The Commonwealth had a parliament, the Sejm, as well as aSenat and an elected king (Pic. 1). The king was obliged to respect citizens' rights specified inKing Henry's Articles as well as inpacta conventa, negotiated at the time of his election.[72]
The monarch's power was limited in favour of a sizable noble class. Each new king had to pledge to uphold the Henrician Articles, which were the basis of Poland's political system (and included near-unprecedented guarantees ofreligious tolerance). Over time, the Henrician Articles were merged with the pacta conventa, specific pledges agreed to by the king-elect. From that point onwards, the king was effectively a partner with the noble class and was constantly supervised by a group ofsenators. The Sejm could veto the king on important matters, including legislation (the adoption of new laws), foreign affairs, declaration of war, and taxation (changes of existing taxes or the levying of new ones).[72]
The foundation of the Commonwealth's political system, the "Golden Liberty" (Latin:Aurea Libertas orPolish:Złota Wolność, a term used from 1573 on), included:
election of the king by all nobles wishing to participate, known aswolna elekcja (free election);
Sejm, the Commonwealth parliament which the king was required to hold every two years;
pacta conventa (Latin), "agreed-to agreements" negotiated with the king-elect, including a bill of rights, binding on the king, derived from the earlierHenrician Articles.
rokosz (insurrection), the right ofszlachta to form a legal rebellion against a king who violated their guaranteed freedoms;
liberum veto (Latin), the right of an individual Sejm deputy to oppose a decision by the majority in a Sejm session; the voicing of such a "free veto" nullified all the legislation that had been passed at that session; during the crisis of the second half of the 17th century, Polish nobles could also use theliberum veto in provincialsejmiks;
konfederacja (from the Latinconfederatio), the right to form an organization to force through a common political aim.
The three regions (see below) of the Commonwealth enjoyed a degree ofautonomy.[130][page needed] Eachvoivodship had its own parliament (sejmik), which exercised serious political power, including choice ofposeł (deputy) to the national Sejm and charging of the deputy with specific voting instructions. TheGrand Duchy of Lithuania had its own separate army, treasury and most other official institutions.[131][132]
This political system unusual for its time stemmed from the ascendance of the szlachtanoble class over other social classes and over thepolitical system of monarchy. In time, the szlachta accumulated enough privileges (such as those established by theNihil novi Act of 1505) that no monarch could hope to break the szlachta's grip on power. The Commonwealth's political system is difficult to fit into a simple category, but it can be tentatively described as a mixture of:
confederation and federation, with regard to the broad autonomy of its regions. It is, however, difficult to decisively call the Commonwealth either confederation or federation, as it had some qualities of both;
oligarchy, as only the szlachta (nobility) – around 15% of the population – had political rights;[99]
democracy, since all the szlachta were equal in rights and privileges, and the Sejm could veto the king on important matters, including legislation (the adoption of new laws), foreign affairs, declaration of war, and taxation (changes of existing taxes or the levying of new ones). Also, the 15% of Commonwealth population who enjoyed those political rights (the szlachta)[136] was a substantially larger percentage than in majority European countries even in the nineteenth century;[137] note that in 1820 in France only about 1.5% of the male adult population had the right to vote, and in 1840 in Belgium, only about 5%.[136][137]
elective monarchy, since the monarch, elected by the szlachta, was Head of State;
constitutional monarchy, since the monarch was bound by pacta conventa and other laws, and the szlachta could disobey any king's decrees they deemed illegal.
Magnate oligarchy
The Republic at the Zenith of Its Power, theRoyal Election of 1573
The end of theJagiellonian dynasty in 1572 – after nearly two centuries – disrupted the fragile equilibrium of the Commonwealth's government. Power increasingly slipped away from the central government to the nobility.[72]
When presented with periodic opportunities to fill the throne, theszlachta exhibited a preference for foreign candidates who would not establish a strong and long-lastingdynasty. This policy often produced monarchs who were either totally ineffective or in constant debilitating conflict with the nobility.[citation needed] Furthermore, aside from notable exceptions such as the ableStefan Batory fromTransylvania (1576–86), the kings of foreign origin were inclined to subordinate the interests of the Commonwealth to those of their own country and ruling house. This was especially visible in the policies and actions of the first two elected kings from the SwedishHouse of Vasa, whose politics brought the Commonwealth into conflict with Sweden, culminating in the war known as theDeluge (1655), one of the events that mark the end of the Commonwealth's Golden Age and the beginning of the Commonwealth's decline.[138]
TheZebrzydowski Rebellion (1606–1607) marked a substantial increase in the power of thePolish magnates, and the transformation ofszlachta democracy intomagnate oligarchy. The Commonwealth's political system was vulnerable to outside interference, as Sejm deputiesbribed[139][140] by foreign powers might use their liberum veto to block attempted reforms. This sapped the Commonwealth and plunged it into political paralysis and anarchy for over a century, from the mid-17th century to the end of the 18th, while its neighbours stabilised their internal affairs and increased their military might.[citation needed]
Late reforms
TheConstitution of 3 May adopted in 1791 was the first modern constitution in Europe.
The Commonwealth did eventually make a serious effort to reform its political system, adopting in 1791 theConstitution of 3 May 1791, which historianNorman Davies calls the first of its kind in Europe.[36] The revolutionary Constitution recast the erstwhile Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as a Polish–Lithuanian federal state with ahereditary monarchy and abolished many of the deleterious features of the old system.
