Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - Noble's democracy in Europe

This "umbrella" project is dedicated to collecting facts on the democratic model of Lithuania and Poland, electoral events, and the voters - participants in these events.

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was a Republic (Latin: Respublica, Polish: Rzeczpospolita), one of the largest states in Europe. It was a political system characterized by strict checks upon monarchical power. These checks were enacted by a legislature (Sejm - Council of Lords) controlled by the nobility (bajorai - szlachta). Established in 1569, this idiosyncratic system was a precursor to modern concepts of democracy and, later, as of 1791, constitutional monarchy, and federation. This model of democracy influenced democratic evolution in other places of the world.

Rulers of Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland, elected or appointed by the Council of Lords in the years between 1377-1569:

• 1377 shared the GDL position Vladislaus II Jogaila-Jagiellon, in 1386 coronated king of Poland;
• 1434 appointed GDL by the Council of Lords of Lithuania Vladyslaus III of Poland, in 1440 coronated king of Hungary and Croatia;
• 1440 appointed GDL by the Council of Lords of Lithuania Casimir IV Jagiellon, in 1447 coronated king of Poland;
• 1492 elected GDL Alexander Jagiellon, in 1492 coronated, ruled Poland from 1501;
• 1506 elected GDL Sigismund I the Old, in 1507 coronated king of Poland;
• 1544 elected GDL Sigismund II Augustus, in 1530 coronated king of Poland;

List of projects, separated by historic electoral events:

1. 1573 elected king and GDL Henry III of France;
2. 1574 elected king and GDL Stephen Báthory;
3. 1587 elected king and GDL Sigismund III Vasa;
4. 1632 elected king and GDL Vladislaus IV Vasa;
5. 1648 elected king and GDL John II Casimir Vasa;
6. 1668 elected king and GDL Michael Korybut Wisniowiecki;
7. 1674 elected king and GDL John III Sobieski;
8. 1696 elected king and GDL August II the Strong;
9. 1733 elected king and GDL Stanislaus I Leszczynski;
10. 1733 elected king and GDL Augustus III of Poland;
11. 1764 elected king and GDL Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski.

If you have persons in your family tree who were voters (participants) of the above-listed elections, please add them to those separate projects that apply and not to this umbrella project.

District elections:

• 1834 Vilna Governorate Nobility Electors;

Sources:

• Suffragia - the list of electors that voted in Wola near Warsaw on June 27, 1697
• Elektorów poczet którzy niegdyś głosowali na elektów Jana Kazimierza roku 1648, Jana III. roku 1674, Augusta II. roku 1697, i Stanisława Augusta roku 1764, najjaśniejszych królów polskich, wielkich książąt litewskich, it.d.
• Electors who once voted for Jan Casimir in 1648, for Jan III in 1674, for August II in 1697, and for Stanislaw August in 1764, the brightest of Polish Kings and Grand Dukes of Lithuania, etc. by Oswald Pietruski 1845.