Commonwealth

:Alternative meanings: the Commonwealth of Nations or Commonwealth of Independent States

National

Great Britain

The Commonwealth of England was the official name of the political unit (de facto military rule in the name of parliamentary supremacy) that replaced the kingdoms of Scotland and England under the rule of Oliver Cromwell and his successors from 1649 to 1660. It formed the first republic in the English-speaking world, though this quickly devolved into a pseudo-monarchy.

Related Topics:
Commonwealth of England - Oliver Cromwell - 1649 - 1660 - Republic - English-speaking world

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Australia

The term also served when the six Australian colonies federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act created a federal system, in which power is divided between the federal, or national, government and the States - the evolved status of the colonies. The Constitution stipulated that Australia was a constitutional monarchy, where the Head of State, the British (or, since 1973, Australian) monarch, is represented at federal and state level by a Governor-General and Governor respectively. The Parliament of Australia was derived from the British, Canadian and American systems to form a uniquely Australian system. It is largely based on the Westminster System, with a similar structure - House of Representatives, Senate - to the US Congress. In an Australian context, the term "Commonwealth" (capitalised) thus refers to the federal government.

Related Topics:
Colonies - Federated - Commonwealth of Australia - 1901 - Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act - States - Constitutional monarchy - Head of State - Parliament of Australia - Westminster System - House of Representatives - Senate - Federal government

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Dominica

The official title of Dominica is Commonwealth of Dominica.

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Various other states have also used the title "commonwealth" since that time.

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Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Commonwealth of Poland

Commonwealth is still an alternative translation of the official name of the Republic of Poland (Rzeczpospolita). Wincenty Kad?ubek (Vincent Kadlubo, 1160-1223) used for the first time the original Latin term res publica in the context of Poland in his "Chronicles of the Kings and Princes of Poland". The name was used officially for the federal country formed by Poland and Lithuania 1569-1795.

Related Topics:
Rzeczpospolita - Wincenty Kad?ubek - Poland - Lithuania

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It is also often referred as "Nobles' Commonwealth" (1505-1795, i.e. before the union).

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In contemporary political doctrine of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, "our state is a Republic (Commonwealth) under presidency of the King". The commonwealth introduced a doctrine of religious tolerance (see Warsaw Confederation), had its own parliament Sejm (although elections were restricted to the gentry or szlachta) and elected kings, who were bound to certain contracts Pacta conventa from the beginning of the reign. The foundation stones of the Commonwealth (also called the Golden Freedoms) used to be

Related Topics:
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - Warsaw Confederation - Sejm - Szlachta - Pacta conventa

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• free election of the king
• Pacta conventa, a binding pledge agreed to by the King on his election
• rokosz, the right of rebellion against kings who did not rule in accordance with their pledge
• liberum veto (a later development), the right for a single representative to veto the entire proceedings of the Sejm
• confederatio (confederation), a military organisation of the citizens for the attainment of common political aims.

It is worth to note that "A commonwealth of good counsaile" was the title of

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the 1607 English translation of the work of Wawrzyniec Grzyma?a Go?licki "De optimo senatore" that presented to English readers many of the ideas present in the political system of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

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Other states that use the name Commonwealth

• The small Caribbean republic of Dominica has used the official style Commonwealth of Dominica since 1978.
• The Bahamas, a Commonwealth Realm, adopted the official style The Commonwealth of the Bahamas upon independence in 1973.