The new constitution:
abolished theliberum veto and banned the szlachta's confederations;
These reforms came too late, however, as the Commonwealth was immediately invaded from all sides by its neighbors, which had been content to leave the Commonwealth alone as a weak buffer state, but reacted strongly to attempts by kingStanisław August Poniatowski and other reformers to strengthen the country.[130][page needed] Russia feared the revolutionary implications of the 3 May Constitution's political reforms and the prospect of the Commonwealth regaining its position as a European power.Catherine the Great regarded the May constitution as fatal to her influence[141] and declared the Polish constitutionJacobinical.[142]Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin drafted the act for theTargowica Confederation, referring to the constitution as the "contagion of democratic ideas".[143] Meanwhile,Prussia andAustria used it as a pretext for further territorial expansion.[142] Prussian ministerEwald Friedrich von Hertzberg called the constitution "a blow to the Prussian monarchy",[144] fearing that a strengthened Poland would once again dominate Prussia.[141][145] In the end, the 3 May Constitution was never fully implemented, and the Commonwealth entirely ceased to exist only four years after its adoption.[146]
Gdańsk (Danzig), the Commonwealth's chief seaport and trading centre from which goods would be transported along theVistula River toWarsaw,Kraków and other towns in the country.
Cereals exports in the years 1619–1799. Agriculture, once extremely profitable to the nobility, became much less so after the mid-17th century.
The economy of the Commonwealth was predominantly based on agricultural output and trade, though there was an abundance ofartisan workshops and manufactories – notablypaper mills,leather tanneries,ironworks,glassworks andbrickyards.[147] Some major cities were home to craftsmen, jewellers and clockmakers.[147] The majority of industries and trades were concentrated in the Kingdom of Poland; the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was more rural and its economy was driven by farming and clothmaking.[147] Mining developed in the south-west region of Poland which was rich in natural resources such aslead, coal,copper and salt.[148] The currency used in Poland–Lithuania was thezłoty (meaning "the golden") and its subunit, thegrosz. Foreign coins in the form ofducats,thalers andshillings were widely accepted and exchanged.[149] The city ofGdańsk had the privilege of minting its own coinage.[150] In 1794,Tadeusz Kościuszko began issuing the first Polish banknotes.[151]
The country played a significant role in the supply ofWestern Europe by the export of grain (rye), cattle (oxen), furs, timber,linen,cannabis,ash,tar,carminic acid andamber.[152][153][154][155] Cereals, cattle and fur amounted to nearly 90% of the country's exports to European markets by overland and maritime trade in the 16th century.[154] From Gdańsk, ships carried cargo to the major ports of theLow Countries, such asAntwerp andAmsterdam.[156][157] The land routes, mostly to the German provinces of theHoly Roman Empire such as the cities ofLeipzig andNuremberg, were used for the export of live cattle (herds of around 50,000 head)hides, salt, tobacco,hemp and cotton from theGreater Poland region.[158][159] In turn, the Commonwealth imported wine, beer, fruit, exotic spices,luxury goods (e.g.tapestries,Pic. 5), furniture, fabrics as well as industrial products like steel and tools.[160]
The agricultural sector was dominated byfeudalism based on theplantation system (serfs).[161]Slavery was forbidden in Poland in the 15th century, and formally abolished in Lithuania in 1588,[162] replaced by the second enserfment. Typically a nobleman's landholding comprised afolwark, a large farmstead worked byserfs to produce surpluses for internal and external trade. This economic arrangement worked well for the ruling classes and nobles in the early years of the Commonwealth, which was one of the most prosperous eras of thegrain trade.[163] The economic strength of Commonwealth grain trade waned from the late 17th century on. Trade relationships were disrupted by the wars, and the Commonwealth proved unable to improve its transport infrastructure or its agricultural practices.[164] Serfs in the region were increasingly tempted to flee.[165] The Commonwealth's major attempts at countering this problem and improving productivity consisted of increasing serfs' workload and further restricting their freedoms in a process known as export-led serfdom.[164][165]
The owner of afolwark usually signed a contract with merchants of Gdańsk, who controlled 80% of this inland trade, to ship the grain north to that seaport on theBaltic Sea.[166] Countless rivers and waterways in the Commonwealth were used for shipping purposes, including theVistula,Pilica,Bug,San,Nida,Wieprz, andNeman. The rivers had relatively developed infrastructure, withriver ports andgranaries. Most of the river shipping moved north, southward transport being less profitable, and barges and rafts were often sold off in Gdańsk for lumber.Grodno become an important site after formation of a customs post atAugustów in 1569, which became a checkpoint for merchants travelling to the Crown lands from the Grand Duchy.[167]
Coat of arms of the Commonwealth on a 15ducat coin, 1617
Urban population of the Commonwealth was low compared to Western Europe. Exact numbers depend on calculation methods. According to one source, the urban population of the Commonwealth was about 20% of the total in the 17th century, compared to approximately 50% in the Netherlands and Italy (Pic. 7).[155] Another source suggests much lower figures: 4–8% urban population in Poland, 34–39% in the Netherlands and 22–23% in Italy.[168] The Commonwealth's preoccupation with agriculture, coupled with the nobles' privileged position when compared to thebourgeoisie, resulted in a fairly slow process of urbanization and thus a rather slow development ofindustries.[155] The nobility could also regulate the price of grain for their advantage, thus acquiring much wealth. Some of the largesttrade fairs in the Commonwealth were held atLublin.[169]
Several ancienttrading routes such as theAmber Road (Pic. 4)[170] extended across Poland–Lithuania, which was situated in the heart of Europe and attracted foreign merchants or settlers.[171] Countless goods and cultural artefacts continued to pass from one region to another via the Commonwealth, particularly that the country was a link between theMiddle East, theOttoman Empire and Western Europe.[172] For instance,Isfahan rugs imported fromPersia to the Commonwealth were incorrectly known as "Polish rugs" (French:Polonaise) in Western Europe.[173]
Winged Hussars were aheavy cavalry formation serving the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.
