Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: Encyclopedia II - Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - History

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - History

• Kingdom of the first Piasts
  
• Fragmentation
  
• Kingdom of the later Piasts
  
• Kingdom of the Jagiellons
  
• Republic of Both Nations
  
• Partitions
  • Kingdom of Galicia
    
  • Duchy of Warsaw
    
  • Congress Kingdom
    
  • Free City of Kraków
    
  • Grand Duchy of Poznań
    
  • Regency Kingdom
    
• Second Polish Republic
  
• Polish Secret State
  
• People's Republic of Poland
  
• Third Polish Republic

The creation of the Commonwealth by the Union of Lublin in 1569 was one of the signal achievements of Sigismund II Augustus, last king of the Jagiellon dynasty. His death in 1572 was followed by a three-year interregnum during which adjustments were made to the constitutional system that effectively increased the power of the nobility (the szlachta) and established a truly elective monarchy.

The Commonwealth reached its Golden Age in the first half of the 17th century. Its powerful parliament (the Sejm) was dominated by nobles who were reluctant to get involved into the Thirty Years' War, sparring the country from the ravages of this largely a religious conflict devastating most of contemporary Europe. The Commonwealth was able to hold on to its own against Sweden, Russia, and vassals of the Ottoman Empire and, at times launched succesfull expansionist offensives against its neighbors. During several invasions to Russia, which was weakened in early-17th century by the Time of Troubles, the Commonwealth troops even managed for a time to take Moscow and hold on to it from 27 September 1610 to 4 November 1612 until driven out by the Russian patriotic rising of the nation.

Commonwealth power waned after the double blow of 1648: history's greatest Cossack rebellion (the Chmielnicki Uprising, supported by Crimean Khanate Tatars, in the eastern territories of Kresy), which resulted in Cossacks falling under the Muscovy sphere of influence in 1654, and the Swedish invasion in 1655 (supported by troops of Transylvanian duke George II Rakoczy and Friedrich Wilhelm I, Elector of Brandenburg), known as the Deluge, provoked by the policies of Commonwealth kings from the Swedish royal House of Vasa.

In the late 17th century, the weakened Commonwealth under King Jan III Sobieski was still strong enough to deal crushing defeats to the Ottoman Empire: in 1683, the Battle of Vienna marked the final turning point in a 250-year struggle between the forces of Christian Europe and the Islamic Ottoman Empire. Over the next 16 years (in the "Great Turkish War") the Turks would be permanently driven south of the Danube River, never to threaten central Europe again.

By the 18th century, the Commonwealth was facing many internal problems and was vulnerable to foreign influences. This destabilized its political system almost to the brink of anarchy. Attempts at reform, such as those made by the Four-Year Sejm of 1788–1792, which culminated in the May 3rd Constitution of 1791, came too late, and the country was partitioned in three stages by the neighboring Russian Empire, Kingdom of Prussia, and Austrian Empire. By 1795 the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth had been completely erased from the map of Europe. Poland and Lithuania re-established their independence, as separate countries, only in 1918.

The Commonwealth at its greatest extent (ca. 1630)

Losses in the effect of the Deluge (1648)

The First Partition (1772)

The Second Partition (1793)

The Third Partition (1795). Poland disappears for 123 years (or for 12 years — to Duchy of Warsaw).

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "History", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki