Commonwealth is a state that was formed in the sixteenth century in Eastern Europe. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania with its lands (truly Lithuanian and annexed) and Poland with the same lands became part of the new power. The state existed for about two centuries, until the aggressive Austria-Hungary and Russia divided the lands of the Commonwealth. The first section of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth marked the beginning of the end of the great country, which had bright pages during its history.
So, the merger of the two countries has been noticeable since the end of the fourteenth century. Then, in order to defend themselves against the Teutonic Order, Poland and Lithuania created a temporary military-political alliance to repel the enemy. This union was officially sealed by inter-dynasty marriage between the Lithuanian Jagiel and the Polish Jadwiga. The ruling dynasties became related, thereby united and powers. But as you know, there is nothing more permanent than temporary, therefore this military-political union continued to exist peacefully under the leadership of a representative of the Lithuanian dynasty, and then of the Polish one. Subsequently, at the helm were more Poles, who essentially usurped power in the state.
This rapprochement was facilitated by the close lifestyle of the Poles and Lithuanians. The two peoples had much in common, despite fundamental differences, for example, in faith. However, for just over a hundred years this alliance has remained fairly stable.
The official formation of the Commonwealth occurred only after one and a half hundred years, in 1569. Both parties stood up for this association, especially the Lithuanians, who sought to get equal rights with the Polish gentry. In turn, the Poles have long laid eyes on Ukrainian fertile lands, a significant part of which was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
The Commonwealth speech was created at the Lublin Diet, which brought together delegates from two countries. The Poles at the Sejm clearly defended the idea of the full inclusion of Lithuanian lands in the Commonwealth. On the part of the Lithuanians, proposals were made to conclude an equilateral alliance. The Lublin Diet was overshadowed by multiple insinuations on the part of the Poles. The Lithuanians were even forced to leave the negotiations in order to defuse the situation and gain time. In one of these absences, Poland arbitrarily included almost all Ukrainian lands in its composition. Naturally, the Lithuanian side could not tolerate such tricks on the part of the Poles, therefore the Lithuanians have repeatedly insisted on mutually beneficial conditions, and not unilateral ones, as Poland demonstrated. While such frictions continued, the Livonian War continued , which negatively affected Lithuania. The international situation did not allow the Lithuanians to set their conditions, therefore, after some time of hesitation, the Lithuanian side returned to Lublin and agreed to points unpopular for it in the document. From now on, a new state appeared on the map of Europe - the Commonwealth. On all points, it became obvious that a huge conciliation work had been done, during which a compromise solution was obtained. The gentry of both countries became even closer to each other.
The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth spent a lot of time in the war during its existence. The disobedient Ukrainian Cossacks to a large extent brought more trouble than the benefits of their service. Almost the entire time of its existence, the Commonwealth waged a constant war with them. And after the conclusion of the union of Ukraine and Russia, another new opponent was added. The Russian power, although it fought against the Poles in favor of Ukraine, nevertheless, found common ground for joint missions. So, under the Andrusovsky treaty, Ukrainian territory was divided. Poland gained control of the Right Bank, however, by the will of fate of the same Russia, the Commonwealth will be divided and end its existence.