Kraków Militia, a local guard formation in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during the 16th and 17th centuries
The military in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth evolved from the merger of the armies from the Polish Kingdom and from the Grand Lithuanian Duchy, though each state maintained its own division.[174] The united armed forces comprised the Crown Army (armia koronna), recruited in Poland, and the Lithuanian Army (armia litewska) in the Grand Duchy.[174] The military was headed by theHetman, a rank equivalent to that of ageneral or supreme commander in other countries.Monarchs could not declare war or summon an army without the consent of theSejm parliament or theSenate.[175] ThePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Navy never played a major role in the military structure from the mid-17th century onwards.[176]
The most prestigious formation of the two respective armes were their 16th- and 17th-centuryheavy cavalry in the form ofWinged Hussars (husaria), whereas thePolish Royal Guards andLithuanian Guards [pl] were the elite of theinfantry; the regiments were supervised by the king and his family.[177] In 1788, theGreat Sejm approved landslide reforms and defined future structures of the military; the Crown Army was to be split into fourdivisions, with seventeen field infantryregiments and eight cavalrybrigades excluding special units; the Lithuanian Army was to be subdivided into two divisions, eight field regiments and two cavalry brigades excluding special units.[178] If implemented, the reform predicted an army of almost 100,000 men.[179]
The armies of those states differed from the organization common in other parts of Europe; according to Bardach, themercenary formations (wojsko najemne), common inWestern Europe, never gained widespread popularity in Poland.[180] Brzezinski, however, notes that foreign mercenaries did form a significant portion of the more elite infantry units, at least until the early 17th century.[181] In 16th-century Poland, several other formations formed the core of the military.[182] There was a small standing army,obrona potoczna ("continuous defense") about 1,500–3,000 strong, paid for by the king, and primarily stationed at the troubled southern and eastern borders.[182][183] It was supplemented by two formations mobilised in case of war – thepospolite ruszenie (Polish forlevée en masse –feudal levy of mostly noble knights-landholders), and thewojsko zaciężne, recruited by the Polish commanders for the conflict. It differed from other European mercenary formations in that it was commanded by Polish officers, and dissolved after the conflict has ended.[182]
Several years before the Union of Lublin, the Polishobrona potoczna was reformed, as theSejm (national parliament of Poland) legislated in 1562–1563 the creation ofwojsko kwarciane, named afterkwarta tax levied on theroyal lands for the purpose of maintaining this formation.[182] This formation was also paid for by the king, and in the peacetime, numbered about 3,500–4,000 men according to Bardach;[182] Brzezinski gives the range of 3,000–5,000.[183] It was composed mostly of the light cavalry units manned by nobility (szlachta) and commanded byhetmans.[182][184] Often, in wartime, the Sejm would legislate a temporary increase in the size of thewojsko kwarciane.[182]
The Commonwealth was an important European center for the development of modern social and political ideas. It was famous for its rare quasi-democratic political system, praised byphilosophers, and during theCounter-Reformation was known for near-unparalleledreligious tolerance, with peacefully coexistingRoman Catholic,Jewish,Orthodox Christian,Protestant andMuslim (Sufi) communities. In the 18th century, the French CatholicRulhiere wrote of 16th century Poland: "This country, which in our day we have seen divided on the pretext of religion, is the first state in Europe that exemplified tolerance. In this state, mosques arose between churches and synagogues."[citation needed] The Commonwealth gave rise to the famous Christiansect of thePolish Brethren, antecedents of British and AmericanUnitarianism.[186]
The works of many Commonwealth authors are considered classics, including those ofJan Kochanowski (Pic. 10),Wacław Potocki,Ignacy Krasicki, andJulian Ursyn Niemcewicz. Manyszlachta members wrote memoirs anddiaries. Perhaps the most famous are theMemoirs of Polish History byAlbrycht Stanisław Radziwiłł (1595–1656) and theMemoirs ofJan Chryzostom Pasek (ca. 1636–ca. 1701).Jakub Sobieski (1590–1646) (father ofJohn III Sobieski) wrote notable diaries. During theKhotyn expedition in 1621 he wrote a diary calledCommentariorum chotinensis belli libri tres (Diary of the Chocim War), which was published in 1646 inGdańsk. It was used byWacław Potocki as a basis for his epic poem,Transakcja wojny chocimskiej (The Progress of the War of Chocim). He also authored instructions for the journey of his sons to Kraków (1640) and France (1645), a good example of liberal education of the era.[191]
The art and music of the Commonwealth was largely shaped by prevailing European trends, though the country's minorities, foreigners as well as native folk cultures also contributed to its versatile nature. A common art form of theSarmatian period werecoffin portraits (portrety trumienne) used in funerals and other important ceremonies.[192] As a rule, such portraits were nailed to sheet metal, six- or eight- sided in shape, fixed to the front of a coffin placed on a high, ornate catafalque.[193] These were a unique and distinguishable feature of the Commonwealth's high culture, not found elsewhere in Europe.[194] A similar tradition was only practiced inRoman Egypt.[194] Polish monarchs and nobles frequently invited and sponsored foreign painters and artisans, notably from theLow Countries (theNetherlands,Flanders andBelgium), Germany or Italy.[195] The interiors of upper-class residences, palaces and manors were adorned by walltapestries (arrasy ortapiseria) imported from Western Europe; the most renowned collection are theJagiellonian tapestries exhibited atWawel Royal Castle in Kraków.[196]
The economic, cultural and political ties betweenFrance and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth gave rise to the termà la polonaise, French for "Polish-styled".[197] With the marriage ofMarie Leszczyńska toLouis XV of France in 1725, Polish culture began to flourish at thePalace of Versailles.[198]Polish beds (lit à la polonaise) draped withbaldachins became a centrepiece ofLouis XV furniture in Frenchchateaus.[199] Folk flower motifs as well as Polish fashion were popularised in the form of a back-drapedpolonaise dress (robe à la polonaise) worn by aristocrats at Versailles.[200]
The religious cultures of Poland–Lithuania coexisted and penetrated each other for the entirety of the Commonwealth's history – theJews adopted elements of the national dress,[201] loanwords andcalques became commonplace and Roman Catholic churches in regions with significantProtestant populations were much simpler in décor than those in other parts of Poland–Lithuania.[202] Mutual influence was further reflected in the great popularity ofByzantineicons (Pic. 13) and the icons resembling effigies ofMary in the predominantly Latin territories of today's Poland (Black Madonna) and Lithuania (Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn).[203] Conversely, Latin infiltration into Ruthenian Orthodox and Protestant art was also conventional (Pic. 3).[204]
The architecture of the cities in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth reflected a combination of Polish, German and Italian trends.Italian Mannerism or theLate Renaissance had a profound impact on traditional burgher architecture which can be observed to this day – castles andtenements were fitted with central Italianate courtyards composed of archedloggias, colonnades,bay windows, balconies, portals and ornamental balustrades.[206] Ceilingfrescos,sgraffito,plafonds andcoffering (patterned ceilings; Polishkaseton; from Italiancassettone) were widespread.[207] Rooftops were generally covered withterracotta rooftiles. The most distinguishable feature of Polish Mannerism are decorative "attics" above the cornice on the façade.[208] Cities in northern Poland–Lithuania and in Livonia adopted theHanseatic (or "Dutch") style as their primary form of architectural expression, comparable to that of the Netherlands, Belgium, northern Germany andScandinavia.[209]
Wilanów Palace, completed in 1696, exemplifies the opulence of royal andnoble residences in the Commonwealth.
