The Union of Lublin, painted by Jan Matejko

The Union of Lublin (Lithuanian: Liublino unija; Belarusian: Лю́блінская ву́нія; Polish: Unia lubelska) - signed on July 1, 1569 in Lublin, united the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania into a single state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, with the official name: Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów (also known as The Republic of Both Nations). The Commonwealth was ruled by a single elected monarch who took the duties of the Polish king and the Lithuanian grand duke, and governed by a common senate and diet (known as the Sejm). The Union was a development of the Polish-Lithuanian alliance and personal union, and further necessitated by Lithuania's dangerous position in wars with Russia. Jan Matejko (1838-1893) The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Jan Matejko (1838-1893) The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Categories: Stub | Polish painters | 1838 births | 1893 deaths ... July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... Events January 11 - First recorded lottery in England. ... Lublin (pronounce: [lublin]) is the biggest city in eastern Poland and the capital of Lublin Voivodship with a population of 355,954 (2004). ... The presumable banner of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with the coat of arms, called Пагоня in Belarusian, Vytis in Lithuanian and Pogoń in Polish Another version of the Lithuanian banner The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė, Belarusian: Вялі́кае Кня́ства Літо́ўскае (ВКЛ), Ukrainian: Велике Князівство Литовське (ВКЛ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Rzeczpospolita (pronounced: , zhech-poss-POH-lee-tah) is a Polish calque translation of the Latin expression res publica (public affair). It has been used in Poland since at least 16th century, originally to denote any democratic state. ... The English noun Commonwealth dates originally from the fifteenth century and in different contexts indicates one of: a nation, state or political unit a state founded on law by agreement of the people for the common good a republic a federated union of constituent states. ... An elective monarchy is a monarchy whose reigning king or queen is elected in some form. ... Poland was ruled by dukes (c. ... Introduction The title Grand Duke (Latin, Magnus Dux; German, Großherzog, Italian Gran Duca; in French, Grand-duc; in Finnish, Suurherttua; in Swdish, Storhertig; in Dutch, Groothertog; in Danish, Storhertug) used in Western [[Europe and particularly in Germanic countries, ranks in honour below King but higher than a sovereign Duke (Herzog... A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ... In politics, a Diet is a formal deliberative assembly. ... This article is about the lower chamber of Polish parliament. ... The term Polish-Lithuanian Union refers to a series of acts and alliances between the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that lead to the creation of the Republic of Both Nations in 1569 and eventually to creation of a unified state in 1791. ...

There were long discussions before signing the treaty, as Lithuanian magnates were afraid of losing much of their powers, since the union would make their status equal in the eyes of law with that of the much more numerous lower nobility. When Polish nobles (the szlachta) saw that the Lithuanians might not sign the union, Poland occupied the southern Lithuanian-controlled lands of Podlachia, Volhynia, Podolia and the Kyiv regions (these lands makes up more than half of modern day Ukraine, and were at that time a significant part of Lithuanian territory). For a wealthy or powerful business baron, executive, or tycoon, see business magnate Magnate is a title of nobility commonly used in Sweden, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and some other medieval empires. ... Szlachta ( pronounced: [ʃlaxta]) was the noble class in Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ( Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). ... Podlasie (Latin Podlachia) is a historical region in eastern part of Poland and western Belarus. ... Volhynia (Wołyń in Polish; Волинь, Volyn’ in Ukrainian; also called Volynia, Volyň in Czech) comprises the historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Pripyat and Western Bug. ... The region of Podolia (Polish Podole, Ukrainian Podillya) lies in the west-central and south-west portions of present-day Ukraine. ... Kiev (Київ, Kyiv, in Ukrainian; Киев, Kiev, in Russian) is the capital and largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper river. ...

The Lithuanian nobles then signed the treaty, since Lithuania faced the threat of total defeat in the Livonian war against Russia and incorporation into the Russian Empire. Poland provided military aid in that war after the union of the two entities, but did not return the previously annexed territories. Lithuania had to recognise its incorporation into Poland. After the Union, Lithuanian nobles had the same rights as Polish to exploit the territories of the Commonwealth. The Reformation reached Livonia in the 1520s. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start...

The drafters of the Union of Lublin expected that the countries of Lithuania and Poland should be linked together more closely than they actually were, because the Second statute of Lithuania had not lost its power, and some of its provisions substantially differed from the acts of Union of Lublin. Eventually the Third statute of Lithuania was adopted, which however still contradicted the Union of Lublin on many points. The Statutes of Lithuania (Lithuanian Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės statutai, Polish Statuty litewskie in Belarusian: Статуты Вялікага княства Літоўскага) were a 16th century collection of all the legislation of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy and its successor, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a multinational European state that existed from 1240 to 1795. ... The Statutes of Lithuania (Lithuanian Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės statutai, Polish Statuty litewskie in Belarusian: Статуты Вялікага княства Літоўскага) were a 16th century collection of all the legislation of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy and its successor, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a multinational European state that existed from 1240 to 1795. ...

