Unia is a community, a union, a community of states, political organizations, religious denominations. Most often used in the sense of the monarchical unity of several powers under the leadership of one ruler.
Classification of agreements
Real union is a union that monarchies enter into, at the same time accepting a single order of succession to the throne. The heir is the future monarch for all countries participating in the agreement. Such a union - strong, reliable - can be terminated only if one of the participants changes the form of government to a republican one. The abolition of monarchical power in one or all member states entails the collapse of the union or a decrease 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 family ties with two or three rulers, or if necessary. In the participating countries, the procedure for succession to the throne is not changed or unified. Such a union is doomed to collapse. Sooner or later, the pretender to the throne will reign in one state, while in another it may be impossible due to the peculiarities of the legislation.
Church union is a type of agreement between denominations. Goalsand the reasons for the union depend on historical circumstances.
Unia and confederation: what's the difference?
Often this form of association is equated with a confederation. It is worth noting that this identification is not correct.
Firstly, a union can only occur with the participation of monarchical states. This is its main feature. As for the confederation, republican state entities can also join such a union.
The existence of a union does not require close political or economic cooperation. Allied agreements are optional. Things are different 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 increases 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 the confederation treaty is the existence of an agreement with prescribed mutual obligations. This guarantees political unity. A union is a community that can be concluded without an agreement.
An important feature also concerns the conduct of hostilities between the parties to the agreement. Member states of the union cannot fight each other, since the ruler is one, therefore, declaring war within the union, he undertakes to attack himself.
Political unity and dynastic agreements
History knows many cases of such alliances. One of the mostearly, famous and significant - Kreva Union. Lithuania and Poland were parties to the agreement. Like many other unions, this one was sealed by a dynastic marriage between the Polish queen Jadwiga and the great Lithuanian prince Jagiello.
The Union of 1385, signed in the castle of Krevo, made certain changes to the structure of both participating countries.
The reasons for concluding an alliance 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 Union of Kreva, Lithuania signed several agreements with both the Moscow prince and the Teutons, which were supposed to significantly influence the course of events, but were not implemented.
The essence of the treaty in Krevo
According to the agreement, Jagiello became the king of Poland. This imposed a number of obligations on him:
- The new ruler undertook to spread the Latin alphabet in Lithuania.
- Jagiello had to pay compensation to Duke Wilhelm of Austria for the broken marriage contract, according to which the latter was to marry Jadwiga.
- It was necessary to introduce Catholicism in Lithuania.
- Jagiello was supposed to return the lands of the former Russia to Poland and increase the territory of the kingdom. The Union of Lithuania and Poland obliged him to increase the number of prisoners.
To put it simply, Jagiello became a single ruler for Lithuania and Poland, but at the same time the monetary system and treasury, legislation, customs rules, there was a border, there were separate armies for each member stateagreements. The Union of Kreva caused disagreement on the part of the nobility of Lithuania and former Russia, but served as the basis for the union in Lublin. The territory of Poland has increased.
Historical background of the Union of Lublin
For many years after the signing of the treaty in Kreva, there were disputes between the Lithuanians and the Polish gentry for the rights and level of influence in the country. In the process of increasing land ownership, the structure of the privileged class in both countries also changed. For the two states, there were different features of the development of the class of feudal lords: the Polish gentry was homogeneous, all its representatives were endowed with equal rights, and all differences were eliminated; Lithuanian magnates are a polarized estate. By "poles" are meant two types of nobility:
- Large landowners (tycoons), who had almost unlimited rights and privileges. They were not subject to local courts - only to the court of the Grand Duke. In addition, they could occupy the most important positions in the state. In addition to a huge amount of land, they had significant labor reserves in their power.
- Small and medium landowners. They did not have such political and economic leverage as the first group (less land, labor force, opportunities). In addition, they often fell prey to the greed of the big tycoons as they depended on them.
For reasons of a thirst for justice (or more power and influence), the representatives of the second group sought equality, which should have been among the nobility.
But the problem was not onlystruggle of magnates - 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 then ruling Sigismund-August was the last representative of the Jagiellons - a change in the royal family could cause the separation of some territories.
How did the Lithuanians and Poles agree?
The Union of Lublin 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. Negotiations were held for a long time, which were supposed to resolve all inaccuracies.
The unification union of 1569 was to be signed during the winter Polish-Lithuanian Sejm. Negotiations were difficult, unity was not achieved. The reason for the crisis was the demands of the Lithuanian side: the coronation was to take place in Vilna, the ruler had to be elected only at the general Seimas, and in Lithuania, only local natives were to hold state ranks. Poland could not accept such demands. In addition, the Lithuanians, dissatisfied with what is happening, left the Seimas.
But they had to return soon and continue negotiations. There were many reasons that pushed Lithuania to seek support from Poland:
- The country lost a lot during the Livonian War.