Magnates often undertook construction projects as monuments to themselves: churches, cathedrals,monasteries (Pic. 14), andpalaces like the present-dayPresidential Palace in Warsaw andPidhirtsi Castle built by Grand HetmanStanisław Koniecpolski. The largest projects involved entire towns, although in time many of them would lapse into obscurity or were abandoned. These towns were generally named after the sponsoring magnate. Among the most prominent isZamość, founded byJan Zamoyski and designed by the Italian architectBernardo Morando as anideal city. The magnates throughout Poland competed with the kings. The monumental castleKrzyżtopór, built in the stylepalazzo in fortezza between 1627 and 1644, had several courtyards surrounded by fortifications. Similar fortified complexes include castles inŁańcut andKrasiczyn.[citation needed]
The prevalent ideology of theszlachta became "Sarmatism", named after theSarmatians, alleged ancestors of the Poles.[145] This belief system was an important part ofszlachta culture, penetrating all aspects of its life. Sarmatism enshrined equality amongszlachta, horseback riding, tradition, provincial quaint life inmanor houses, peace andpacifism; championedoriental-inspired souvenirs or attire for men (żupan,kontusz,sukmana,pas kontuszowy,delia,szabla); favoured European Baroque architecture; endorsedLatin as a language of thought or expression; and served to integrate the multi-ethnic nobility by creating an almostnationalistic sense of unity and of pride inGolden Liberty.[145]
In its early, idealistic form, Sarmatism represented a positive cultural movement: it supported religious belief, honesty, national pride, courage, equality and freedom. In time, however, it became distorted. Late extreme Sarmatism turned belief into bigotry, honesty into political naïveté, pride into arrogance, courage into stubbornness and freedom into anarchy.[215] The faults of Sarmatism were blamed for the demise of the country from the late 18th century onwards. Criticism, often one-sided and exaggerated, was used by the Polish reformists to push for radical changes. This self-deprecation was accompanied by works of German, Russian and Austrian historians, who tried to prove that it was Poland itself that was to blame for its fall.[216]
Social strata in the Commonwealth's society in 1655. From left: Jew,barber surgeon, painter, butcher, musician, tailor, barmaid, pharmacist, shoemaker,goldsmith,merchant and Armenian
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was immenselymulticultural throughout its existence – it comprised countless religious identities and ethnic minorities inhabiting the country's vast territory.[217] The precise number of minority groups and their populations can only be hypothesised.[218] Statistically, the most prominent groups were the Poles, Lithuanians,Germans,Ruthenians andJews.[219] There were also considerable numbers ofCzechs,Hungarians,Livonians,Romanis,Vlachs,Armenians,Italians,Scots, and theDutch (Olędrzy), who were either categorised as merchants, settlers or refugees fleeing religious persecution.[219]
Prior to the union with Lithuania, theKingdom of Poland was much more homogenous; approximately 70% of the population was Polish andRoman Catholic.[220] With the creation of the Commonwealth, the number of Poles in comparison to the total population decreased to 50%.[221] In 1569, the population stood at 7 million, with roughly 4.5 million Poles, 750,000 Lithuanians, 700,000 Jews and 2 million Ruthenians.[222] Historians Michał Kopczyński and Wojciech Tygielski suggest that with the territorial expansion after theTruce of Deulino in 1618, the Commonwealth's population reached 12 million people, of which Poles constituted only 40%.[221][17] At that time the nobility made up 10% of the entire population and theburghers around 15%.[17] The average population density per square kilometer was: 24 inMazovia, 23 inLesser Poland, 19 inGreater Poland, 12 in Lublin palatinate, 10 in theLwów area, 7 inPodolia andVolhynia, and 3 in theKiev Voivodeship. There was a tendency for the people from the more densely inhabited western territories to migrate eastwards.[223]
Density of urban network of the Commonwealth per eachvoivodeship in 1650
A sudden change in the country's demographics occurred in the mid-17th century.[17] TheSecond Northern War and theDeluge followed by famine in the period from 1648 to 1657 were accountable for at least 4 million deaths.[17] Coupled with further territorial losses, by 1717 the population had fallen to 9 million.[17] The population slowly recovered throughout the 18th century; just before the first partition of Poland in 1772, the Commonwealth's population was 14 million, including around 1 million nobles.[224] In 1792, the population of Poland was around 11 million and included 750,000 nobles.[224]
The most multicultural and robust city in the country wasGdańsk, a majorHanseatic seaport on the Baltic and Poland's wealthiest region. Gdańsk at the time was inhabited by a German-speaking majority[225] and further hosted large numbers of foreign merchants, particularly of Scottish, Dutch orScandinavian extraction.[226] Historically, theGrand Duchy of Lithuania was more diverse than the Kingdom of Poland, and was deemed a melting pot of many cultures and religions.[227] Hence, the inhabitants of the Grand Duchy were collectively known asLitvins regardless of their nationality, with the exception of Jews residing in Lithuania who were calledLitvaks.
