1385 Union of Krevo. Formation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Prince Jagiello (1362–1434) became the Grand Duke of Lithuania after the death of his father Olgerd in 1377 and for a long time defended his right to the throne in the struggle with his closest relatives. Jagiello's cousin, Vytautas, took refuge in the lands of the Teutonic Order. Circumstances forced Jagiello to conduct a complex foreign policy in which the players were Lithuania’s strong neighbors - Rus', the Horde, Poland and the Teutonic Order. Jagiello had a particularly difficult relationship with the latter. Vytautas, in alliance with the knights, began a war with Jagiello, which ended in peace in 1384. According to the agreement, Jagiello ceded large territories to the order and promised to convert to Catholicism within four years. A way out of his embarrassing situation was found in a dynastic marriage with the 12-year-old Queen of Poland Jadwiga. On August 14, 1385, a union was concluded between Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which marked the beginning of the formation of the Lithuanian-Polish state of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Jagiello became king and converted to Catholicism along with all of Lithuania. In February 1386, he was baptized in Krakow under the name of Vladislav and married to Jadwiga. Vytautas, enjoying support in Lithuania, did not accept the union and fought until he was recognized as the Grand Duke of Lithuania under the supreme authority of Jagiello, so that the union of Lithuania with Poland was preserved. After the death of the childless Jadwiga in 1399, Jagiello married Anna from the royal Piast family and began the Jagiellonian dynasty, which ruled Poland until 1572. According to the chronicler, Jagiello died because he caught a cold while listening to nightingales at night.
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Death of Olgerd. Jagiello
The death of Olgerd (1377) completely changed the further development of the Russian-Lithuanian state. First of all, the friendly cooperation between the Lithuanian government and its Russian part, which lasted throughout the reign of Olgerd, who shared power with his brother Keistut, was disrupted. Olgerd's heir, his son from his second wife (Princess Tverskaya) Jagiello (Jacob), did not get along with his pagan uncle Keistut and led a fight against him, concluding an alliance with the enemies of Lithuania, the Sword Bearers, with the help of whom he won and imprisoned, although a pagan, but the humane ruler of Lithuania Keistut and his son Vytautas. Grand Duke Keistut died (or was killed) in prison in Kyiv, and his son Vitovt managed to escape. He went to the Swordsmen, converted to Christianity and, with their help, began to prepare for the fight against Jagiel, counting on his great popularity among the Lithuanians. In the east, Jagiel also faced danger: the elder Gediminovichs, deprived of Olgerd in favor of Jagiel, openly went over to the side of Moscow and were preparing to defend their rights with its help. Jagiello, threatened from the west and east, begins to seek friendship from the Tatars and promises them his help against Moscow. How far the discord between the Olgerdovichs went can be seen from the fact that in the Battle of Kulikovo the Olgerdovichs - the Polotsk prince Andrei and the Bryansk prince Dimitri - fought on the side of Dimitri Donskoy, and Jagiello hurried to the aid of Mamai, but was late for the battle.
After the brilliant Kulikovo victory, the chances of Jogaila's opponents increased, and the danger to him from the east increased. The situation for Jagiel became threatening. The Lithuanians of his state were against him for the reprisal against Keistut; Russians - for helping Mamai.
A coincidence of historical circumstances helped Yagaila to his rescue. Just at this time, King Ludwik died in Poland (1382), who was also the King of Hungary. With his death, the personal union between Hungary and Poland ended, and Poland was faced with the question of who would take the throne. Supporters of the deceased King Ludwik managed to proclaim his daughter Jadwiga, a young girl, Queen of Poland.
Polish policy leaders decided to follow the path of a personal union, but this time not with Hungary, but with Lithuania. Jagiello was offered to marry Jadwiga and become both the King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania, for which he was promised full support of the Catholic Church. Jagiello agreed to this proposal and on August 14, 1385, an agreement on the unification of the two states was signed in the city of Kren. At the same time, Jagiello pledged to convert to Catholicism, baptize all Lithuanians into the Catholic faith and preserve this unification forever. Under the terms of this agreement - the “Union of Krevo” - all Russian lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also became part of the united Polish-Lithuanian state. Their conversion to Catholicism was not mentioned in the agreement.
Fulfilling the conditions of the Krevo Union, Jagiello converted to Catholicism in 1386, took the name Vladislav, married Jadwiga and was crowned King of Poland (Vladislav II). Then he went to Lithuania, where within one year he converted all pagan Lithuanians to Catholicism and destroyed everything reminiscent of the previous cult: the sacred fire “Znich” was extinguished, sacred oak trees were cut down, sacred snake snakes were killed. The people accepted the new faith without complaint - the Lithuanians were accustomed to unquestioningly obeying their prince.
