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Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
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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 the largest[1] and countries of 16th- and 17th-century Europe and had one of the largest populations. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth covered more lands than the present lands of Poland and Lithuania since it covered also all of present-day Belarus, a large part of present-day Ukraine and Latvia, and the west of present-day Russia.
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth had high levels of ethnic diversity and religious tolerance.[2] However, the amount of religious freedom varied over time.[3]
After several decades of prosperity,[4] it entered a period of political,[5] military and economic[6] decline. The Commonwealth ended with the final Partitions of Poland in 1795. Its growing weakness led to it being divided by its more powerful neighbours: Austria, Prussia and the Russian.
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 withstood wars with other powers of Europe of that time: Muscovy Russians, the Ottoman Empire, and Swedes.
- 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 leading 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
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Halina Stephan, Living in Translation: Polish Writers in America, Rodopi, 2003, ISBN 90-420-1016-9, Google Print p373
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- ↑ Feliks Gross, Citizenship and Ethnicity: The Growth and Development of a Democratic Multiethnic Institution, Greenwood Press, 1999, ISBN 0-313-30932-9, Google Print, p122 (notes)
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- ↑ "In the mid-1500s, united Poland was the largest state in Europe and perhaps the continent’s most powerful nation". "Poland". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 26 June 2009
- ↑ Martin Van Gelderen, Quentin Skinner, Republicanism: A Shared European Heritage, Cambridge University Press, 2002, ISBN 0-521-80756-5 Google Print: p54
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- ↑ The Causes of Slavery or Serfdom: A Hypothesis Archived 2007-12-15 at the Wayback Machine, discussion and full online text of Evsey Domar (1970) "The Causes of Slavery or Serfdom: A Hypothesis", Economic History Review 30:1 (March), pp18–32
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