Despite guaranteedreligious tolerance, gradualPolonization andCounter-Reformation sought to minimise the Commonwealth's diversity; the aim was to root out some minorities by imposing thePolish language,Latin, Polish culture and the Roman Catholic religion where possible.[228] By the late 18th century, theLithuanian language, culture and identity became vulnerable;[228] the country's name was changed to "Commonwealth of Poland" in 1791.
TheWarsaw Confederation signed on 28 January 1573 secured the rights of minorities and religions;[21] it allowed all persons to practice any faith freely, though religious tolerance varied at times. As outlined byNorman Davies, "the wording and substance of the declaration of the Confederation of Warsaw of were extraordinary with regards to prevailing conditions elsewhere in Europe; and they governed the principles of religious life in the Republic for over two hundred years."[229] Subsequently, the Catholic church initiated aCounter-Reformation in Poland, relying heavily on methods of persuasion and legal means. As a result, compared to many other European countries, the conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants in Poland was relatively peaceful.[230][231]
Poland retained religious freedom laws during an era when religious persecution was an everyday occurrence in the rest of Europe.[232] The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a place where the most radical religious sects, trying to escape persecution in other countries of the Christian world, sought refuge.[233] In 1561 Giovanni Bernardino Bonifacio d'Oria, a religious exile living in Poland, wrote of his adopted country's virtues to a colleague back inItaly: "You could live here in accordance with your ideas and preferences, in great, even the greatest freedoms, including writing and publishing. No one is a censor here."[citation needed] Others, particularly the leaders of the Roman Catholic church, theJesuits andpapal legates, were less optimistic about Poland's religious frivolity.
Original act of theWarsaw Confederation in 1573, the first act of religious freedom in Europe
To bePolish, in remote and multi-ethnic parts of the Commonwealth, was then much less an index ofethnicity than of religion andrank; it was a designation largely reserved for thelanded noble class (szlachta), which included Poles, but also many members of non-Polish origin whoconverted to Catholicism in increasing numbers with each following generation. For the non-Polishnoble such conversion meant a final step ofPolonization that followed the adoption of the Polish language andculture.[234] Poland, as the culturally most advanced part of the Commonwealth, with the royal court, the capital, the largest cities, the second-oldest university in Central Europe (afterPrague), and the more liberal and democraticsocial institutions had proven an irresistible magnet for the non-Polish nobility in the Commonwealth.[99] Many referred to themselves as "gente Ruthenus, natione Polonus" (Ruthenian by blood, Polish by nationality) since the 16th century onwards.[235]
The church inKamieniec Podolski was converted into a mosque during the Turkish occupation between 1672 and 1699, with the 33-meterminaret being added at that time.[237]
As a result, in the eastern territories a Polish (or Polonised) aristocracy dominated a peasantry whose great majority was neither Polish nor Catholic. Moreover, the decades of peace brought hugecolonization efforts to the eastern territories (nowadays roughlywestern andcentral Ukraine),[238] heightening the tensions amongnobles,Jews,Cossacks (traditionally Orthodox), Polish and Ruthenian peasants. When the latter, deprived of their native protectors among the Ruthenian nobility, turned for protection tocossacks that facilitated violence which in the end broke the Commonwealth. The tensions were aggravated by conflicts betweenEastern Orthodoxy and theGreek Catholic Church following theUnion of Brest, overall discrimination of Orthodox religions by dominant Catholicism,[239] and severalCossack uprisings. In the west and north, many cities had sizable German minorities, often belonging toLutheran orReformed churches. The Commonwealth had also one of the largestJewish diasporas in the world – by the mid-16th century 80% of the world's Jews lived in Poland (Pic. 16).[240]
Until theReformation, the szlachta were mostly Catholics (Pic. 13). However, many noble families quickly adopted theReformed religion. After theCounter-Reformation, when theCatholic Church regained power in Poland, the szlachta became almost exclusively Catholic.[241]
The Crown had about double the population of Lithuania and five times the income of the latter's treasury. As with other countries, the borders, area and population of the Commonwealth varied over time. After thePeace of Jam Zapolski (1582), the Commonwealth had approximately 815,000 km2 area and a population of 7.5 million.[242] After theTruce of Deulino (1618), the Commonwealth had an area of some 990,000 km2 and a population of 11–12 million (including some 4 million Poles and close to a million Lithuanians).[243]
Polish – officially recognised;[244] dominant language, used by most of the Commonwealth's nobility[244][245][246][247] and by the peasantry in the Crown province;[248] official language in the Crown chancellery and since 1697 in the Grand Duchy chancellery.[249] Dominant language in the towns.[248]
Latin – officially recognised;[244][250] commonly used in foreign relations[249] and popular as a second language among some of the nobility.[251]
French – not officially recognised; replaced Latin at the royal court in Warsaw in the beginning of the 18th century as a language used in foreign relations and asgenuine spoken language.[252][253] It was commonly used as a language of science and literature and as a second language among some of the nobility.[254]
TheDuchy of Warsaw, established in 1807 byNapoleon Bonaparte, traced its origins to the Commonwealth. Other revival movements appeared during theNovember Uprising (1830–31), theJanuary Uprising (1863–64) and in the 1920s, withJózef Piłsudski's failed attempt to create a Polish-ledIntermarium (Międzymorze) federation that, at its largest extent, would span fromFinland in the north to theBalkans in the south.[270] The contemporaryRepublic of Poland considers itself a successor to the Commonwealth,[271] whereas theRepublic of Lithuania, re-established at the end ofWorld War I, saw the participation of the Lithuanian state in the old Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth mostly in a negative light at the early stages of regaining its independence,[272] although this attitude has been changing in recent years.[273]
While the term "Poland" was also commonly used to denote this whole polity, Poland was in fact only part of a greater whole – the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, which comprised primarily two parts:
The Commonwealth was further divided into smaller administrative units known asvoivodeships (województwa). Each voivodeship was governed by aVoivode (wojewoda, governor). Voivodeships were further divided intopowiats, eachpowiat being governed by astarosta. Cities were governed bycastellans. There were frequent exceptions to these rules, often involving theziemia subunit of administration.[citation needed]
The lands that once belonged to the Commonwealth are now largely distributed among severalCentral andEast European countries: Poland, Ukraine, Moldova (Transnistria), Belarus, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.[274][275] Also some small towns inUpper Hungary (today mostlySlovakia), became a part of Poland in theTreaty of Lubowla (Spiš towns).
