Union of Lublin

The Union of Lublin established the Polish-Lithuanian nobility 1569 Republic ( also Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita called ).

Among the reasons the Union of Lublin is one that the Grand Duchy of Lithuania against Russia was during the Livonian War on the outskirts of a military and political disaster and a narrower shoulder to shoulder with the Polish Kingdom was looking for. Moreover, the establishment of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the introduction of elective monarchy offered the opportunity to offset the threat of the childlessness of Sigismund II Augustus resolution of existing since 200 years and personal union in which both states were.

From January 10 to August 12, 1569 met the Sejm convened by him in Lublin. After numerous quite stormy meetings of the conversion of hitherto in personal union interconnected States, Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Royal Prussia by the Polish and Lithuanian nobility, in view of the foreseeable extinction of the dynasty of the Jagiellonian and the international situation, (not to be confused with the Duchy of Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia in 1701 ), in a unitary state (Real Union) decided. This was virtually the same a state of uniform legislation, official language (Polish and Latin) and currency, a parliament ( Sejm ) and a monarch as head. Certain rights could be guaranteed both Lithuania and the Royal Prussia thereby given the majority ratios. Ruthenian and German were official languages ​​in the respective regions.

Was introduced the elective monarchy, henceforth lay power in the state for the most part in the hands of the Polish nobility and aristocracy, as well as some Lithuanian magnates, but Polonized with time. The free cities of Royal Prussia were represented equally in the Sejm. Among them were especially Danzig, which was of great importance as the most important port in the country, Thorn and Elbing.

In the aristocratic republic of the greater part of the country, comprising the Kingdom of Poland and the Royal Prussia was generally called the crown ( corona ), while the smaller, Lithuanian part of Lithuania was called ( Litwa ). The hitherto in force in Lithuania official language, Ruthenian, was being increasingly replaced by the Polish in some domains.