Making the Baltic Union - The 1655 Federation of Kedainiai between Sweden and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Paperback)

During the general European crisis of the 17th century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth broke down into a civil war fired by regional, social, political, linguistic and religious differences. Reacting to the rising dominance of Catholic Poland, the aristocratic faction of the Lithuanian secessionists, many of who were firm Protestants, revolted and sought an ally in Sweden, which was the strongest power in the Baltic Sea area. The Swedes for their part were eager to find allies in their effort to control the Eastern Baltic, but misjudged the sensitive situation. This alliance was formalized in the Union of Kedainiai 1655 and the crown of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was offered to the Swedish king. Swedish chances of incorporating Lithuania and Belarus into its realm floundered through military intervention, heavy-handed occupation, and disrespect for the local political traditions. This book is the first major study of the Swedish-Lithuanian alliance and combines Swedish, Polish, Belarusian, Lithuanian, Russian and Ukrainian sources to give an all-round view of this complicated history. David Gaunt, Professor of history at the Sdertrns hgskola, Sweden