Other notable parts of the Commonwealth, without respect to region or voivodeship divisions, include:
Duchy of Samogitia (Lithuanian:Žemaitija;Polish:Żmudź), westernmost and most autonomous part of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, also the western part of Lithuania Proper, capitalRaseiniai;
Silesia (Polish:Śląsk) was not within the Commonwealth, but small parts belonged to various Commonwealth kings; in particular, theVasa kings weredukes ofOpole (Oppeln),Prudnik (Neustadt) andRacibórz (Ratibor) from 1645 to 1666.[276]
Topographical map of the Commonwealth in 1764
Commonwealth borders shifted with wars and treaties, sometimes several times in a decade, especially in the eastern and southern parts. After the Peace of Jam Zapolski (1582), the Commonwealth had approximately 815,000 km2 area and a population of 7.5 million.[242] After the Truce of Deulino (1618), the Commonwealth had an area of some 1 million km2 (990,000 km2) and a population of about 11 million.[243]
Kromer's works and other contemporary maps, such as those ofGerardus Mercator, show the Commonwealth as mostlyplains. The Commonwealth's southeastern part, theKresy, was famous for itssteppes. TheCarpathian Mountains formed part of the southern border, with theTatra Mountain chain the highest, and theBaltic Sea formed the Commonwealth's northern border. As with most European countries at the time, the Commonwealth had extensive forest cover, especially in the east. Today, what remains of theBiałowieża Forest constitutes the last largely intactprimeval forest in Europe.[278]
Image gallery
Politics and economy
Statuta Regni Poloniae in ordinem alphabeti digesta (Statutes of the Polish Kingdom, Arranged in Alphabetical Order), 1563
a historiographic term, with the full form inPolish:I Rzeczpospolita Polska
^This quality of the Commonwealth was recognized by its contemporaries.Robert Burton, in hisThe Anatomy of Melancholy, first published in 1621, writes of Poland: "Poland is a receptacle of all religions, where Samosetans, Socinians, Photinians ..., Arians, Anabaptists are to be found"; "In Europe, Poland and Amsterdam are the common sanctuaries [for Jews]".
^abRichters, Katja (2012).The Post-Soviet Russian Orthodox Church: Politics, Culture and Greater Russia. Routledge. p. 133.ISBN978-1-136-29636-9.formed part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth which was ruled by Catholic monarchs who made Roman Catholicism the state religion
^Janusz Sykała:Od Polan mieszkających w lasach – historia Polski – aż do króla Stasia, Gdansk, 2010.
^Georg Ziaja:Lexikon des polnischen Adels im Goldenen Zeitalter 1500–1600, p. 9.
^Zbigniew Pucek:Państwo i społeczeństwo 2012/1, Krakow, 2012, p. 17.
^Norman Davies,Europe: A History, Pimlico 1997, p. 554: "Poland–Lithuania was another country which experienced its 'Golden Age' during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The realm of the last Jagiellons was absolutely the largest state in Europe"
^abNorman Davies,God's Playground. A History of Poland, Vol. 1: "The Origins to 1795", Vol. 2: "1795 to the Present". Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-925339-0,0-19-925340-4
^Halina Stephan,Living in Translation: Polish Writers in America, Rodopi, 2003,ISBN90-420-1016-9,Google Print p. 373. Quoting fromSarmatian Review academic journal mission statement: "Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was ... characterized by religious tolerance unusual in premodern Europe"
^"In the mid-1500s, united Poland was the largest state in Europe and perhaps the continent's most powerful state politically and militarily". "Poland".Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
^John Markoff describes the advent of modern codified national constitutions as one of the milestones of democracy, and states that "The first European country to follow the U.S. example was Poland in 1791." John Markoff,Waves of Democracy, 1996,ISBN0-8039-9019-7, p. 121.
^Jasas, Rimantas."Liublino unija".Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Retrieved18 November 2024.LDK liko atskira valstybė, turinti pavadinimą, herbą, teritoriją, valdymo aparatą, iždą, įstatymus, teismus, kariuomenę, antspaudą.
^Andriulis, Vytautas."Trečiasis Lietuvos Statutas".Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Retrieved21 October 2024.Trečiajame Lietuvos Statute buvo įrašyta lietuviškoji Liublino unijos samprata: kaip 2 lygiateisių valstybių – Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės ir Lenkijos – federacija.
^the name given byMarcin Kromer in his workPolonia sive de situ, populis, moribus, magistratibus et re publica regni Polonici libri duo, 1577.
^the therm used for instance inZbior Deklaracyi, Not I Czynnosci Głownieyszych, Ktore Poprzedziły I Zaszły Pod Czas Seymu Pod Węzłem Konfederacyi Odprawuiącego Się Od Dnia 18. Wrzesnia 1772. Do 14 Maia 1773
^Name used for the common state, Henryk Rutkowski, Terytorium, w: Encyklopedia historii gospodarczej Polski do 1945 roku, t. II, Warszawa 1981, s. 398.
^Richard Buterwick.The Polish Revolution and the Catholic Church, 1788–1792: A Political History.Oxford University Press. 2012. pp. 5, xvii.
^1791 document signed by the King Stanislaw August "Zareczenie wzaiemne Oboyga Narodow" pp. 1, 5[1]
^Tumelis, Juozas."Abiejų Tautų tarpusavio įžadas".Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Retrieved18 November 2024.Preambulėje patvirtintas dualistinis valstybės pobūdis
^Jasienica, Paweł (1997).Polska Jagiellonów. Polska: Prószyński i Spółka. pp. 30–32.ISBN978-83-8123-881-6.
^Engel, Pál (2001).The Realm of St Stephen: A History of Medieval Hungary, 895–1526. I.B. Tauris. p. 170.ISBN1-86064-061-3.
