Editing History of Belarus (section)

==Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth==
{{refimprove-section|date=June 2024}}
[[File:Unia Lubelska.JPG|left|thumb|''[[Union of Lublin (painting)|Union of Lublin]]'' of 1569, oil on canvas by [[Jan Matejko]], 1869, 298×512 cm, National Museum in [[Warsaw]]]]
The [[Union of Lublin]] in 1569 led to the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] to become an influential player in European politics and the largest multinational state in Europe. While present-day [[Ukraine]] and [[Podlaskie]] became subjects of the [[Crown of the Polish Kingdom|Polish Crown]], present-day Belarusian territories were still regarded as part of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]]. The new polity was dominated by densely populated Poland, which had 134 representatives in the [[Sejm]] as compared to 46 representatives from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. However, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania retained significant autonomy, and was governed by a separate code of laws called the [[Lithuanian Statutes]], which codified both civil and property rights. Of the territory of present-day Belarus, [[Mogilev]] was the largest urban centre, followed by Vitebsk, [[Polotsk]], [[Pinsk]], [[Slutsk]], and [[Brest, Belarus|Brest]], whose population exceeded 10,000. In addition, [[Vilnius|Vilna (Vilnius)]], the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, also had a significant Ruthenian population.<ref>{{in lang|ru}} [http://belarus.by/ru/belarus/history/4/5/ Внутриполитические результаты Люблинской унии] (''Vnutripolitičeskie rezul'tati Lyublinskoy unii''), [http://belarus.by/ Belarus.by portal]</ref>

{{Rzeczpospolita 1618|size=300px}}
With time, the ethnic pattern did not evolve much. Throughout their existence as a separate culture, Ruthenians formed in most cases the rural population, with power held by the local ''[[szlachta]]'' and [[boyar]]s, often of Lithuanian, Polish or Russian descent. By this time, a significant Jewish presence had also formed in this region of [[German Jews]] fleeing persecution from the [[Northern Crusades|Northern and Baltic Crusaders]].  Since the [[Union of Horodlo]] of 1413, the local nobility was assimilated into the [[Polish heraldry|traditional clan system]] by means of the formal [[heraldic adoption|procedure of adoption]] by the ''szlachta'' (Polish [[gentry]]).{{cn|date=June 2024}} Eventually, it formed a significant part of the ''szlachta''. Initially{{when|date=June 2024}} mostly Ruthenian and Orthodox,{{cn|date=June 2024}} with time most of them became [[polonization|polonized]]. This was especially true for major [[magnate]] families ([[Sapieha]] and [[Radziwiłł]] clans being the most notable), whose personal fortunes and properties often surpassed those of the royal families and were huge enough to be called a state within a state.

[[File:Nowogrodek.jpg|thumb|left|View of [[Novogrudok]], by [[Napoleon Orda]]]]
Also, with time religious conflicts started to arise. The gentry with time started to adopt [[Catholicism]] while the common people by large remained faithful to [[Eastern Orthodoxy]]. Initially the [[Warsaw Compact]] of 1573 codified the preexisting [[Freedom of religion|freedom of worship]]. However, the rule of an ultra-Catholic King [[Sigismund III Vasa]] was marked by numerous attempts to spread Catholicism, mostly through his support for [[counterreformation]] and the [[Jesuits]]. Possibly to avoid such conflicts, in 1595 the Orthodox hierarchs of Kiev signed the [[Union of Brest]], breaking their links with the [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople|Patriarch of Constantinople]] and placing themselves under the [[Pope]]. Although the union was generally supported by most local Orthodox bishops and the king himself, it was opposed by some prominent nobles and, more importantly, by the nascent [[Cossacks|Cossack]] movement. This led to a series of conflicts and rebellions against the local authorities. The first of such happened in 1595, when the Cossack insurgents under [[Severyn Nalyvaiko]] took the towns of [[Slutsk]] and [[Mogilev]] and executed Polish magistrates there. Other such clashes took place in Mogilev (1606–10), Vitebsk (1623), and [[Polotsk]] (1623, 1633).<ref>{{in lang|ru}} [http://belarus.by/ru/belarus/history/4/6/ Церковная уния 1596 г.] (''Tserkovnaya uniya 1596 g.'') in "[http://belarus.by/ belarus.by portal]"</ref> This left the population of the Grand Duchy divided between [[Greek Catholic]] and [[Greek Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodox]] parts. At the same time, after the [[schism (religion)|schism]] in the Orthodox Church ([[Raskol]]), some [[Old Believers]] migrated west, seeking refuge in the Rzeczpospolita, which [[Warsaw Compact|allowed them]] to freely practice their faith.<ref name="promemoria">{{in lang|pl}} [[Jerzy Czajewski]], ''Zbiegostwo ludności Rosji w granice Rzeczypospolitej'' (Russian population exodus into the Rzeczpospolita), Promemoria journal, October 2004 nr. (5/15), ISSN 1509-9091, [http://www.promemoria.org.pl/arch/2004_15/2004_15.html Table of Contents online] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060312232518/http://www.promemoria.org.pl/arch/2004_15/2004_15.html|date=12 March 2006}}</ref>

From 1569, the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] suffered a series of [[Crimean–Nogai slave raids in Eastern Europe|Tatar raids]], the goal of which was to loot, pillage and capture slaves into [[jasyr]]. The borderland area to the south-east was in a state of semi-permanent warfare until the 18th century. Some researchers estimate that altogether more than 3 million people, predominantly [[Ukrainians]] but also [[Russians]], [[Belarusians]] and [[Polish people|Poles]], were captured and enslaved during the time of the [[Crimean Khanate]].{{cn|date=June 2024}}

[[File:The occupation of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (union state of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania) during The Deluge and Chmielnicki's Uprising.png|thumb|right|300px|Foreign occupation of the Commonwealth during [[The Deluge (Polish history)|The Deluge]] and [[Khmelnytsky Uprising]]]]
Despite these conflicts, the literary tradition of Belarus evolved. Until the 17th century, the [[Ruthenian language]], the predecessor of modern [[Belarusian language|Belarusian]], was used in the Grand Duchy as a chancery language, that is, the language used for official documents. Afterwards, it was replaced with the [[Polish language]], commonly spoken by the upper classes. Both Polish and Ruthenian cultures gained a major cultural centre with the foundation of the [[University of Vilnius|Academy of Vilna]]. At the same time, the Belarusian lands entered a path of economic growth, with the formation of numerous towns that served as centres of trade on the east–west routes.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

Eventually, by 1795, Poland was [[partitions of Poland|partitioned by its neighbors]]. Thus, a new period in Belarusian history began, with all its lands annexed by the [[Russian Empire]].