Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Republic of the Two Nations, or Republic of Both Nations (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów, Lithuanian: ?e?pospolita or Abiej? taut? respublika, Belarusian: ??? ?????????? or ??? ?????????? ??????? ???????, Latin: Regnum Serenissima Poloniae) was a federal monarchy?republic formed by the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569, lasting until 1795.

Provinces and geography

The lands that once belonged to the Commonwealth are now largely distributed among several Central European and Eastern European countries: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, with smaller pieces in Estonia, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova.

Related Topics:
Central European - Eastern Europe - Latvia - Ukraine - Belarus - Russia - Estonia - Slovakia - Romania - Moldova

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While the term "Poland" was also commonly used to denote this whole polity, Poland was in fact only part of a greater whole ? the Commonwealth, which comprised primarily two parts:

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• the Crown of the Polish Kingdom (Poland proper), colloquially "the Crown"; and
• the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, colloquially "Lithuania".

The Crown was divided into two provinces: Greater Poland and Lesser Poland. Together with the third province, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, those were the only three regions that could be properly referred to as provinces. The Commonwealth was further divided into smaller administrative units known as voivodships (województwa). Each voivodship was governed by a voivod (governor). Voivodships were further divided into starostwa, each starostwo being governed by a starosta. Cities were governed by castellans. There were frequent exceptions to these rules: for details on the administrative structure of the Commonwealth, see the article on offices in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Related Topics:
Province - Greater Poland - Lesser Poland - Voivodship - Voivod - Starostwa - Starosta - Castellan - Offices in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

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Other notable regions of the Commonwealth often referred to, without respect for province/voivodship divisions, include:

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• Lesser Poland (Polish: Ma?opolska), southern Poland, with its capital in Kraków;
• Greater Poland (Polish: Wielkopolska), west?central Poland, including much of the area drained by the Warta River and its tributaries;
• Masovia (Polish: Mazowsze), central Poland, with its capital in Warsaw;
• Duchy of Livonia (Polish: Inflanty), a northern fief of the Commonwealth from 1561, lost to Sweden in the 1620s and in 1660;
• Courland (Polish: Kurlandia), a northern fief of the Commonwealth;
• Prussia (Polish: Prusy), parts of which belonged to the Commonwealth:
• Royal Prussia (Polish: Prusy Królewskie), incorporated into the Crown in 1569, at the time of the Commonwealth's formation;
• Duchy of Prussia, a Polish fief until 1660;
• Kresy, the southeastern Crown;
• Ruthenia, the eastern Commonwealth, adjoining Russia;
• Samogitia (Polish: ?mud?), western Lithuania.
• Silesia (Polish: ?l?sk) was not part of the Commonwealth, but small parts belonged to various Commonwealth kings; in particular, the Vasa kings were dukes of Opole from 1645 to 1666.
• Pomerania (Polish: Pomorze) is the term used for lands lying on the southern bank of Baltic, partially outside the Commonwealth and/or in Prussia
• Galicia (Polish: Galicja) was not widely used until 18th century

Commonwealth borders shifted with various wars and treaties, sometimes several times in a decade, especially in the eastern and southern regions.

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A Duchy of Ruthenia was planned at various times, particularly during the 1648 Cossack insurrection against Polish rule in Ukraine. The creation of Duchy of Ruthenia, proposed in the 1658 Treaty of Hadiach was intended to be a full member of the Commonwealth, which would thereupon become a tripartite Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth, but due to szlachta demands, Muscovy invasion and division among the Cossacks the plan was never implemented. For similar reasons, the plans for the Polish-Lithuanian-Muscovite Commonwealth were also never realised, although during the Polish-Muscovite War (1605-1618) Polish prince (later, king) W?adys?aw IV Waza was briefly elected Muscovy Tsar.

Related Topics:
Duchy of Ruthenia - Cossack - 1658 - Treaty of Hadiach - Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth - Polish-Lithuanian-Muscovite Commonwealth - Polish-Muscovite War (1605-1618) - W?adys?aw IV Waza

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The Crown had approximately double the population of Lithuania and five times the income of the latter's treasury. As with other countries, over time the borders, area and population of the Commonwealth varied. After the Peace treaty in Jam Zapolski in 1582, the Commonwealth had approximately 815 km² with the population of 6,5 million. After the Truce of Deulino in 1618, the Commonwealth had an area of approximately 1 million km² (990,000 km²) and a population of 10?11 million (with about 4 million Poles).

