Poland (Principia Moderni III Map Game)

The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska; Latin: Res Publica Polona) is a dualistic state ruled by a common king of Poland. At it's peak it was the largest nation within the confines of the European continent. With a substantial population of 4 million, it is one of the most densest sovereignty's of Europe and also contains a large multi-ethnic population. The Commonwealth was established by the Treaty of Krakow and the Treaty of Kharkov.

Pre-1400
The Kingdom of Poland was founded by the coronation of King Bolesław I the Brave in 1025. Bolesław was a member of the Piast dynasty, and was the son of Mieszko I, who was the first Duke of Poland to convert to Christianity. Bolesław was the fifth Piast ruler of Poland, and his dynasty ruled the Kingdom until Casimir the Great died without a son.

The Kingdom passed to Casimir's nephew, the Angevin King of Hungary Louis I. Louis' daughter, Jadwiga, became the Queen of Poland at a young age, and then was to be married to Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania, under the terms of the Union of Krewo.

After the negotiations that took place in 1385, Jogaila converted to Christianity, married Jadwiga, and was crowned King of Poland in 1386. Jadwiga died in 1399, after bearing a daughter who would also die within a month of her birth.

1400-1500
After Jadwiga's death in 1399, Wladyslaw II decided to remarry. He turned Anastasia of Pomerania-Stettin, heiress of the Duchy and daughter of Bogislaw VII, and they were married in 1400. Wladyslaw II and Vytautas met later that year in Kiev to establish the conditions of Vytautas' rule over Lithuania, which was decided to be only that of a viceroy, which ended up setting a strong precedent for representative and localized government in Lithuania.

In 1401, Poland led a war to conquer Muscovy, which ended successfully in 1402 with the capture of Moskva with the help of the Golden Horde and the United Norse Crown. Following the incorporation of Muscovy to the realms of Poland and Lithuania, Wladyslaw II declared the Gediminid Crown of Eastern Europe.

During the mid to late 15th century Poland was in a constant state of awareness of invasion from the Rus' states and the Holy Roman Empire to the west. However, those alliances soon broke down and the nation has been able to reset relations with other sovereignty's across Europe. In the late 15th century Austria has brought Poland into it's sphere of influence.

1500-Present
After several wars Austria was forced to surrender Poland and declare it independent from it's influence, soon Poland reunified with Lithuania and declared the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. However, King Magnus von Hapsburg-Wittelsbach still ruled the nation and was soon overthrown by the nobles and peasantry of the nation. Magnus von Hapsburg-Wittelsbach was then exiled back to Bavaria. The son of the former king Józef Szczuka was soon placed on the throne by the populace of the nation.

In 1555 King Józef Szczuka proposed to the General Sejm the Reforms of Golden Liberty to centralize the government as well as give the general populace certain liberties. As a result of this the capital was moved to Warsaw for the government to hold a more centralized political location within the Commonwealth as well as provide a new location to prevent enemy capture of the capital during a foreign invasion.

Hereditary Monarch
In this form of government the monarch passes down his/her crown to the next family member in line of succession. It is currently the most common type of monarchy as of the 16th century.

General Sejm
The General Sejm is the parliament of the Commonwealth and is the current democratic element of the Polish regime. Currently made up of 70 senators and 50 deputies of politicians across the Commonwealth, they are permitted to veto any bill deemed corrupt from the royal family. Any laws that the monarch wants to pass have to be approved by the General Sejm.

Etymology
The word sejm and sejmik are derived from old Czech sejmovat, which means "to bring together" or "to summon". In English, the terms general, full or ordinary sejm are used for the sejm walny.

Reforms of Golden Liberty
The Reforms of Golden Liberty are a series of acts and reforms approved by the majority of the General Sejm to centralize the Commonwealth while also giving the general populace certain rights and enacting older traditions of the Polish-Lithuanian union prior to the unification by both of the nations. On November 15, 1555, the reforms were approved and assessed following by the end of the year. This also resulted in the changing of the location of the capital to Warsaw to have a more centralized government location and protect the government from foreign invasion. The Reforms of Golden Liberty were written by King Józef Szczuka and the Privy Council.

