Treaty of Vilnius (1561)

The Union of Vilnius was an agreement dated November 28, 1561 between the State master of Livonian Order in Livonia, Gotthard Kettler and Sigismund II Augustus, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, in the liquidation of the Teutonic Order in Livonia and its rising polish-Lithuanian state 'absence.

Prehistory

1558 the tsarist Russia had the Terrible started the Livonian War under Ivan. The Livonian Confederation was able to oppose the onslaught of the Russians little parts of Livonia were conquered and held for long-term manned. To protect against further attacks imputed in the result, the confederation of suzerainty of various powers in the Baltic region. Their ambitions, however, were related to improvements in their strategic positions towards Russia and an expanding their bases in the Baltic Sea region. The material resources of Livonia presented constitutes an incentive

The Kingdom of Denmark bought in 1560 the territory of the diocese of Courland in Pilten and Osel - Wiek in Kuressaare by Bishop Johann von Munchausen, who clung to the doctrine of Luther. The Kingdom of Sweden took over 1561 today's northern Estonia Reval. The largest part but coincided with the Livonian heartland and southern Wiek to Poland-Lithuania. Likewise, the religious areas of the Western Dvina as Duchy of Courland and Semgallen the crown of Poland-Lithuania joined the west and south as a vassal state to.

The Union

The contract consisted of the privilege Sigismundi Augusti and the pacta Subiectionis. The " privilege Sigismundi Augusti " referred to the stands, especially the nobility, in Livonia. For the Duchy of Courland and Semgallen there was the " pacta Subiectionis " which guaranteed these privileges and also regulated the relationship of the nobility to the Duke and both relative to the King of Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian parliament.

Force of this Treaty, the German Order, and with him the entire Livonian Confederation was dissolved and secularized, while Kurland merged with Semgallen the " Duchy of Courland and Semgallen ", the Kettler by the Polish king took as a Protestant Erbherzog fief. The Hanseatic city of Riga with the rest of Livonia were incorporated directly as " Duchy beyond the Dvina " (Latin Ducatus Ultradunensis ) the state of Poland - Lithuania. Already under Sigismund Augustus 's successor Stefan Bathory began efforts to undermine the provisions of Privilege Sigismundi Augusti. This did not recognize the privilege Sigismundi Augusti and adopted instead the Constitutiones Livoniae that restricted the rights of the Livonian estates significantly. The country was under Polish pattern in the form of three provinces administratively organized with headquarters in Pärnu, turning and Dorpat and promoted the Counter-Reformation under andererm by the establishment of the Jesuit College in Tartu and Riga. The Union of Vilnius favored the outbreak of war triple ring 1563rd