The history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth briefly. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

- (Rzeczpospolita; Polish. Rzeczpospolita republic), the traditional name of the Polish state since the end of the 15th century, which was a class monarchy (see. ESTATE MONARCHY) headed by an elected Sejm (see. SEIM (authority)) by the king. WITH… … encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Rzeczpospolita; Polish. Rzeczpospolita republic) the traditional name of the Polish state from the end of the 15th century, which was a class monarchy headed by a king elected by the Sejm. From the moment of the conclusion of the Union of Lublin in 1569 and until ... ... Political science. Dictionary.

Exist., number of synonyms: 1 poland (4) ASIS synonym dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth- Those interested in history will probably be curious to know that this name (which existed from 1569 to 1759) of our nearest Slavic neighbor - the Polish state, was formed as a tracing paper from the Latin res publica (see republic): ... ... Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language by Krylov

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth- The Commonwealth (source) ... Russian spelling dictionary

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth- (source) ... Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language

Rzeczpospolita, formation of the state- At the end of the XV beginning of the XVI century. Poland was one of the strongest powers in Central and Eastern Europe. The political strengthening of Poland was due to the economic upsurge of the XIV-XV centuries. and stood in close connection with the successful outcome of the struggle with the main ... ... The World History. Encyclopedia

Coat of arms proposed for the Republic of Three Nations. The Commonwealth of the Three Nations (Polish Rzeczpospolita Trojga Narodów) is a political project for the transformation of a confederation ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Novogrudok Voivodeship. Novogrudok Voivodeship lat. Palatinatus Novogrodensis Old Bel. ... Coat of arms ... Wikipedia

Volyn Voivodeship Volyn Voivodeship (Polish Województwo wołyńskie) Voivodeship of the Commonwealth, which existed in 1569 1795 as part of the province of Ma ... Wikipedia

Books

• On Mannerism and Baroque. Essays on the art of Central-Eastern Europe and Latin America at the end of the 16th-17th centuries, Larisa Tananaeva. The book is dedicated to the art of the early modern times in a region still poorly studied in Russian art history, although the Commonwealth, like the Holy Roman Empire, which was then part of…
• The Commonwealth of Poets, Volodymyr Britanishsky. In the world poetry of the 20th century, Poland is a great poetic power, not inferior to either Russia or America. A book of articles and essays by Vladimir Britanishsky, a poet, prose writer, essayist, is dedicated to her.

The Commonwealth - the stage of Polish statehood in the Middle Ages and the New Age. For modern historians, she is one of the most interesting social organisms, because she managed to give the world a number of concepts that were unusual for her time.

We know exactly the date of birth of this state. The formation of the Commonwealth took place on July 4, 1569, with the final adoption of the Union of Lublin, which decreed the merger of two medieval states - the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - under one crown. So in the Renaissance, a new powerful country appeared on the map of Europe, in its best times stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea.

Features of the state structure

The Commonwealth had an absolutely amazing form of government for medieval Europe. While absolutism flourished around, the germs of a democratic order were already making their way here. It is no coincidence that the very concept of "the Commonwealth" in Polish means literally the same as res publica. The king in this country was elected, at least not by the people, but by the oligarchic elite, the so-called gentry. The gentry also had legislative power in their hands, which was exercised through the assembly of diets. An interesting custom of the diets was the right of veto, which could be imposed by any deputy who disagreed with the law being published. Such broad liberties of the gentry are explained by modern historians, first of all, by their general power. It so happened that in the widest expanses of the country they had huge land plots that brought profit, and in fact became their own kings in their own estates.

Golden age

The first century of its existence, the Commonwealth had resounding victories and experienced the highest point of prosperity in all of Polish history. In addition to internal prosperity and fabulous wealth of the gentry, in the external arena the country acted as an ambitious aggressor, undertaking campaigns in both German and Russian lands.

Root fracture

Part of the turning point was the uprising of Bogdan Khmelnytsky in 1648. This war of the Ukrainian people, firstly, tore off most of the land from the Polish state, and secondly, it destroyed the precious detachments of the best cavalry of its time - the famous winged hussars. All this knocked out the first stones from under the foundation of a powerful state. The next hundred years were not so successful for him. The Commonwealth began to suffer permanent defeats in wars with the Russian state - in 1667, as a result of the Northern War.

