The Union of Krevo (1385)

Both Poland and Lithuania had a common powerful enemy – the Teutonic Order of German knights. This threat caused the two countries to seek some kind of a defensive union against the Germans. In 1385, in a small Belarusian town named Krevo, the two sides concluded the Union of Krevo by means of a marriage between Polish Queen Jadwiga (she was only 13 years old and that was her second marriage) and Grand Prince of Lithuania Jogaila (he was 37 and still a bachelor).⁹ According to the agreement, Jogaila got the title of the king of Poland and was to attach all his lands to Poland. Besides, he also was to turn the Lithuanians into Catholicism. Some powerful nobles in Lithuania did not want their country to lose independence in such a way. They gathered around Jogaila’s cousin Vitovt who managed to retain control of the Grand Principality of Lithuania. Though formally Vitovt was Jogaila’s subordinate, he was the real ruler of Lithuania. The union of Krevo was only dynastic. It means that Lithuania had the common with Poland king but was part of the union only formally. In fact it was independent.¹⁰ The Union of Krevo, however, influenced cultural life in Lithuania (and Ukraine as its part). Many nobles accepted Catholicism and Polish customs.

In 1410 the Polish-Lithuanian army, considerable part of which consisted of Ukrainian, Russian, and Belarusian units from subjugated lands, defeated the Teutonic Order in the famous battle of Grunwald.¹¹

The Union of Lublin (1569)

By the early 16^th century the Grand Principality of Lithuania was in decline. It lost several provinces to Russia (called at the time Muscovy) and was not able to defend its southern lands against Crimean Tatar military raids. Exhausted by wars against Russia and Crimea, the Lithuanians turned to Poland for aid. The middle and lower Lithuanian nobility were also attracted to Poland by the wide rights enjoyed by the Polish nobility. Thus it was mostly because of their pressure that the so-called Lublin Union was concluded.¹²

As a result of the union, Poland and Lithuania formed a single confederative state called the Rzeczpospolita (republic of two nations) or the Commonwealth. The king (who was simultaneously the grand prince of Lithuania) was elected by Lithuanian and Polish nobility.¹³ As a result of the union Lithuania retained autonomy¹⁴ but it had to give all Ukrainian lands to Poland. Thus this event ended Lithuanian rule in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian nobility favored the attachment of Ukrainian lands to Poland. Compared to a very centralized but backward Russia, Poland seemed to them the best choice. Poland guaranteed their nobles wide political rights and privileges, legal protection and religious tolerance. A Polish noble’s estate could not be confiscated without a court decision. Any Polish noble could not be arrested without court decision either. (In Russia the nobility was completely defenseless before the tsar). Polish courts were independent of the king. The Polish king’s power was seriously limited and looked democratic compared to the despotic power of the Moscow tsar. Only the Sejm (parliament) could make laws, and the king could not raise taxes or troops without its consent. He could not also start or end a war without the parliament’s permission. The szlachta even had the right to depose the king if he failed to fulfill his obligations or violated the privileges of nobility.

In contrast to strictly Orthodox Russia, the Commonwealth was a tolerant state. The nobility included Poles, Lithuanians, Ruthenians (Ukrainians and Belarusians), Germans, Italians, Moldavians, Arme­nians, etc. ‘One is born noble, not Catholic’ was the motto. Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox could be senators in the Sejm.¹⁵ However, since Poland officially was a Catholic state, it tried to promote Catholicism whenever it was possible. The Polish government believed that a single religion would better stimulate the unification of the state.

The Lublin Union promoted Polonization and Catholization of Ukraine but at the same time united all Ukrainian lands within Polish borders. Ukraine started to play an important role in international trade. Through Polish ports on the Baltic coast many Ukrainian goods (bread, cattle, wool, wax, etc) entered European markets. The union also opened a door for a broader penetration of West European culture into Ukraine. The szlachta undoubtedly benefited from the union. In contrast, the peasants were not pleased as their exploitation and religious oppression increased. Polish and Polonized szlachta often tried to convert peasants on their lands into Catholicism by force. Since religion was the major pillar of culture, Catholicization also meant denationalization. Orthodox churches and monasteries were being closed down. Catholic churches and monasteries were being built on Ukrainian lands instead.