Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów
←   ← 1569–1795 →   →   →
Royal Banner Royal Coat of arms
Motto Latin: Si Deus nobiscum quis contra nos (If God is with us, then who is against us) Pro Fide, Lege et Rege (Latin: For Faith, Law and King, since 18th century)
The location of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Capital	Commonwealth and Crown of the Polish Kingdom: Kraków, Warsaw ca. 1600; Grand Duchy of Lithuania: Vilnius
Language(s)	See list Polish Latin French Ruthenian Lithuanian German Hebrew Yiddish Italian Armenian Arabic (see Languages section for details)
Religion	See list Roman Catholic (state religion) Greek Catholic Eastern Orthodox Church Protestantism (various sects) Judaism Islam (mainly Tartars and Turks)
Government	Monarchy
King & Grand Duke
- 1569–1572	Sigismund II Augustus
- 1764–1795	Stanisław II Augustus
Legislature	Sejm
- Privy Council	Senate
History
- Union established	July 1, 1569
- fief of the Ottoman Empire	1672-1676
- Protectorate of the Russian Empire	1768
- 1st Partition	August 5, 1772
- May 3rd Constitution	May 3, 1791
- 3rd Partition	October 24, 1795
Area
- 1582	815,000 km2 (314,673 sq mi)
- 1618	1,153,465 km2 (445,355 sq mi)
Population
- 1582 est.	6,500,000
Density	8 /km2  (20.7 /sq mi)
- 1618 est.	10,500,000
Density	9.1 /km2  (23.6 /sq mi)
Today part of	Belarus Estonia Latvia Lithuania Moldova Poland Russia Slovakia Ukraine
Warning: Value not specified for "continent"

The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (or Union, after 1791 the Commonwealth of Poland) was a state of Poland and Lithuania 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 and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th-century Europe. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth covered more lands than the present lands of Poland and Lithuania. The lands of the Commonwealth also covered all the lands of present-day Belarus; a large part of Ukraine and Latvia; and western part of present-day Russia.

The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth had high levels of ethnic diversity and by religious tolerance. The amount of religious freedom varied over time.

After several decades of prosperity, it entered a period of political, military and economic decline. It ended with the final Partitions of Poland in 1795. Its growing weakness led to it being divided by its more powerful neighbors, Austria, Prussia and the Russian Empire.

Some information

• In Poland, the official languages were Polish language and Latin language. In Lithuania, the official languages were Old Belarusian, Latin Language, and Lithuanian language.
• Commonwealth was one of largest countries of its time. It had a large population. At one time, Commonwealth covered about 400,000 square miles. Population was around 11 million. People of different ethnicity lived in Commonwealth.
• For about 200 years, Commonwealth withstood wars with other powers of Europe of that time: these powers were Muscovy Russians, Ottoman Empire, and the Swedes.
• The Commonwealth developed a system of laws and legislature. This reduced the power of the monarch. Some concepts of democracy also developed in the Commonwealth and concept like the 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. But, 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 of the persons living in the Commonwealth.