Throughout the eighteenth century, the Commonwealth continued to weaken. And already with
mid-century began its slow stagnation. The first partition of the Commonwealth in 1772, as a result of a military defeat, was the first stage of its death. The subsequent two partitions in 1793 and 1795 led to the division of its entire territory between Prussia, Russia and Austria. The Polish state ceased to exist, only to be reborn again after the First World War. The destruction of the Commonwealth had such an important weight in European geopolitics that later historians introduced the symbolic concept of the "long nineteenth century", which began not at all in 1801, but with the partition of Poland. And it ended only in 1918 with well-known events.

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth- Federation of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which arose as a result of the Union of Lublin in 1569 and was liquidated in 1795 with the division of the state between Russia, Prussia and Austria. It was located mainly in the territories of modern Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania, and also partially in the territories of Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova and Slovakia. The head of state was a monarch elected for life by the Sejm, who bore the title of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. Existing in the Commonwealth specific political regime called gentry democracy.

The Commonwealth is a literal translation from Latin into Polish of the word Republic (lat. Res publica) and literally translated into Russian as “common cause”. The official name of the state is The Commonwealth of the Crown of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania(Polish Rzeczpospolita Korony Polskiej i Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego; lit. Lenkijos Karalystės ir Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės Respublika; Belarusian Rech Paspalіtaya Karony of Poland and Vyalіkaga of the Principality of Lithuania; Ukrainian Republic of the Crown of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania). The state was usually called by the locals Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth(Polish Rzeczpospolita; zap.-Russian. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), foreigners - Poland.

Since the 17th century, diplomatic correspondence has used the name Most Serene Rzeczpospolita Polish(Polish Najjaśniejsza Rzeczpospolita Polska; lat. Serenissima Res Publica Poloniae).

The name is now widely used Republic of Both Nations(Polish Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodow), which appeared, however, only in the 20th century.

Creation

The Commonwealth was a kind of continuation of the state of the Jagiellons - the Polish-Lithuanian personal union that existed since 1385 (with interruptions). In 1569, the Union of Lublin was concluded between Poland and Lithuania, according to which both states were united into one - with a common king, a common Sejm, a single foreign policy and unified monetary system. However, both parts retained their administration, treasury, army, and courts.

Sections of the Commonwealth

The first section of the Commonwealth On July 25, 1772, the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia and Austria signed a convention in St. Petersburg, according to which Eastern Belarus and part of the Inflyants went to the Russian Empire; Warmia, Pomeranian, Malbork, Chelminskie voivodships, most of Inowroclaw, Gniezno and Poznan voivodeships went to Prussia; and the principalities of Auschwitz and Zatorsky, southern part Krakow and Sandomierz voivodeships, Russian and Belz voivodships were ceded to Austria.

The second section of the Commonwealth January 12, 1793, Grodno. 20 years after the first partition, Poland gathers strength, Government reform, economic recovery, Constitution (second in the world, first in Europe) - Not everyone is happy with this, again a confederation, again against the King, but now for Russian intervention with the call of Russian troops. A significant part of Western Belarus and Ukraine goes to Russia, and to Prussia - Gdansk and Torun, almost all of Poland, part of Mazovia and the Krakow Voivodeship.

The third section of the Commonwealth On October 13, 1795, the third convention was signed, according to which the lands east of the Bug River and the Neman River were transferred to Russia; most of the Masovian Voivodeship with Warsaw, part of the Troksky, Podlasie and Ravsky Voivodeships went to Prussia; to Austria - the provinces of Krakow, Sandomierz, Lublin, part of the Mazowieckie, Podlasie, Kholmsk and Brest-Litovsk voivodeships.

Results of three sections As a result of the three sections of the Commonwealth, Lithuanian, Western Russian (modern Belarusian and Ukrainian lands) went to Russia (except for the part of Ukraine that went to Austria). Indigenous Polish lands were divided between Prussia and Austria. On January 15, 1797, the last convention was signed, which approved the division of the Commonwealth, abolished Polish citizenship and completely eliminated the remnants of Polish statehood. An act of 1795 of the abdication of the Polish king Stanisław August was attached to this convention.

