Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 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
Common languages	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
• 2nd Partition	January 23, 1793
• 3rd Partition	October 24 1795
Area
1582	815,000 km2 (315,000 sq mi)
1618	1,153,465 km2 (445,355 sq mi)
Population
• 1582	6500000
• 1618	10500000
Preceded by Succeeded by Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569) Grand Duchy of Lithuania Kingdom of Prussia Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Russian Empire
Today part of	Belarus  Estonia  Latvia  Lithuania  Moldova  Poland  Russia  Slovakia  Ukraine

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.

Images for kids

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  The Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1526.

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  The Union of Lublin joined the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569.

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  The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at its greatest extent in 1619.

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  Sigismund III Vasa, who reigned between 1587 – 1632, presided over an era of prosperity and territorial expansion of the Commonwealth.

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  Sejm (parliament) of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the early 17th century

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  John III Sobieski, victor over the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Vienna in 1683.

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  Augustus II the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, wearing the Order of the White Eagle which he established in 1705.

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  Partitions of Poland in 1772, 1793 and 1795.

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  Cereals exports in the years 1619–1799. Agriculture, once extremely profitable to the nobility, became much less so after the mid-17th century.

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  A historical re-enactor dressed in the Polish Winged Hussars armour

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  Multi-stage rocket from Artis Magnæ Artilleriæ pars prima by Kazimierz Siemienowicz

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  Krasiczyn Castle was built between 1580-1631 in the mannerist style.

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  Wilanów Palace, completed in 1696, exemplifies the opulence of royal and noble residences in the Commonwealth.

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  Nieborów Palace designed by Dutch architect Tylman van Gameren and built in 1697

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  Population density of the Commonwealth per each voivodeship in 1650

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  Saints Peter and Paul Church in Kraków was built between 1597-1619 by the Jesuit order

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  Original act of the Warsaw Confederation in 1573, the first act of religious freedom in Europe

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  First anniversary anthem of the Constitution of 3 May 1791 (1792) in Hebrew, Polish, German and French

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  Topographical map of the Commonwealth in 1764

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  Statuta Regni Poloniae in ordinem alphabeti digesta (Statutes of the Polish Kingdom, Arranged in Alphabetical Order), 1563

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  Grand Marshal of the Crown Łukasz Opaliński portraited with the insignium of his power in the parliament - the Marshal's cane, 1640

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  Rococo iconostasis in the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, designed by Johann Christoph Glaubitz, 1753–1756

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  18th century amber casket. Gdańsk patronized by the Polish court flourished as the center for amber working in the 17th century.

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  Stanisław Poniatowski, Commander of the Royal Guards and Grand Treasurer. Painted by Angelika Kauffmann in 1786.

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  Equestrian portrait of King Sigismund III of Poland, by Peter Paul Rubens, 1624

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  Tapestry with the arms of Michał Kazimierz Pac, Jan Leyniers, Brussels, 1667–1669

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  Silver tankard by Józef Ceypler, Kraków, 1739–1745

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  Example of the merchant architecture: Konopnica's tenement house in Lublin, 1575

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  Hussars' armours, first half of the 17th century

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  De republica emendanda (1554) by Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski, proposed a deep programme of reforms of the state, society and church.

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  Merkuriusz Polski Ordynaryjny, the first Polish newspaper published on the orders of Queen Marie Louise Gonzaga in 1661

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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

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  Taurus Poniatovii, constellation originated by Marcin Poczobutt in 1777 to honor the king Stanisław II Augustus

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  Branicki Palace in Białystok, designed by Tylman van Gameren, is sometimes referred to as the "Polish Versailles."

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  Pažaislis Monastery in Kaunas, Pietro Puttini, built 1674–1712

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  Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Vilnius, Pietro Puttini, built 1675-1704

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  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."

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  Łańcut Synagogue was established by Stanisław Lubomirski, 1733.

See also

In Spanish: República de las Dos Naciones para niños