Mielnik Union of 1501

a union between Poland and Lithuania concluded on Oct. 23, 1501, in the town of Mielnik on the Bug River at the time of the election of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Alexander as king of Poland. Exploiting Lithuania’s difficulties after its defeat in a war with Russia and Alexander’s desire to become king of Poland, the Polish feudal lords insisted on a union of the two countries, thereby binding Lithuania to Poland, which was to their advantage. The Mielnik Union provided for the joint election of a monarch, a common domestic and foreign policy, and a single currency. Simultaneously, by the Mielnik charter of 1501, Alexander broadened the political rights of the Polish feudal lords. The Lithuanian Sejm did not confirm the Mielnik Union of 1501, and the Mielnik Charter never went into force.