During the reign of the last Jagiellon - Sigismund II Augustus - the Polish-Lithuanian state again had to face the strengthening of the Muscovite state, where Ivan IV the Terrible reigned. Since 1562, Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian state were drawn into a fierce, long and ruinous for both sides Livonian war, and initially luck was on the side of the Russian Tsar, who in 1563 took Polotsk.

Sigismund August was childless, and as he grew older, the question arose about the future fate of the Polish-Lithuanian state. Until now, it has been maintained only by the unity of the dynasty. The need to build it on new principles led to the conclusion Union of Lublin (1569), according to which Poland formed a united federal state with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, headed by the Sejm and the king chosen by him. The state received the name "Rzeczpospolita" (Polish Rzeczpospolita) - literally "republic".

After the death of Sigismund, the era of elective kings began, in accordance with the new constitution. The Frenchman Henry of Valois (1572-1574) appeared on the throne and soon fled back to France, while Ivan the Terrible again went on the offensive in Livonia.

The election in 1576 of the Transylvanian prince Stefan Batory turned the situation in favor of the Commonwealth: this outstanding commander returned the lost Polotsk (1579), then, in turn, he invaded Russia and laid siege to Pskov. Peace in Yama-Zapolsky (1582) restored the old border.

After the death of Bathory in 1586, the Poles elected Swedish king Sigismund III Vasa; however, he soon lost the Swedish throne because of his Catholic fanaticism - a quality that rather contributed to his establishment in Poland. In parallel, the Polish nobles and the king himself took part in the struggle for influence over Moldova during the Moldavian wars of the magnates.

Three are associated with the reign of Sigismund important events: transfer in 1596 of the capital from Krakow to Warsaw (coronations were still held in Krakow); The Brest union of the Orthodox and Catholic churches (1596), which put an end to traditional Polish religious tolerance and laid the foundation for the Khmelnytsky region - and Poland's intervention in Russia during the Time of Troubles.

The Polish magnates Mnishki supported (False Dmitry) and equipped him with an army consisting of Zaporozhye Cossacks and Polish volunteers. In 1604, the army of the impostor invaded Russia, the cities and the armies sent to meet him swore allegiance to the new tsar. In 1605, False Dmitry entered Moscow and was crowned, but soon died.

The impostor promised the King of Poland Sigismund III to return Smolensk to the Commonwealth in payment for help. Under the pretext of these promises, Sigismund in 1610 begins the siege of Smolensk. The army sent to the rescue by Tsar Vasily Shuisky was defeated by Hetman Zholkevsky in the Battle of Klushino, after which the Poles approached Moscow, while the troops of the second impostor (False Dmitry II) besieged it from the other side. Shuisky was overthrown and subsequently extradited to Zholkevsky.

The Moscow boyars asked Sigismund for his young son Vladislav as king and swore allegiance to him, and then let the Polish garrison into Moscow. However, Sigismund did not want to let his son go to Moscow and baptize him into Orthodoxy (as was supposed under the terms of the agreement), but instead tried to rule Moscow personally through Alexander Gonsevsky, who led the Polish garrison in Moscow after Zholkievsky's departure. The result was the unification of the former "Tushino thieves"-Cossacks with the nobles of Shuisky against the Poles (beginning of 1611) and their joint campaign against Moscow, supported by an uprising in Moscow itself, which the Poles were able to suppress only by setting fire to the city. The siege of Moscow by the first militia was unsuccessful due to contradictions in its ranks.

The campaign of the second militia, led by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, put the Poles in a critical situation; at this time, Sigismund, who took Smolensk, instead of going to Moscow, disbanded his army, unable to support it for financial reasons.