Related Topics:
Peace treaty in Jam Zapolski - 1582 - 815 km² - Truce of Deulino - 1618 - 1 million km²

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In the 16th century, the Polish bishop and cartographer Martin Kromer published a Latin atlas entitled, , which was regarded in its time as the most comprehensive guide to the country.

Related Topics:
Bishop - Cartographer - Martin Kromer - Latin - Atlas

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Kromer's works and other contemporary maps, such as those of Gerardus Mercator, show the Commonwealth as mostly plains. The southeastern part of the Commonwealth, the Kresy, was famous for its steppes. The Carpathian Mountains formed part of the southern border, with the Tatra Mountains chain the highest, while the Commonwealth was bounded in the north by the Baltic Sea. As with most other European countries at the time, the Commonwealth had extensive forest cover, especially in the east. Remains of the Bia?owie?a Forest form today the last largely intact primeval forest in Europe.

Related Topics:
Gerardus Mercator - Plain - Kresy - Steppe - Carpathian Mountains - Tatra Mountains - Baltic Sea - Forest - Bia?owie?a Forest - Primeval forest

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Voivodships of the Commonwealth

Voivodships of Greater Poland

• Pozna? Voivodship (województwo pozna?skie, Pozna?)
• Kalisz Voivodship (województwo kaliskie, Kalisz)
• Gniezno Voivodship (województwo gnie?nie?skie, Gniezno) from 1768
• Sieradz Voivodship (województwo sieradzkie, Sieradz)
• ??czyca Voivodship (województwo ??czyckie, ??czyca)
• Brze?? Kujawski Voivodship (województwo brzesko-kujawskie, Brze?? Kujawski)
• Inowroc?aw Voivodship (województwo inowroc?awskie, Inowroc?aw)
• Che?mno Voivodship (województwo che?mi?skie, Che?mno)
• Malbork Voivodship (województwo malborskie, Malbork)
• Pomeranian Voivodship (województwo pomorskie, Gda?sk)
• Duchy of Warmia (Ksi?stwo Warmi?skie, Lidzbark Warmi?ski)
• Duchy of Prussia (Ksi?stwo Pruskie, Lidzbark Warmi?ski)
• P?ock Voivodship (województwo p?ockie, P?ock)
• Rawa Voivodship (województwo rawskie, Rawa Mazowiecka)
• Mazovian Voivodship (województwo mazowieckie, Warsaw)

Voivodships of Lesser Poland

• Kraków Voivodship (województwo krakowskie, Kraków)
• Sandomierz Voivodship (województwo sandomierskie, Sandomierz)
• Lublin Voivodship (województwo lubelskie, Lublin)
• Podlasie Voivodship (województwo podlaskie, Drohiczyn)
• Ruthenian Voivodship (województwo ruskie, Lwów)
• Be?z Voivodship (województwo be?zkie, Be?z)
• Wolhynian Voivodship (województwo wo?y?skie, ?uck)
• Podole Voivodship (województwo podolskie, Kamieniec Podolski)
• Brac?aw Voivodship (województwo brac?awskie, Brac?aw)
• Kijów Voivodship (województwo kijowskie, Kijów)
• Czernichów Voivodship (województwo czernichowskie, Czernichów)

Voivodships of Grand Duchy of Lithuania

• Wilno Voivodship (województwo wile?skie, Wilno)
• Troki Voivodship (województwo trockie, Troki)
• Nowogródek Voivodship (województwo nowogrodzkie, Nowogrodek)
• Brze?? Litewski Voivodship (województwo brzesko-litewskie, Brze?? Litewski)
• Mi?sk Voivodship (województwo mi?skie, Mi?sk)
• M?cis?aw Voivodship (województwo m?cis?awskie, M?cis?aw)
• Smole?sk Voivodship (województwo smole?skie, Smole?sk)
• Witebsk Voivodship (województwo witebskie, Witebsk)
• Po?ock Voivodship (województwo po?ockie, Po?ock)
• Duchy of Samogita (ksi?stwo ?mudzkie, Miedniki-Wornie)

Voivodships of Duchy of Livonia

• Wenden Voivodship (województwo wende?skie, Wenden) from 1598 to 1920s
• Dorpat Voivodship (województwo dorpackie, Dorpat) from 1598 to 1920s
• Parnawa Voivodship (województwo parnawskie, Parnawa) from 1598 to 1920s
• Livonian Voivodship (województwo inflanckie, Dyneburg) from 1620s
• Duchy of Courland and Semigalia (ksi?stwo Kurlandii i Semigalii, Mitawa)