Union of Lublin

The Union of Lublin (Lithuanian: Liublino unija , Polish: Unia lubelska ) is a political treaty signed on July 1st 1569 with Lublin (Poland), which links the Royaume of Poland and the Grand-Duché of Lithuania in only one State, the République of the Two Nations, directed by a electoral Monarchie. This treaty defines the duties of the king de Pologne and the large-duke of Lithuania, and the rights of the Sénat and the Parlement (the Sejm ). It is an evolutionary stage in the Union of Poland-Lithuania, required by the dangerous position of the Lithuania in the wars with the Russia.

Constituting an major event in the history of several nations, the Union of Lublin was looked at completely differently per many historians. The historians Polish concentrate on its positive aspect, underlining its peaceful and voluntary creation and its positive role in the projection of the Polish Culture. The historians Lituaniens are more critical, pointing out the role dominating of Poland. The Russian historians , and more still Belorusse and Ukrainian stress that in spite, or because, of the role which it gave to the nobility, the Republic of did not relieve anything oppression of the peasants. (Although the situation of the Russian peasants is hardly enviable at that time)

Context

Many and long discussions were necessary to sign the treaty. The Lithuanian tycoon S were afraid to lose part of be able to them, the Union conferring to them from now on a statute equal to that of the minor nobility, much more. However the Lithuania had to face the threat of a defeat in the Guerre of Livonie against the Muscovite Russia, and was quite simply likely to be invaded. The Szlachta (Polish nobility), as for it, hesitated to offer of the assistance to the Lithuania, without receiving counterpart.

Sejm of 1567

In January 1567, the Sejm meets near Lublin. Indicator that the tycoon S Lithuanian were not decided to sign the treaty, the king decides incorporation with the Poland southernmost territories of Lithuania: Podlachie, Volhynie, Podolie and the area of the Rus' of Kiev. The latter then formed with it only more half of the current Ukraine and a significant part of the Lithuanian territory. Its aristocracy was mainly ruthénienne. The June 28th, the last objections are overcome, and the act is signed by Sigismond II the July 4th.

Military consequences

Poland provides the military aid in this war after the union of the two States, but did not return the territories previously annexed. The Lithuania recognized its incorporation with the Poland.

Political consequences

The Union of Lublin was at the same time the greatest achievement of Sigismond II and its greater failure. Even if the greatest State d' Europe thus created lasts more than 200 years, Sigismond could not conclude the reforms which would have to create a effective Political system. While trying to balance the capacity of the tycoon S with that of the Szlachta, he hoped to impose the Monarchie. However, although all the noble ones were, according to the law, equal in the République, the political power of the tycoon S was not significantly weakened. Towards the end of the Republic, those often managed to bribe the least support, and the royal capacity declined little by little. While the Neighboring states continued to evolve/move in the Absolute monarchy, strong and centralized, the République slipped into the Liberté gilded, towards the political Anarchie. What will lead finally to its loss, it is well the existence even of the Union of Lublin. If each of the two Member States preserved significant degrees of autonomy, its own army, its treasury, its laws and its administrations, because of the difference of population, the Polish deputies were more numerous (in a proportion of 3 against 1) that their Lithuanian counterparts. Although they were theoretically equal, the Poland, larger and more culturally gravitational, dominated the Lithuania.

The actors of the Union of Lublin had provided that Lithuania and Poland would tie close links, which was not completely the case, since in 1566 the Second statute of Lithuania had not lost its capacity, and some of its provisions differed substantially from the acts of the Union of Lublin. Finally the Third statute of Lithuania which was adopted in 1588, still more contradicts the Union of Lublin on much of points.

Consequently, the Polish nobility regarded these Statuts of Lithuania as unconstitutional. Indeed, with the signature of the Union of Lublin, it had been agreed that no law could enter in conflict with the law of the Union. On the contrary, the Statutes declared unconstitutional the laws of the Union which were contradictory for them. The Statutes of Lithuania were also used in the territories of Lithuania annexed by Poland little time before the Union of Lublin. These statutory conflicts persisted during several years in Lithuania and Poland.

The efforts made to limit the capacity of the Lithuanian tycoons (in particular the family of the Sapiehas), and to unify the laws of the Union, led to the movement Koekwacja praw, which knew its apogee in the Réformes koekwacja of 1697 (May-June), and was confirmed in the general Sejm of 1968 (April), in the document Porządek sądzenia spraw W Trybunale Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskego .

Cultural consequences

After the signature of the Union, the noble Lithuanians had the same formal rights as their Polish counterparts to control the countries and subjects under their domination. But to make progress the policy in a Union mainly catholic was a very other business.

On the level of the cultural life and social, the nobility ruthene, formerly mainly ruthènophone and of Eastern orthodoxe religion, adopted at the same time the Polish and the Catholicisme (cf Polonisation). But the common peoples, especially the peasants, whose situation was also worsened by a fast control (since Szlachta had colonized the territory ruthene), continued to speak in their own languages and to practice the orthodoxe religion. This created finally an important gap between the popular Social classes and the nobility in the Lithuanian areas and ruthenes of the Union. Some tycoons ruthenes tried to resist the polonisation (cf Ostrogski) while adhering openly to orthodoxe Christianity, and by liberally giving to the orthodoxe Churches ruthenes and the schools ruthenes. But from generation to generation, the polonisation was done increasingly pressing, and finally almost all the nobility ruthene was polonisée.

The Union of Lublin was followed by the Polish Constitution of May 3rd, 1791, when king Stanisław August Poniatowski Stanislas II of Poland transformed the Federal union into a unit State. However, this constitution did not enter its totality into force.

The foreign Revolts cossacks and interventions led to the partition of the Union by the Russia, the Prussia and the Austria-Hungary, in 1795. The Union of Lublin did not exist temporally any more, while the Union of Kedainiai was always in force.

The Union of Lublin created the vastest State in the Histoire of Europe before the advent of the European Union at the 20th century (by taking into account only the States entirely located in Europe; for example one does not count the empires Russian or Roman). Many historians also consider that the Union of Lublin created a State similar to the current European Union, being thus a precursor of the treaty of Maastricht (in the same way for the Union of Kalmar, some Actes of the Union of the British Isles and other treaties similar). Moreover, these Acts of the Union created a State of countries much more dependant than the current EU.

External bond:

Full text of the Union

References

Article translated from English: Union off Lublin

Be-X-old: Люблінскаяунія

Random links: