Union of Krewo

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Document, signed in Kreva on 14 August 1385

In a strict sense, the Union of Krewo or Act of Krėva (also spelled Union of Krevo, Act of Kreva;

Grand Duke of Lithuania, in regard to his prospective marriage to the underage reigning Queen Jadwiga of Poland
.

Though very limited in scope, the "Union of Krewo", in historiography, often refers not only to the particular document but to events of 1385–1386 as a whole.

King of Poland
in 1386.

The union proved a decisive moment in the histories of Poland and Lithuania; it marked the beginning of four centuries of shared history of the two polities. By 1569 the Polish–Lithuanian union had developed into a new state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, which lasted until the Third Partition of Poland in 1795.

Background

Situation in Poland

Poland and Lithuania in 1387

Grand Duke of Lithuania
.

Situation in Lithuania

Grand Duke

Grand Duchy of Moscow and brokered by his Orthodox mother Uliana of Tver: converting to Orthodoxy and marrying Sophia, daughter of Dmitry Donskoy.[5] However, in the eyes of Catholics, Orthodoxy was not any better than paganism. Therefore, such conversion would not protect from the Teutonic attacks. A third option, presented by Polish nobles, avoided major pitfalls of the Teutonic or Muscovite proposals.[6]

Union

Negotiations

Monument of Jadwiga and Jogaila in Kraków

The relations between Poland and Lithuania were not particularly friendly. The two states were allies before, when Jogaila's aunt

Teutonic Knights as the common enemy.[7] It is unknown who and when proposed Jogaila as the groom for Jadwiga. Some hints show that planning and negotiations might have started as early as 1383. For example, Jogaila attacked Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia, when he advanced his claims for the Polish throne.[8]
By the time Lithuanian envoys participated in Jadwiga's coronation in fall 1384, Jogaila's candidacy was widely known.

In mid-1385, Jogaila sent an official delegation to Poland. It included his brother Skirgaila, Duke Boris (possibly his cousin and son of Karijotas), and merchant Hanul of Riga.[9] Hanul helped Jogaila to recapture Vilnius during the Lithuanian Civil War (1381–1384) and represented interests of merchants, who saw great trade potential between Poland and Lithuania.[3] The representatives first appeared before the Polish nobles in Kraków and then before Queen Elizabeth, Jadwiga's mother, in Buda. A Polish delegation – two Elizabeth's envoys and three Polish nobles – was sent to Lithuania.[3] Upon return of the Lithuanian delegation, Jogaila confirmed in writing all the promises, made on his behalf in Poland. This confirmation is known today as the Union of Krewo.

Content

The 560-word document is addressed to Queen Elizabeth and the Polish delegation.[1] Jogaila briefly described the mission of the Lithuanian delegation and, in exchange for marriage to Jadwiga, agreed to the following:

  • Roman Catholicism
  • paying compensation of 200,000 florins to William, Duke of Austria for the termination of the engagement between Jadwiga and William
  • returning of all lands lost in wars by Poland. This in particular referred to territories in Red Ruthenia that Louis I of Hungary attached to the Kingdom of Hungary.
  • releasing of all 40,000 or 45,000 Christians war prisoners of Poland held by the Lithuanians
  • attaching (Latin: applicare) of Lithuanian and Ruthenian lands to the Crown of Poland

It was guaranteed by the seals of Jogaila's brothers Skirgaila, Kaributas, Lengvenis and their cousin Vytautas.[1] Because the document contained promises and guarantees only by one party, Lithuanian historian Jūratė Kiaupienė concluded that the union could not have been a final international treaty and that there should have been another document finalizing the agreement.[1]

Aftermath

Marriage and conversion of Lithuania

Main article: Christianization of Lithuania

On 11 January 1386 a Polish delegation met Jogaila in

Piast. Jogaila married Jadwiga on 18 February and was crowned jure uxoris as King of Poland on 4 March.[10] Due to negative propaganda by William of Austria and the Teutonic Knights, the marriage was not confirmed by Pope Urban VI (1378–1389); only Pope Boniface IX (1389–1404) declared it legitimate.[13]

Right after the marriage and coronation, Jadwiga and Vytautas marched to Galicia where they defeated Hungarian forces and secured some 97,000 square kilometres (37,000 sq mi) in western Podolia.[14] Andrei of Polotsk, Jogaila's eldest brother, used his absence to renew struggle for the throne of Lithuania. Andrei attacked southeast of Polotsk, the Livonian Order attacked Duchy of Lithuania, and Sviatoslav of Smolensk attacked Mstsislaw. The rebellion was quickly subdued.

At the end of 1386 Jogaila returned to

Diocese of Vilnius, which he awarded with land possessions in Tauragnai, Labanoras, Molėtai.[17] Two other privileges, issues on 20 February and 4 March 1387, awarded nobles who would convert to Christianity with new rights and granted Magdeburg rights to Vilnius. This served not only as an incentive for conversion but also equalized nobility rights in Poland and Lithuania.[18]

Polish–Lithuanian union

Jogaila left his brother

Union of Vilnius and Radom (1401) and Union of Horodło (1413). Thus the Grand Duchy of Lithuania retained its sovereignty. Only the Union of Lublin (1569) created permanent union between Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania, after which the federal state Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was established. Finally, the Constitution of 3 May 1791 declared that both states were one, albeit this was denounced in 20 October amendments (Reciprocal Guarantee of Two Nations
). Soon, they were separated in form, but most of the 19th century they spent under Russia, although administratively separate. In the early 20th century, both established their independence and since then, they have not been together in any formal sense.

Historiography

Up until the discovery of the original document in 1835 in a register in the Archives of the Cracow Cathedral Chapter, the Union of Krewo was unknown. Usually, important state documents were archived at the Crown Archive. It was neither referenced in any contemporary documents nor cited by medieval historians. No chronicles or other written sources mentioned the August 1385 meeting in Kreva.[1] That led the Lithuanian American lawyer Jonas Dainauskas to question act's authenticity in 1975. However, his claims have gained little scholarly support.[19]

Applicare

The word applicare, describing future relationship between Poland and Lithuania, caused the most controversy and academic debate. The Latin term does not have a legal definition and possibly was deliberately chosen for its vagueness. The term is subject to wide-ranging interpretations, which could be divided into three major categories:[20]

  • Lithuania ceased to exist as a sovereign state and became a province of Poland. This interpretation was championed by the Polish historians Feliks Koneczny (1862–1949), Anatol Lewicki (1841–1899), Henryk Łowmiański (1898–1984), and Ludwik Kolankowski (1882–1956). This view was newly interpreted by Oskar Halecki (1891–1973), who argued that Lithuania was incorporated into Poland from 1386 to 1401 and became Poland's fief to 1440.
  • Lithuania became a fief of Poland. This view was introduced by Jan Adamus (1896–1962) in 1932 and supported by Henryk Paszkiewicz (1897–1979) and to an extent by Oskar Halecki. Their main arguments was that such a large state could not suddenly became a province in reality and that the Grand Duchy preserved most elements of sovereignty.
  • Lithuania and Poland were united by a personal union. This view was introduced by the Lithuanian historians Adolfas Šapoka (1906–1961) and Zenonas Ivinskis (1908–1971). They argued that Poland and Lithuania were united only by the monarch.

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Kiaupienė 2002
  2. ^ a b Davies 2005, p. 94
  3. ^ a b c Ivinskis 1978, p. 284
  4. ^ Kiaupa, Kiaupienė & Kuncevičius 2000, p. 127
  5. ^ Ivinskis 1978, p. 280
  6. ^ Ivinskis 1978, p. 281
  7. ^ Ivinskis 1978, pp. 282–283
  8. ^ Ivinskis 1978, p. 282
  9. ^ Ivinskis 1978, p. 283
  10. ^ a b Jučas 2000, p. 114
  11. ^ Ivinskis 1978, p. 286
  12. ^ Davies 2005, p. 95
  13. ^ Jučas 2000, p. 116
  14. ^ Jučas 2000, p. 115
  15. ^ Ivinskis 1978, p. 288
  16. ^ Jučas 2000, pp. 126–127
  17. ^ Jučas 2000, p. 120
  18. ^ Jučas 2000, p. 122
  19. ^ Jučas 2000, p. 110
  20. ^ Jučas 2000, pp. 111–114

Bibliography

  • ISBN 978-0-19-925339-5
  • OCLC 5075215
  • Jučas, Mečislovas (2000), Lietuvos ir Lenkijos unija (in Lithuanian), Aidai,
    ISBN 9986-590-95-7
  • ISBN 9986-810-13-2
  • ISBN 9986-34-080-2, archived from the original
    on 2007-09-27
  • ISBN 0-8020-5808-6

External links
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