The Union of Lublin joined the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania into a single state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, with a common ruler elected by the nobility and a joint parliament, the Sejm. The two countries had been linked by a dynastic union since 1386, but the Lithuanians feared Polish domination, while pressure from Muscovy, which was waging the Livonian War, made a closer arrangement attractive. Ukrainian lands were transferred from Lithuania to the Polish crown. The Commonwealth became one of the largest states in Europe and had a unique system of noble democracy, lasting until its partitions in the late eighteenth century.
Before and after
- from 23 May 1568 to 30 January 1648Eighty Years' War
- from 24 December 1568 to 1 March 1571Rebellion of the Alpujarras
- 1569Invention of Mercator projection
- from 11 June 1569 to 24 October 1795Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
- 1 July 1569Union of Lublin
- from 27 August 1569 to 1 January 1860Grand Duchy of Tuscany
- 1570Construction of Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral
- from 1570 to 1573Ottoman–Venetian War of 1570–1573
- 24 June 1571Founding of Manila
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 1524 to 1525German Peasants' War
- from 1568 to 1918Russo-Turkish Wars
- 1689Bill of Rights 1689
- 30 August 1721Treaty of Nystad
- 22 February 1732Birth of George Washington
- from 10 October 1733 to 3 October 1735War of the Polish Succession
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.