Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
1569–1795 bi-confederate monarchy in Europe / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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] | |||||||||||||||
Motto:
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Anthem: Gaude Mater Polonia "Rejoice, oh Mother Poland" | |||||||||||||||
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.