^Halecki, Oscar (1991).Jadwiga of Anjou and the Rise of East Central Europe. Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America. pp. 116–117.ISBN0-88033-206-9.
^Maniecky, Wojciech; Szajnocha, Karol (1869).Dziennik Literacki (in Polish). Ossoliński. p. 504.
^The death of Sigismund II Augustus in 1572 was followed by a three-year Interregnum during which adjustments were made in the constitutional system. The lower nobility was now included in the selection process, and the power of the monarch was further circumscribed in favor of the expanded noble class. From that point, the king was effectively a partner with the noble class and constantly supervised by a group of senators. "The Elective Monarchy".Poland – The Historical Setting. Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. 1992. Archived fromthe original on June 4, 2011. RetrievedJuly 15, 2011.
^abcRoşu, Felicia (2017).Elective Monarchy in Transylvania and Poland–Lithuania, 1569–1587. Oxford (GB): Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-878937-6.
^Bardach, Juliusz (1987).Historia państwa i prawa polskiego (in Polish). Warszawa: PWN. pp. 216–217.
^Stone, Daniel (2001).The Polish–Lithuanian state, 1386–1795 [A History of East Central Europe, Volume IV.] Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 118.ISBN0-295-98093-1.
^Besala, Jerzy; Biedrzycka, Agnieszka (2005).Stefan Batory: Polski Słownik Biograficzny (in Polish). Vol. XLIII. p. 116.
^Dyer, Thomas Henry (1861).The History of Modern Europe. Vol. From the Fall of Constantinople, in 1453, to the War in the Crimea, in 1857. Volume 2. London: J. Murray. p. 504. Retrieved20 February 2021.
^Podhorodecki, Leszek (1985).Rapier i koncerz: z dziejów wojen polsko-szwedzkich. Warsaw: Książka i Wiedza. pp. 191–200.ISBN83-05-11452-X.
^abcdAleksander Gella,Development of Class Structure in Eastern Europe: Poland and Her Southern Neighbors, SUNY Press, 1998,ISBN0-88706-833-2,Google Print, p. 13
^Jan Zamoyski's speech in the Parliament, 1605Harbottle Thomas Benfield (2009).Dictionary of Quotations (Classical). BiblioBazaar, LLC. p. 254.ISBN978-1-113-14791-2.
^Frost, Robert I.The Northern Wars: War, State and Society in northeastern Europe, 1558–1721. Harlow, England; New York: Longman's. 2000. Especially pp. 9–11, 114, 181, 323.
^Carl L. Bucki,The Constitution of May 3, 1791Archived 5 December 2008 at theWayback Machine, Text of a presentation made at the Polish Arts Club of Buffalo on the occasion of the celebrations of Poland's Constitution Day on 3 May 1996. Retrieved 20 March 2006.
^Nicholas L. Chirovsky (1984).The Lithuanian-Rus'commonwealth, the Polish domination, and the Cossack-Hetman state. Philosophical Library. p. 367.ISBN0-8022-2407-5.
^Sven-Olof Lindquist, Birgitta Radhe (1989).Economy and culture in the Baltic, 1650–1700: papers of the VIIIth Visby Symposium held at Gotland's Historical Museum, Visby, August 18th–22th [sic], 1986. Gotlands Fornsal. p. 367.ISBN91-971048-8-4.
^Juliusz Bardach; Zdzisław Kaczmarczyk; Bogusław Leśnodorski (1957).Historia państwa i prawa Polski do roku 1795 (in Polish). Vol. 2. Polska: Państwowe Wydawn. Naukowe. pp. 306–308. Retrieved16 February 2021.
^Jacek F. Gieras (1994). "Volume 30 of Monographs in electrical and electronic engineering, Oxford science publications".Linear induction drives. Oxford University Press. p. V.ISBN0-19-859381-3.
^abŁyczak, Bartłomiej (1 January 2011). "The Coffin Portrait and Celebration of Death in Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the Modern Period".IKON.4:233–242.doi:10.1484/J.IKON.5.100699.
^Kazimierz Maliszewski (1990).Obraz świata i Rzeczypospolitej w polskich gazetach rękopiśmiennych z okresu późnego baroku: studium z dziejów kształtowania się i rozpowszechniania sarmackich stereotypów wiedzy i informacji o "theatrum mundi" (in Polish). Schr. p. 79.ISBN83-231-0239-2.W każdym razie "królowa bez korony i pierwsza dama Rzeczypospolitej", jak współcześni określali Sieniawską, zasługuje na biografię naukową.
^Andrzej Wasko, Sarmatism or the Enlightenment: <space>The Dilemma of Polish Culture,Sarmatian Review XVII:2,online
^Kopczyński, Michał; Tygielski, Wojciech (2010).Pod wspólnym niebem. Narody dawnej Rzeczypospolitej (in Polish). Warszawa: Bellona.ISBN978-83-11-11724-2.
^Total and Jewish population based on Frazee; others are estimations from Pogonowski (see the following reference). Charles A. Frazee,World History the Easy Way, Barron's Educational Series,ISBN0-8120-9766-1,Google Print, 50
^R. B. Wernham,The new Cambridge modern history: The Counter-Reformation and price revolution, 1559–1610, 1968, Cambridge University Press,Google print p. 377
^abMatthew P. Romaniello, Charles Lipp.Contested Spaces of Nobility in Early Modern Europe. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. 2011. p. 233.
^Norman Davies,God's Playground. A History of Poland, Vol. 1: The Origins to 1795, Vol. 2: 1795 to the Present. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 126.ISBN0199253390,0199253404
^Thus, at the time of the first partition in 1772, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth consisted of 43 per cent Latin Catholics, 33 per cent Greek Catholics, 10 per cent Christian Orthodox, 9 per cent Jews and 4 per cent ProtestantWillfried Spohn, Anna Triandafyllidou (2003).Europeanisation, national identities, and migration: changes in boundary constructions between Western and Eastern Europe. Routledge. p. 127.ISBN0-415-29667-6.
