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In
16th Polish kingdom's power was firmly established.
In addition to prospering economically, the country
advanced both culturally and spiritually. The last kings
of Jagiellonian Dynasty, Sigismund I the Old (Zygmunt
I Stary) and his son Sigismund II Augustus (Zygmunt
II August) were a great promoters of arts and culture.
Thanks to their inspiring and protective policies, the
arts and sciences flourished, architecture blossomed
and many buildings of this period survive to this day.
In 1543, Nicholaus Copernicus (Mikołaj Kopernik) wrote
'On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres' which
changed the way people view the earth and its relation
to the rest of the universe. The effects of the Copernican
Revolution in science have lasted to this day. A famous
verse about Copernicus states: 'he stopped the Sun,
and moved the Earth, the Polish nation gave him birth."
Copernicus was the most illustrious among a whole host
of great figures of the Polish Renaissance that included
poet Jan Kochanowski, and Chancellor Jan Zamoyski.
In
the Inquisition Time religious freedom in Poland was
constitutionally established and equality of creeds
officially guaranteed. Poland was the most free - minded
and democratic country in Europe.
Internal
stability faltered in the 17th century. With the parliament
crippled by a stipulation that any legislation could
be vetoed by any one member (liberum veto), decades
stumbled by without one law being passed and Poland
was frustrated into dissent. While the nobles took things
into their own hands, usurping political rights and
ruling their vast estates as virtual suzerainties, foreign
invaders systematically carved up Poland. Russia exerted
the most influence but telling battles were also conducted
with Tatars, Ukrainians, Cossacks, Ottomans and Swedes.
But the history of these wars is read in the next chapter
- the Enlightement.
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