Union is ... Lublin, Brest, Krevskaya union

Unia is a community, a union, a community of states, political organizations, religious confessions. Most often used in the sense of the monarchical unity of several powers under the leadership of one ruler.

Classification of agreements

A real union is a union that concludes a monarchy, while simultaneously taking a single order of inheritance of the throne. The heir is the future monarch for all member countries of the agreement. Such a union - strong, reliable - can be terminated only if one of the participants changes the form of government to the republican one. The abolition of monarchical power in one or all of the member states entails the disintegration of the union or a reduction in its quantitative composition.

A personal union is an agreement that happens by chance if one person becomes a monarch in several states as a result of his kinship with two or three rulers or if necessary. The procedure for succession is not changed or unified in the participating countries. Such a union is doomed to decay. Sooner or later the pretender to the throne will reign in one state, and in another it may be impossible because of the peculiarities of the legislation.

Church union is the type of agreement that is concluded between denominations. The goals and causes of the union depend on historical circumstances.

Unia and Confederation: what's the difference?

Often this form of association is equated with confederation. It is worth noting that such an identification is not correct.

First, the union can arise only with the participation of monarchic states. This is its main feature. As for the confederation, republican state formations can join such an alliance.

The existence of the union does not require close political or economic cooperation. Alliances are not binding. Otherwise the situation is with the confederation. By signing the agreement, its members have certain obligations to each other. Union members do not lose state sovereignty. A single ruler-monarch multiplies his power. After signing the union, he is the bearer of the sovereign rights of each country that is part of the union.

An important detail of the legal aspect of signing a treaty on confederation is the existence of an agreement with prescribed mutual obligations. This guarantees political unity. A union is a community that can be concluded without a treaty.

An important feature relates to the conduct of hostilities between the parties to the agreement. The member states of the union can not fight each other, since the ruler is one, therefore, declaring war inside the union, he undertakes to attack himself.

Political Unity and Dynastic Agreements

History knows many cases of such unions. One of the earliest, known and significant ones is the Kreva Unia. Lithuania and Poland were parties to the treaty. Like many other unions, this was cemented by a dynastic marriage that was concluded by the Polish Queen Jadwiga and the great Lithuanian prince Jagiello.

The Union of 1385, signed at the Castle of Krevo, made certain changes in the structure of both participating countries.

The reasons for the conclusion of the union are the weakening of both states and the pressure that was exerted on them from outside: from the Teutonic Order, Muscovy, the Golden Horde. Even before the Kreva Union, Lithuania signed several treaties with both the Moscow prince and the Teutons, who were supposed to significantly influence the course of events, but were not realized.

The essence of the agreement in Krevo

According to the contract, Jagiello became the king of Poland. This imposed a number of obligations on him:

• The new ruler undertook to distribute Latin alphabet in Lithuania.
• Jagiello had to pay the Duke of Austria Wilhelm compensation for the breach of the marriage contract, according to which the latter had to take Jadwiga as his wife.
• In Lithuania it was necessary to introduce Catholicism.
• Jagiello had to return to Poland the lands of the former Rus and build up the territory of the kingdom. Union of Lithuanian and Polish obliged him to increase the number of prisoners.

Simply put, Jagiello became a single ruler for Lithuania and Poland, but the monetary system and treasury, legislation, customs regulations, there was a border, there were separate armies for each member state of the agreement. The Kreva union caused disagreement on the part of the nobility of Lithuania and the former Rus, but served as the basis for the union in Lublin. The territory of Poland has increased.

Historical background of the Lublin Union

Many years after the signing of the treaty in Krevo disputes between Lithuanians and the Polish gentry were held for the rights and the level of influence in the country. In the process of increasing land tenure, the structure of the privileged class in both countries also changed. For the two states, there were various features of the development of the feudal class: the Polish gentry was homogeneous, all its representatives were endowed with equal rights, and all differences were eliminated; Lithuanian magnates are a polarized class. By "poles" are meant two kinds of nobility:

• Large landowners (magnates), who had virtually unlimited rights and privileges. They were not subject to local courts - only the Grand Duke's court. In addition, they could occupy the most important positions in the state. In addition to the huge number of lands, in their power were significant reserves of labor.
• Small and medium-sized landowners. They did not have such political and economic levers of influence as the first group (less land, labor, opportunities). In addition, they often became victims of the greed of big tycoons, because they depended on them.

Because of the thirst for justice (or greater power and influence), representatives of the second group sought equality, which should have been among the nobility.

But the problem was not only in the struggle of the magnates - the representatives of Poland and Lithuania could not always agree on common military campaigns, which made both states vulnerable. The Polish elite was afraid of losing the lands of Lithuania, since the ruling Sigismund-Augustus was the last representative of the Jagiellons - the change of the royal family could cause the separation of some territories.

How did the Lithuanians and the Poles agree?

The Lublin Union is the first agreement between Poland and Lithuania, which was carefully planned as a constitutional act. The main idea was the incorporation of Lithuania into Poland. For a long time negotiations were under way, which were supposed to settle all inaccuracies.

Unification of 1569 was to be signed during the winter Polish-Lithuanian Seimas. Negotiations were difficult, unity could not be achieved. The cause of the crisis was the demands of the Lithuanian side: the coronation was to be held in Vilna, the ruler had to be chosen only on the general diet, and in Lithuania the state ranks were to be occupied only by local natives. Poland could not accept such demands. In addition, Lithuanians, dissatisfied with what is happening, left the diet.