- Discontent among landowners grew in the state.
- Lithuania waged a war with Muscovy, in which it was not the strongest side.
To quickly "persuade" the Lithuanians, the Polish king annexed Volhynia and Podlasie and threatened to take away the privileges of the apostates. Everyone gathered again in Poland. The Lithuanian side swore allegiance to Sigismund-August. Again began to prepare for the signing of the union. Poland had high hopes for this agreement.
Signing of the agreement
The Diet resumed work in June 1569, and on the first day of July, the participants entered into an alliance. The Union of Lublin proclaimed the formation of a single state of the Commonwe alth. The ambassadors of Lithuania and Poland signed the treaty in a solemn atmosphere. After 3 days, the agreement was additionally confirmed by the king.
However, the adoption of the union did not solve all the problems, and the diet continued. Some issues were settled within a month after the official signing and ratification procedure. The problem of distribution of powers was solved, the Sejm, consisting of two chambers, was created. The union consolidated what was started by the Kreva agreement.
The main ideas of the union in Lublin:
- The state should have a single ruler - the king, who was chosen by the Sejm.
- The monetary system, the Senate and the Seimas were common to the Polish and Lithuanian territories.
- Polish and Lithuanian gentry were equalized in rights.
- Lithuania has retained some of the symbols of its statehood - the seal, coat of arms, army, 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 its sizeterritories. The Commonwe alth has been a strong adversary on the world stage for several centuries. In addition, it was possible to spread Catholicism and create a cultural Polish community.
The negative aspects were the growth of the bureaucracy and the increase in corruption. The election of the king gave rise to an active struggle within the Sejm, which for several centuries led the Commonwe alth to collapse.
Negative traits were most fully manifested in matters of religion. The population of Lithuania did not have the opportunity to choose a faith - Catholicism was planted almost by force. Orthodoxy was forbidden. Opponents of Catholicism were "outside the law" - they were deprived of all rights, subjected to persecution. In the Ukrainian territories, which were under the rule of the Commonwe alth, fraternal schools began to emerge.
And at the same time, the gentry were equalized in rights, reforms were carried out in the political, legislative, economic spheres. So the consequences of the Union of Lublin cannot be assessed unambiguously.
Church conventions
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 at union - unification were made.
Catholicism and Orthodoxy have different traditions, rituals. Agreement could not be reached. The main reason is the refusal of the Orthodox to submit to the Pope. The Catholics could not accept the conditions put forward by their opponents: the Orthodox demanded that the Pope of Rome renouncesupremacy in the church hierarchy.
Over the years, Orthodoxy has weakened, and the support of Catholicism was needed in the fight against various threats. In 1274, the Treaty of Lyon was signed, aimed at a common struggle against the Tatar-Mongols, and in 1439, the Union of Florence. This time the alliance was directed against the Turks. These agreements were short-lived, but the "union movement" gained more and more fans.
Prerequisites for the Union of Brest-Litovsk
The Union of Brest is an agreement that gave birth to a new confession and has been controversial for many centuries.
In the 16th century, the Orthodox Church could not be called a model of morality and spirituality - it was going through a serious crisis. The emergence of the tradition of patronage, when the temple was actually the property of the patron magnate, introduced many secular features to the religion. Even the philistines interfered in the affairs of the church. This refers to brotherhoods - city organizations that had the right to control even bishops. The church has lost its influence and reputation as an advocate for the rights of believers.
Uniate movement resumed due to the activation 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.
The Uniates became more active after the "calendar reform" of Gregory XIII - as a result, the religious holidays of the Orthodox and Catholics diverged in time. This infringed on the rights of the Orthodox population living in the territory of the Commonwe alth.
As a result of the complex influence of these causesthe Union of Brest was signed.
The essence of the agreement
In 1590, a church convention was held in the city of Belz. Gideon Balaban spoke at it with a call to conclude a union. His initiative was supported by many bishops. After 5 years, the need for the union was recognized by the Pope.
The Union of Berestey was supposed to be signed in 1596. But the fights don't stop. The congress, which met to sign the treaty, split. One part was Orthodox worshipers, the other - Uniates. The stumbling block was the need to obey the Pope. In the end, only part of the assembly signed the union. The Orthodox clergy did not recognize the union. The signing of the agreement took place under the leadership of Metropolitan Mikhail Rogoza.
Conditions:
- Uniates recognized subordination to the Pope.
- The clergy had equal rights with the Catholic Church hierarchs.
- The dogmas of the faith are Catholic, the rites are Orthodox.
Thus, the result of the unification attempt 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 situation than before the Berestey (Brest) agreement.
Finally, let's add: the union is a factor of unification, but, as historical facts show, the union was not always beneficial to all parties involved.
