Poland's Union of Lublin 1569: The Birth of the Commonwealth

The Story of Poland: A Nation That Refused to Disappear — Fexingo History · May 31, 2026 · 5m · transcript

In 1569, Poland and Lithuania signed the Union of Lublin, creating the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a vast multi-ethnic state that would dominate Eastern Europe for two centuries. This episode explores the long road to union, from the personal dynastic ties of the Jagiellonian monarchs to the fierce debates at the Sejm in Lublin. We meet key figures like King Zygmunt II August, who pushed the union through against Lithuanian opposition, and Mikołaj Radziwiłł Czarny, who feared Lithuanian absorption. We examine the terms: a shared monarch, parliament, currency, and foreign policy, but…