October 22 (November 1 Gregorian), 1612 civil uprising under the leadership of Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, Kitay-gorod was stormed, and the garrison of the Commonwealth retreated to the Kremlin. At the same time, Prince Pozharsky entered Kitai-Gorod with Kazan icon Mother of God, vowing to build a temple in memory of this victory. On October 26 (November 5, according to the Gregorian calendar), the command of the garrison of the Polish interventionists signed a capitulation, releasing the Moscow boyars from the Kremlin. At the end of February 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected Mikhail Romanov, the first Russian tsar from the Romanov dynasty, as the new tsar.

In 1649, by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the day of the Kazan icon Mother of God- October 22 (November 4, Gregorian calendar), was declared a public holiday, which was celebrated for three centuries until 1917.

In 1617, Vladislav, who came of age and continued to bear the title of Grand Duke of Moscow, invaded Russia, trying to seize the "legitimate" throne, reached Moscow, but could not take it.

According to the Deulinsky truce, the Commonwealth received Smolensk and Seversk land. Vladislav retained the title of Grand Duke of Moscow. After the truce expired, Russia tried to recapture Smolensk, but was defeated under its walls in 1633 (Smolensk War); according to the Polyanovsky peace (1634), Moscow recognized Smolensk as the Commonwealth, but Vladislav refused the Moscow title.

The first section of the Commonwealth

On February 19, 1772, a secret convention on the first partition was signed in Vienna. Before that, on February 6, 1772, a secret agreement between Prussia and Russia was concluded in St. Petersburg. This was done so that the Poles, scattered among themselves, did not have time to rally before seizing the territories. The executive body of the Bar Confederation was forced to leave Austria after joining the Prussian-Russian alliance. And the Confederate forces did not lay down their arms. Each fortress, where its military units were located, held out as long as possible. The Confederates pinned their hopes on France and England, but they remained on the sidelines until the very end, until the partition took place.

At the same time, having entered the territory of the Commonwealth, Russian, Prussian and Austrian troops occupied the areas distributed between them by agreement. The Partition Manifesto was soon announced. The Partition Convention was ratified on September 22, 1772. The territory of 92 thousand km² with a population of 1 million 300 thousand people passed under the authority of the Russian crown.

The second section of the Commonwealth

After the first partition of Poland, a "patriotic" party arose that wanted a break with Russia. This party advocated the development of the economy and building up its own military power. She was opposed by the “royal” and “hetman” parties, which were set up for an alliance with Russia. Russian empire went to war with Ottoman Empire in 1787, by this time the party of patriots prevailed in the Sejm and Prussia provoked the Sejm to break with Russia. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was brought to such a helpless state that it had to conclude a disastrous alliance with Prussia, its enemy. The terms of this union were such that the next two sections of the Commonwealth were inevitable.

The constitution, adopted on May 3, 1791, entailed intervention from neighboring Russia, which feared the restoration of the Commonwealth within the borders of 1772. The Russian-supporting “hetman” party created the Targowice Confederation, enlisted the support of Austria, and opposed the Polish “patriotic” party, which supported the unfavorable Constitution. In the battles, the Lithuanian and Polish armies were defeated, the supporters of the constitution left the country, and in July 1792 the king joined the Targowice confederation. On January 23, 1793, Prussia and Russia signed an agreement on the second division of the Commonwealth, according to which Russia received a total of about 250,000 square kilometers of territory and up to 4 million inhabitants. In 1793, Catherine II issued a manifesto "On the accession of the Polish regions to Russia."

The third section of the Commonwealth

The defeat of the Kosciuszko uprising in 1794, which was attended by those who disagreed with the division of the country, played the final role in the division and liquidation of the Polish-Lithuanian state. On October 24, 1795, the countries participating in the partition determined their new borders. As a result of the third partition, Russia received Lithuanian and Polish lands with a total area of ​​120 thousand km² and a population of 1.2 million people.

In 1797, the participants in the division of the Commonwealth concluded the "Petersburg Convention", which included resolutions on issues of Polish debts and the Polish king, as well as an obligation that the monarchs of the contracting parties would never use the name "Kingdom of Poland" in their titles.

Napoleon managed to restore the Polish state again for a while in the form of the Duchy of Warsaw under the crown of the Saxon king, but after his fall in 1814, Russia, Prussia and Austria again divided Poland.