Union of Kraków and Vilna
agreement between Poland and Lithuania (1499)
The Union of Kraków and Vilna, also known as Union of Vilnius, was one of the agreements of the Polish–Lithuanian union. It was signed in Kraków by the Polish nobility on 6 May 1499, and in Vilnius by the Lithuanian nobility on 24 July 1499.
Background
Casimir IV Jagiellon was both King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. In his last will, Casimir stipulated that the two states would be ruled separately by two of his sons. Thus, after his death in 1492, John I Albert was elected to the Polish throne, while the Lithuanian Council of Lords chose Alexander Jagiellon. Thus, the personal union between Poland and Lithuania was broken. The union at that time could be described as a dynastic union.
In the late 1490s, Poland faced pressure from the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire, while Lithuania faced the Grand Principality of Moscow. Ivan III claimed that he inherited rights to all Russian and Orthodox lands after the fall of the Byzantine Empire. His ambitions led to beginnings of the century-long Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars.
“Union of Kraków and Vilna” enters the record as agreement between Poland and Lithuania (1499). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Union, Kraków and Vilna can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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