The Polish nobility therefore viewed the statutes of Lithuania as unconstitutional, because at the signing of Union of Lublin it was said that no law could conflict with the law of Union. The Statutes, however, declared the laws of the Union that conflicted with them to be unconstitutional. Statutes of Lithuania were also used in territories of Lithuania annexed by Poland shortly before Union of Lublin. These conflicts between statutory schemes in Lithuania and Poland persisted for many years. The Statutes of Lithuania (Lithuanian Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės statutai, Polish Statuty litewskie in Belarusian: Статуты Вялікага княства Літоўскага) were a 16th century collection of all the legislation of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy and its successor, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a multinational European state that existed from 1240 to 1795. ...

In culture and language, however, Polish eventually became a dominant one for all of nobility, including the nobility of Ruthenia and Lithuania, replacing the previous Ruthenian. However farmers, town dwellers and other people continued to speak in their own languages, which eventually created a significant rift between the lower social classes of people and the nobility in the Lithuanian and Ruthenian areas of the Commonwealth. Polonization (in Polish: polonizacja) is the assumption, voluntary or involuntary, complete or partial, of the Polish language or another real or supposed Polish attribute. ... Ruthenia is a name applied to parts of Eastern Europe which were populated by Eastern Slavic peoples, as well as to various states that existed in this territory in the past. ... Ruthenian may refer to: Ruthenia, a name applied to various parts of Eastern Europe Ruthenians, the peoples of Ruthenia Ruthenian language, a name applied to several Slavic languages This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A social class is, in the most basic sense, a group of people that shares the same or similar social status. ...

The Union of Lublin was superseded by the Constitution of the Third May from 1791, when the federative Commonwealth was to be transformed into a unitary state by King Stanislaw August Poniatowski. However the constitution was not fully implemented, as the Partitions of Poland (and Lithuania) by Russia, Prussia and Austria-Hungary in 1795 destroyed the Commonwealth. The Union of Lublin was also temporary not active while Union of Kėdainiai was working. May 3rd Constitution (painting by Jan Matejko, 1891). ... 1791 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... A federation (from the Latin fœdus, covenant) is a state comprised of a number of self-governing regions (often themselves referred to as states) united by a central (federal) government. ... A unitary state is a state or country that is governed constitutionally as one single unit, with one constitutionally created legislature. ... For other persons named Stanisław Poniatowski, see Stanisław Poniatowski. ... The Partitions of Poland ( Polish Rozbiór or Rozbiory Polski) happened in the 18th century and ended the existence of a sovereign state of Poland (or more correctly the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). ... The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia (German: Preußen or Preussen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: Prūsai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia and... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Union of Kėdainiai (or Agreement of Kėdainiai, Lithuanian Kėdainių unija or Kėdainių sutartis) was an agreement between several of the Commonwealth magnates and the king of Sweden signed in 1655, during The Deluge. ...

The Union of Lublin created the largest state in Europe's history (if counting only states which are fully in Europe, i.e. not counting the Russian Empire), before the arrival of the European Union in the 20th century. Many historians also consider the Union of Lublin to have created a similar state to the present-day European Union, thus considering the Union to be kind of a predecessor of the Maastricht treaty. The former, however, created a state of countries more deeply linked than the present-day EU. Lublin (pronounce: [lublin]) is the biggest city in eastern Poland and the capital of Lublin Voivodship with a population of 355,954 (2004). ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The Maastricht treaty (formally, the Treaty on European Union) was signed on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht between the members of the European Community and entered into force on 1 November 1993. ...

See also:

• Polish-Lithuanian Union
• Union of Krewo
• Union of Kėdainiai

The term Polish-Lithuanian Union refers to a series of acts and alliances between the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that lead to the creation of the Republic of Both Nations in 1569 and eventually to creation of a unified state in 1791. ... The Union of Krewo (or Union of Krevo) was a a political and dynastic agreement between Queen Jadwiga of Poland and Grand Prince Jagiello of Lithuania and the begining of the Polish-Lithuanian Union. ... Union of Kėdainiai (or Agreement of Kėdainiai, Lithuanian Kėdainių unija or Kėdainių sutartis) was an agreement between several of the Commonwealth magnates and the king of Sweden signed in 1655, during The Deluge. ...

External link

• Full text of the Union (Polish) (http://www.wilno.pl/UniaLubelska.htm)