Production
The primary goods produced in Poland are agricultural and mining products such as pig iron and coal. The plantation system of using serf labor is dominant, but slavery is very uncommon. Grains, such as rye, wheat, barley, and other cereals, are very common to be grown in Poland. Very few people live in cities, with most living in town-like plantations that provide most needs internally.

Poland, combined with Lithuania and the other affiliated states, is the largest grain producer in Europe. Most grain is consumed internally, but a large quanitity is still exported to the rest of Europe, especially during years of famines.

Trade
Polish trade is centered around the export of four basic products: grain, cattle, metals, and furs. Most trade is taken north, and out of Poland, to Prussia, where it is shipped through the Baltic Sea to cities like Antwerp and Amsterdam.

The Amber Road, a powerful trade route stretching from Venice to Novgorod passes through the Commonwealth. Another overland trade route brings goods from Persia to Europe via Poland, bringing wealth with the traders.

Military
The Polish military is headed by the King, who is the highest ranking military official in the nation. Following traditional Slavic organization of the military, the King is responsible for directly leading his troops.

Army
The Polish Army is led by the King, but the second-in-command is the Hetman. The Hetman, who is appointed by the King at the suggestion of the Marshal of the Sejm, is in charge of tactical strategy. To supplement the land forces with the proper amount of soldiers during wartime, conscription is implemented to raise the standing army to a minimum of 100,000 and to a maximum of 125,000 in order to protect and defend the nation's sovereignty and borders, as well as conduct offensive operations in foreign countries. During peacetime the professional army is set at a maximum of 25,000 with 40,000 militiamen to aid.

Main weapons of the Polish military includes pikes, spears, longswords, composite bows, crossbows, swords, and other weapons of the current time. However, other supportive weapons that were recently introduced as of several decades ago include cannons and muskets, but have only maintained a supportive role and are primarily used as shock weapons. Generals are currently looking for ways to implement these weapons as the main composition of the army.

However, the unique force of the army are the heavily armed Polish Winged Hussars which are superior among those of other sovereignty's. Primarily composed of nobles, it is expected of those who endure the harsh training that they supply their own set of armor, although weapons such as the lance, the nadziak (hammer-like cavalry weapon to cause heavy internal damage to the opponent), and a unique composite re-curve bow. What makes this unit unique is the cavalryman's training on how to steer their horse with their legs in order to use the composite bow.

Ethnic Groups
There are three primary ethnic groups in Poland and its affiliated states. These are: Polish, Lithuanian, and Ruthenian. In Poland, the Polish ethnic group is by far the largest, while in Lithuania the Ruthenian and Lithuanian groups are larger.

Poles are part of the Western Slavic group, and associate with Silesian, Bohemian, Pomeranian, Polabian, and Sorbian cultures.

Art and Architecture
Polish architecture is generally considered to be the eastern-most extent of Western architecture. Architectural influences in the west generally reflect Germanic forms, such as Gothic structures, while architectural influences in the east can sometimes reflect Eastern European forms.

Polish art follows Western art very closely. Tapestries and woven rugs are both common forms of expression. Tapestries, while originally imported from Europe, have recently become produced witha greater frequency in Poland. Woven rugs, which had been shipped through Poland on their way to Europe from Persia have recently become extremely popular with Polish artisans.

Entertainment
Music in Poland is relatively advanced for its location. This is attributed to more patronage than the smaller Germanic states. Polish music is polyphonic, and is similar to the Notre Dame School. Mikołaj z Radomski is the most notable composer of Polish music, and often incorporates religious themes and motifs in his work.

As for literature, Christianity introduced Latin to the Poles, and therefore introduced literature. Gallus Anonymous, from the 1100s, is the most notable historian of ancient Poland, known for his Deeds of the Princes of the Poles. Wincenty Kadłubek is another historian and political commentator, who wrote Chronicles of the Kings and Princes of Poland.

Religion
Although different religions are rule vast portions of the Commonwealth there is no defined religion within the country's borders as a way to practice civil rights and liberty from the Hapsburg's sphere. In the western and northern regions Roman Catholics and those who practice the beliefs of the Western Church are a majority, while the Eastern Orthodox Church is the primary religion in the eastern regions.