^abArtūras Tereškinas (2005).Imperfect communities: identity, discourse and nation in the seventeenth-century Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Lietuvių literatūros ir tautosakos institutas. p. 31.ISBN9955-475-94-3.
^Karin Friedrich et al.,The Other Prussia: Royal Prussia, Poland and Liberty, 1569–1772, Cambridge University Press, 2000,ISBN0-521-58335-7,Google Print, p. 88
^Tomasz Kamusella (2008).The Politics of Language and Nationalism in Modern Central Europe. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 115.ISBN978-0-230-55070-4.
^L'union personnelle polono-saxonne contribua davantage à faire connaître en Pologne le français que l'allemand. Cette fonction de la langue française, devenue l'instrument de communication entre les groupes dirigeants des deux pays.Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of History (1970). "Volume 22".Acta Poloniae historica (in French).National Ossoliński Institute. p. 79.
^They were the first Catholic schools in which one of the main languages of instruction was Polish. [...] Although he followed Locke in attaching weight to the native language, in general Latin lost ground to French rather than Polish.Richard Butterwick (1998).Poland's last king and English culture: Stanisław August Poniatowski, 1732–1798. Oxford University Press. p. 70.ISBN0-19-820701-8.
^Although still sometimes in use by the end of the XVII century and lack of official decree like one for Grand Duchy chancellery, there was no separate Ruthenian Metrica since 1673.
^Piotr Eberhardt, Jan Owsinski,Ethnic Groups and Population Changes in Twentieth-century Central-Eastern Europe: History, Data, Analysis, M.E. Sharpe, 2003,ISBN0-7656-0665-8,Google Print, p. 177
^Zinkevičius, Z. (1993).Rytų Lietuva praeityje ir dabar. Vilnius:Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidykla. p. 70.ISBN5-420-01085-2.Official usage of Lithuanian language in the 16th century Lithuania's cities proves magistrate's decree ofVilnius city, which was sealed byŽygimantas Augustas' in 1552...//Courts juratory were written in Lithuanian language. In fact, such [courts juratory written in Lithuanian] survived from the 17th century...{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
^Ališauskas, V.; L. Jovaiša; M. Paknys; R. Petrauskas; E. Raila; et al. (2001).Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštijos kultūra. Tyrinėjimai ir vaizdai. Vilnius. p. 500.ISBN9955-445-26-2.In 1794 Government's declarations were carried out and in Lithuanian.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Karol Zierhoffer, Zofia Zierhoffer (2000).Nazwy zachodnioeuropejskie w języku polskim a związki Polski z kulturą Europy (in Polish). Wydawnictwo Poznańskiego Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Nauk. p. 79.ISBN83-7063-286-6.Podobną opinię przekazał nieco późnej, w 1577 r. Marcin Kromer "Za naszej pamięci weszli [...] do głównych miast Polski kupcy i rzemieślnicy włoscy, a język ich jest także częściowo w użyciu, mianowicie wśród wytworniejszych Polaków, którzy chętnie podróżują do Włoch".
^Jan K. Ostrowski, ed. (1999).Art in Poland, 1572–1764: land of the winged horsemen. Art Services International. p. 32.ISBN0-88397-131-3.In 1600 the son of the chancellor of Poland was learning four languages: Latin, Greek, Turkish, and Polish. By the time he had completed his studies, he was fluent not only in Turkish but also in Tatar and Arabic.
^Daniel H. Cole (2002).Pollution and property: comparing ownership institutions for environmental protection. Cambridge University Press. p. 106.ISBN0-521-00109-9.
^Gordon Campbell (2006).The Grove encyclopedia of decorative arts. Oxford University Press US. p. 13.ISBN0-19-518948-5.
^Gwei-Djen Lu; Joseph Needham; Vivienne Lo (2002).Celestial lancets: a history and rationale of acupuncture and moxa. Routledge. p. 284.ISBN0-7007-1458-8.
^"Old City of Zamość". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 23 September 2009. Retrieved15 September 2011.
^After a fire had destroyed a wooden synagogue in 1733 Stanislaw Lubomirski decided to found a new bricked synagogue building.Polin Travel."Lancut".www.jewish-guide.pl. Retrieved2 September 2010.
Bardach, Juliusz; Lesnodorski, Boguslaw; Pietrzak, Michal (1987).Historia panstwa i prawa polskiego. Warsaw: Paristwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe.ISBN978-83-01-07919-2.
Frost, Robert (2015).The Oxford History of Poland–Lithuania. Vol. I: The Making of the Polish–Lithuanian Union,1385–1569. Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-820869-3.
Norkus, Zenonas (2017).An Unproclaimed Empire: The Grand Duchy of Lithuania: From the Viewpoint of Comparative Historical Sociology of Empires.Routledge.ISBN978-1-138-28154-7.
Rowell, S. C. (2014).Lithuania Ascending: A Pagan Empire within East-Central Europe, 1295–1345. Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series. Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-1-107-65876-9.
Rowell, S. C.; Baronas, Darius (2015).The Conversion of Lithuania. From Pagan Barbarians to Late Medieval Christians. Vilnius: Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore.ISBN978-609-425-152-8.
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![18th century amber casket. Gdańsk patronised by the Polish court flourished as the center for amber working in the 17th century.[279]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMalbork_(DerHexer)_2010-07-14_067.jpg)
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![A plate from Michał Boym's Flora Sinensis (1656), the first description of an ecosystem of the Far East published in Europe[280]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMango_-_Flora_Sinensis_1656_(2950680).jpg)
![Taurus Poniatovii, constellation originated by Marcin Poczobutt in 1777 to honor the king Stanisław II Augustus[281]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aTaurus_Poniatovii.PNG)
![Zamość City Hall, designed by Bernardo Morando, is a unique example of Renaissance architecture in Europe, consistently built in accordance with the Italian theories of an "ideal town".[282]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aRatusz_Zamosc.jpg)
![Łańcut Synagogue was established by Stanisław Lubomirski, 1733.[283]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a%25C5%2581a%25C5%2584cut_synagoga_06.jpg)