But they had to return soon and continue negotiations. There were many reasons that pushed Lithuania to seek support in the face of Poland:

• The country lost a lot during the Livonian War.
• In the state, the discontent of the landowners grew.
• Lithuania waged war with the Moscow kingdom, in which it was not the strongest party.

To quickly "persuade" the Lithuanians, the Polish king annexed Volhynia and the Podlaskie voivodship and threatened to take away the privileges of the apostates. All gathered again in Poland. The Lithuanian side swore allegiance to Sigismund-Augustus. Again began to prepare for the signing of the union. Poland had high hopes for this agreement.

Signing of the agreement

The Seimas resumed work in June 1569, and on the first day of July, the participants entered into an alliance. The Lublin Union proclaimed the formation of a single state of the Commonwealth. The ambassadors of Lithuania and Poland signed a treaty in a solemn atmosphere. After 3 days the agreement was further confirmed by the king.

However, the adoption of the union did not solve all the problems, and the Sejm continued. Separate issues were settled within a month after the official signing and ratification procedure. The task of distribution of powers was solved, a Sejm consisting of two chambers was created. The union consolidated what was started by the Krevsky agreement.

The main ideas of the union in Lublin:

• In the state there should be a single ruler - the king, who chose the diet.
• The monetary system, the senate and the Sejm were common for the Polish and Lithuanian territories.
• Equal rights in Polish and Lithuanian gentry.
• Lithuania retained part of the symbols of its statehood - the seal, the emblem, the army, the administration.

Results of the Lublin Agreement

Lithuanians managed to preserve the language, the legislative system and a number of signs of statehood. Poland increased its influence and increased the size of the territories. For several centuries the Commonwealth had been a strong opponent in the world arena. In addition, it was possible to spread Catholicism and create a cultural Polish community.

Negative moments were the proliferation of bureaucracy and increased corruption. Electivity of the king generated an active struggle within the Seim, which for several centuries led Rech Pospolitaya to collapse.

The negative features were most fully manifested in matters of religion. The population of Lithuania did not have the opportunity to choose faith - Catholicism was implanted almost forcibly. Orthodoxy was forbidden. Opponents of Catholicism were "outside the law" - they were deprived of all rights, persecuted. In the Ukrainian territories, which were under the rule of the Commonwealth, fraternal schools began to appear.

At the same time, it was equalized in the rights of the gentry, reforms were carried out in the political, legislative, and economic spheres. So the consequences of the Lublin Union can not be assessed unambiguously.

Church agreements

The history of Christianity knows many attempts to restore the integrity of religion. Recall that as a result of the split in 1054, Catholicism and Orthodoxy were formed. They became separate branches of Christianity. Almost at the same time, the first attempts were made to unify - unification.

Catholicism and Orthodoxy have different traditions, rituals. Agreements could not be reached. The main reason is the refusal of the Orthodox to submit to the Pope. Catholics could not accept the conditions put forward by their opponents: the Orthodox demanded the Pope's refusal from supremacy in the church hierarchy.

Over the years, Orthodoxy has weakened, and Catholic support was needed in the fight against various threats. In 1274 the Lyons agreement was signed, aimed at the common struggle against the Tatar-Mongol, and in 1439 - the Florentine Union. This time the alliance was directed against the Turks. These agreements were short-lived, but the "movement for the union" was gaining more and more fans.

Prerequisites of the Brest Union

The Brest Union is an agreement that created a new confession and has been controversial for many centuries.

In the XVI century, the Orthodox Church could not be called an example of morality and spirituality - it was experiencing a serious crisis. The emergence of the tradition of patronage, when the temple was in fact the property of the magnate-patron, introduced many secular features into religion. In the affairs of the church even burghers intervened. They refer to brotherhoods - city organizations that had the right to control even the bishops. The church lost its influence and reputation as a defender of the rights of believers.

The Uniate movement resumed because of the activization of the Jesuits in Poland. There are polemical texts about the benefits of the union. Their authors were preachers and philosophers - Venedikt Herbest, Peter Skarga and many others.

Uniates were activated after the "calendar reform" of Gregory XIII - as a result, religious holidays between Orthodox and Catholics dispersed in time. This infringed upon the rights of the Orthodox population living on the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

As a result of the complex influence of these reasons, the Brest Union was signed.

The essence of the agreement

In 1590, a church congress was held in Belz. On it with an appeal to conclude the union Gedeon Balaban has acted. His initiative was supported by many bishops. After 5 years, the Pope recognized the necessity of the union .

The Beresteyan union was to be signed in 1596. But the quarrels do not stop. The congress, which was going to sign the treaty, split. One part was made up of worshipers of Orthodoxy, the other was Uniates. The stumbling block was the need to obey the Pope. In the end, the union only signed part of the meeting. The Orthodox clergy did not recognize the union. The signing of the treaty took place under the leadership of Metropolitan Michael Rogoza.

Conditions:

• The Uniates recognized submission to the Pope.
• The clergy had equal rights with the Catholic church hierarchs.
• The dogmas of faith are Catholic, rituals are Orthodox.

Thus, the result of the attempted unification was an even greater split. On the basis of Orthodoxy and Catholicism, another faith appeared. Now Uniatism was imposed by force - the Orthodox found themselves in an even worse position than before the Beresteysky (Brest) agreement.

Finally, we add: the union is a factor of unification, but, as historical facts show, not always the alliance benefited all parties-participants.