The Belarusian Lands in Rzeczpospolita
Rzeczpospolita (mid 16 – late 18 centuries) was ruled by the Polish King, who was the Grand Duke of Lithuania at the same time. The succession of power in Rzeczpospolita took place through elections rather than by means of hereditary continuity. All major issues were addressed by the Sejm (in Poland: a parliament). Though part of the federal state, both Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania retained their state administration systems, armies, treasuries and the right to stamp equal coins, administrative and judicial bodies, laws and customs systems. Each state had its own national language: in Poland it was Latin, in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania the old Belarusian language. All the factors could not make the Grand Duchy of Lithuania a strong centralized state, but rather sparked an array of domestic and external problems.
For the next few centuries the history of Rzeczpospolita was filled with wars and armed conflicts and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the one to bear the brunt of them. Its territory being the theatre of both internal and external hostilities, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was gradually weakening, its power gradually ebbing. The stronger neighbours– Russia, Prussia and Austria – directed their gaze towards it. At the end of the 18th century Rzeczpospolita underwent three divisions. As a result the territories Belarus occupies at present were included into the Russian Empire.
Main Historic Events
1573 | The Rzeczpospolita adopts an act on freedom of belief. |
1588 | Sigismund III Vasa approves Third Statute of the GDL. The document acts in Belarus till 1840. |
1596 | The Union of Brest refers to the 1595-1596 decision of the (Ruthenian) Church of Rus', the "Metropolia of Kiev-Halych and all Rus'", to break relations with the Patriarch of Constantinople and place themselves under the Patriarch of Rome, in order to avoid the domination of the newly established Patriarch of Moscow. |
1648 | The beginning of the Ukrainian Cossack rebellion led by Bogdan Khmelnitski against the Rzeczpospolita. |
1700-1721 | The war of Russia and the Rzeczpospolita against Sweden – the Northern War. Many of its battle take place on the territory of Belarus. |
1772 | The first partition of the Rzeczpospolita (according to the Petersburg Convention dated 1792) among Russia, Prussia and Austria. Joining the eastern part of Belarus to the Russian Empire. |
1793 | The second partition of the Rzeczpospolita (according to the Petersburg Convention dated 1793). Joining the central part of Belarus to the Russian Empire. |
1794 | Tadeush Kostushko’s insurgence in the Rzeczpospolita. |
1795 | The third partition of the Rzeczpospolita (according to the Petersburg Convention dated 1795). After the Second Partition of Poland of 1793, Kościuszko Uprising occurred. Kosciuszko's ragtag insurgent armies won some initial successes, but they eventually fell before the superior forces of Russian Empire. |
The partitioning powers, seeing the increasing unrest in the remaining Commonwealth, decided to solve the problem by erasing any independent Polish state from the map. On 24 October 1795 their representatives signed a treaty, dividing the remaining territories of the Commonwealth between their three countries. |