While Jagiello was baptizing the Lithuanians, Jadwiga, partly by force, partly by diplomacy, ended the Polish-Hungarian-Lithuanian dispute over the “Cherven cities” of Kievan Rus - for Galicia. Since 1387, Galicia became an integral part of Poland. Not Lithuania, which formally owned all Russian lands, and which laid claim to Galicia, but Poland. This made it possible for Poland to begin its Catholicization and Polishization activities in Galicia much earlier than in the rest of the Russian lands, although they were located in the Polish-Lithuanian state, but were part of Lithuania, not Poland. The results of this were soon felt: the Russian socio-cultural elite very soon completely disappeared - everyone became “Poles”.
The Union of Krevo was the largest historical event in the history of Poland, Rus' and Lithuania. It predetermined the paths of their development and the relationships between these peoples for many centuries.
Poland became a conductor of Catholic aggression to the east and introduced a policy of forced Catholicization, Polishization and social oppression in the Russian lands, which ultimately led to the death of Poland itself.
In Lithuania, the process of spontaneous merging of the Russian and Lithuanian peoples stopped and discord and antagonism began to grow between them, generated by Catholic fanaticism and Polish chauvinism, which were quickly adopted by the Lithuanian upper classes. In the Russian lands of the united state, the hope that the Russian-Lithuanian state would be the defender of Orthodoxy and the unification of Rus' was lost. The Russian element of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania turned from a leading one into a persecuted and persecuted one. And he reached out to the growing Moscow.
The historical role of the Russian-Lithuanian state was played. The completely objectively real possibility of uniting Rus' was not realized. The leadership of the united state ended up in the hands of Polish and purely Catholic hands, hostile to the original Orthodox Rus'.
The Union of Krevo was the end of the short golden age of Lithuania, the Russian-Lithuanian state.
Chronological table of the most important events of the Russian-Lithuanian state
from the beginning of the 13th century to its end in 1386
Beginning of the 13th century - Creation of the Lithuanian State by Mindaugas.
1252 - Mindaugas is crowned king of Lithuania and converts to Catholicism.
1263 - Death of Mindaugas and the beginning of the Troubles.
1263-1316 - Troubles and civil strife.
1316 - Gediminas comes to power.
1341 - Death of Gediminas. The beginning of the reign of Olgerd and Keistut.
1363 - Defeat of the Tatras near Blue Waters.
1377 - Death of Olgerd. Jagiello, His fight with Keistut.
1385 - Union of Krevo. The end of the independence of the Russian-Lithuanian state.
Union of Krevo(1385) - an agreement concluded between the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Russia and Samogitia on August 14, 1385 in the city of Krevo (Belarus).
The agreement provided for the unification of Lithuania and Poland into a single state through the marriage of the Polish queen Jadwiga and the Lithuanian prince. Under the terms of the union, Vladislav II Jagiello pledged to accept baptism according to the Catholic rite along with the pagan population of Lithuania, turn his grand ducal treasury in favor of Poland, return to the Polish crown all its territories seized at that time and, most importantly, permanently annex to it the lands of Lithuania and Lithuanian Rus .
The Krevo Union contributed to the unification of Polish-Lithuanian forces to fight against the aggression of the Teutonic Order, which resulted in the war of 1409-1411. The order, led by Ulrich von Juningen, fell noticeably after the Battle of Grunwald. Polish feudal lords tried to use the Union of Krevo to seize Ukrainian and Belarusian lands that were under Lithuanian rule.
The Union of Krevo was opposed by the Lithuanian-Ukrainian opposition, led by Prince Vytautas, Jogaila's cousin, which achieved the preservation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as a separate independent state. In 1392, according to the Ostrov agreement, Jogaila was forced to recognize Vytautas as his governor, and in 1398 Vytautas proclaimed himself the sovereign Grand Duke of Lithuania under the nominal supremacy of the Polish king, thereby effectively breaking the Krevo Union.
Reasons for union
The desire of Lithuania and Poland to join forces in the face of danger from the powerful Teutonic Order, which dominated the Baltic coast, from the Moscow Principality, whose authority grew after the victory over the Tatars in the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380, from the Crimean Khanate (split from composition of the Golden Horde, since 1475 recognized dependence on the Ottoman Empire).
