Poland-Lithuania

Poland-Lithuania united the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1337 they were separate states; their later union grew from the marriage of Jadwiga and Jogaila after the agreement at Krewo in 1385.

The Union of Lublin in 1569 created a commonwealth with an elected monarch and shared parliament, while Lithuania kept its own laws and institutions. The Warsaw Confederation guaranteed religious peace among the nobility in 1573. A constitution reformed the government in 1791, but Russia, Prussia and Austria ended the state in the final partition of 1795.