oxford history of poland-lithuania - making of the polish-lithuanian union (1385 - 1569)

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1569 - 1795 Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Origin

political union est 1386 by Jagiellonian dynasty (1386-1572)

End

partitions of Poland (1772 - 1795)

Krewo Act - terms of marriage for Jogaila (grand duke of Lithuania) to Jadwiga (elected queen regnant of Poland)

Jogaila to be crowned king of Poland

condition - Jogaila becomes baptized, adopts Christian name Wladyslaw Jagiallo

politically unites Poland and Lithuania

Poland previously united with Hungary (1370-82)

Hungarian monarchy more solidly established - difficult for Poland

king Louis died 1382 without a male heir - good time for Poland to end uneven union

Polish monarchy fragmented by dynastic rivalries

Boleslaw Krzywousty (1107 - 1138) divided the kingdom among his 17 sons

son made duke of Cracow meant to hold seniority

meant to protect position of all his sons

instead, brought confusion and undermined hereditary principle

monarchy weakened over time

Piast dynasty

founded Poland in 960

only four rulers actually crowned

Boleslaw I (992 - 1025)

Mieszko II (1025 - 34)

Boleslaw II (1058 - 79)

Przemysl II (1295 - 6)

monarchy's strength only reestablished in 1320 when the Pope backed Wladyslaw Lokietek's coronation

Polish kingdom refounded

though lost control of Pomerelia, bordering Baltic sea, to the Teutonic Order

Silesia and Mazovia also retained independence

Lokietek - grandfather of King louis, great grandfather of jadwiga, jogaila adopted name

previous monarch, Przemysl II, assassinated (1296) - opened Bohemian Premyslid dynasty claim to Polish throne

Silesian and Mazovian dukes swore homage to Bohemian king John of Luxembourg (1320, 1329 respectively)

Lokietek's son Casimir III (1333 - 70)

expanded east

Hungarian Arpad dynasty extincted, Neapolitan Angevins claim Hungarian crown

Bohemian Premyslid dynasty extincted, succeeded by the Luxembourgs

king of Bohemia Charles IV of Luxembourg elected Emperor of HRE (1347)

ceded Pomerania to the Teutonic Order

Casimir had no male heir

brother in law - Charles Robert, Angevin king of Hungary

1338 - made agreement with Luxembourgs

Polish throne should be inherited by Angevin dynasty, and CR would attempt to persuade Casimir to renounce claims to Silesia

1339 - Casimir agrees to renounce claims, agrees CR or his son Louis should inherit throne if Cas dies without sons

1339 Casimir's Lithuanian wife Aldona dies, had 2 daughters

marries Adelheid of Hesse, they hate eachother, but she refuses annulment

1355 Casimir agrees to succession pact with Louis, 1369 confirms with signed treaty

1370 Casimir legitimizes favorite grandson, Kazko of Stolp

Kazko - nephew in law to Charles IV

marries a daughter off to one of Charles IV's sons

Louis had no heirs, likely intended to ensure there would be an heir presumptive if Louis died before fathering any

Louis coronated in 1370

more concerned with Hungary than Poland, barely visited Poland

appointed his mother Elizabeth governor, she filled her court with hungarians

1376 - resentment turned into uprising, some of her court killed and she fled

resentment and uncertainty about succession

replaced by Piast duke until she returned in 1378

Poland only recognized patrilinial succession, Louis struggled to ensure one of his daughters would inherit

Koszyce agreement (1374) - Louis secured agreement that a daughter would inherit

chose Catherine, she died in 1378

negotiated betrothals for daughters Mary (to Sigismund,great grandson of Casimir III) and Jadwiga (to William, son of Leopold III)

1379 chose Mary - Polish lords werent allowed to leave the city until they swore homage

Jadwiga to marry into Hungarian throne

1382- Louis dies

everybody ignores oaths

Hungarians delcare Mary their queen

Sigismund attempts to secure Polish throne for himself, but Polish nobility sick of absentee monarchy and will only declare loyalty if he promises to live in Poland permanently

Sigismund more interested in Hungary, returned to Hungary

Polish regency council support Jadwiga - crowned in 1384

concept of corona regni (corona regni Poloniae - crown of the Polish kingdom)

a kingdom corresponds to a people, not simply the territory of a king

"community of the realm" distinct from the king, justifies right of the political community to decide who rules

deeply embedded in medieval political consciousness

idea used to justify Polish lords choosing Jadwiga

three assemblies of Polish lords at Radomsk, Wislica, and Sieradz (1382 - 1383)

Jadwiga elected

end of patrimonial dynasticism

reinforced - monarchs must consult with the corona regni over succession

relatively bloodless succession despite several viable candidates

short lived armed conflict in Wielkopolska - support for last living male of Piast dynasty

community of the realm preferred to honor oaths sworn to Louis and gave succession to one of his daughters

community of the realm decided succession, not dynasty

agreement contained conflict

assemblies established precedent for Polish confederation