The search by the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jagiel (1377-1392) for an ally to strengthen his position. Jagiello, the youngest son of Olgerd, having taken the grand-ducal throne contrary to the principles of family seniority, found himself in a difficult situation. The elder Olgerdovichs and cousin Vitovt opposed him.
It was a marriage union - the Lithuanian prince Jagiello married the Polish queen Jadwiga and was proclaimed the Polish king; as a result, clashes between Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ceased, and their armed forces united. The union envisaged the annexation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to Poland. However, as a result of the desire of the Lithuanian elite for political independence, Lithuania actually remained a separate state, power in which directly belonged to Jogaila’s cousin, Prince Vytautas (1392-1430).
Under the terms of the union, Lithuania, which was the last pagan country in Europe, converted to Catholicism.
Consequences of the union
Positive - the combined efforts of the two states helped to defeat the Teutonic Order and stop the advance of the Germans into the Slavic lands (Battle of Grunwald 1410).
Negative – the influence of the Poles in Ukraine increased, the forced imposition of Catholicism began. Poland sought to completely subjugate the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
We, Jagiello, by the grace of God, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, the lord of Rus' and the heir-born, notify everyone who should and who see the letter, about what was reported to us by the Blessed Lady, by the grace of God, the Queen of Hungary, Poland, Dalmatia, etc. noble and worthy men, priest Stefan, probosch of Khanaden, Vladislav, son of Kakas from Kaza, castellan from Potok, Vladko, cup maker of Krakow, Nikolai, castellan of Zavikhov, and Christian, ruler of Kazimierz.
At first they said how the enlightened Prince of Lithuania Jagiello sent his solemn embassy first to the Polish noble gentlemen, and then to Her Royal Majesty. The same ambassadors who were appointed to the Royal Majesty took with them letters of credence from the chief and supreme ambassador, the magnificent Prince Skirgaila, brother of the Grand Duke Yagaila, who for certain reasons could not appear personally before Her Royal Majesty. His ambassadors, Prince Boris and Ganko, the Vilna elder, who appeared before the Hungarian queen, stated the matter like this:
“Many emperors, kings and various princes longed to enter into a permanent relationship of consanguinity with the same Grand Duke of Lithuania, but God Almighty reserved this for the person of your royal majesty. Therefore, most blessed lady, fulfill this saving commission, accept the Grand Duke Jogaila as your son and give him your beloved daughter Jadwiga, Queen of Poland, as his wife. We believe that this union will bring glory to God, salvation to souls, honor to people and increase to the kingdom. Before what we are talking about reaches the conclusion of the matter, Grand Duke Jagiello with all his brothers who have not yet been baptized, also with relatives, with the gentry, nobles greater and lesser, living in his lands, wants, desires and longs to accept the faith Catholic saint of the Roman Church. Many emperors and various princes could not get this from him, despite diligent efforts, since God Almighty preserved this glory for your royal majesty.
To confirm and strengthen this, Grand Duke Jagiello promises to collect and give his money to cover the expenses that both Lithuania and Poland will bear, if only the Hungarian queen unites her daughter, Jadwiga, the Polish queen, in marriage with him. Grand Duke Jagiello promises to collect and pay the amount agreed upon between the Queen of Hungary and the Duke of Austria, namely twice one hundred thousand florins. This same Prince Jagiello promises and guarantees, through his own expenses and efforts, to return to the Polish kingdom all the lands torn from it by anyone and taken away. The same Prince Jagiello promises to return the original freedom to all Christians, especially people of both sexes from the Polish land, captured and resettled by the law of war, and in such a way that each or everyone will be able to go wherever they want. Finally, this same Grand Duke Jagiello promises to annex his Lithuanian and Russian lands to the crown of the Kingdom of Poland forever.
We, therefore, the said Grand Duke of Lithuania Jagiello, with the above ambassadorial statement given and announced on our behalf to the gentlemen of the Kingdom of Poland through the said Skirgaila, our beloved brother, as well as with the assurances given to the blessed Queen Elizabeth of Hungary, through the authorized representatives sent by the same brother, in the presence of the ambassadors of the lady queen, both Hungarians and Poles, sent to our Majesty, together with our brothers, the Lithuanian princes Skirgaila, Koribut, Vytautas, Lingven, as well as on behalf of our other brothers, present and not present, we agree and declare this is so called to the lady queen, as well as to the mentioned gentlemen of the Kingdom of Poland; We ordered the same Polish statements to be sealed with our seals and those of our brothers, and we confirm this in everything.”
Given in Kreva, on Monday, on the eve of the Ascension of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the year of the Lord 1385.
