The Younger Europe - or the older? Visions of politics in the Early Modern Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

ENThis essay explores the trajectory of Polish–Lithuanian political thought from 1569 to 1795, focusing particularly on elements of modern state concepts that did not find their way into Polish–Lithuanian discourse. In the sixteenth century, political ideology in Poland–Lithuania, much like most European humanists and specifically “civic humanists,” was firmly rooted in classical state thinking. Ideas about the state, a citizen’s role, and freedom were all drawn from this classical tradition. However, Western European thought started to diverge from these classical theories during the seventeenth century. It established modern notions of sovereignty, natural rights, and the concept of the state as an entity separate from its citizens. Contrastingly, in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, state theorists and political debaters remained loyal to older notions, largely bypassing the emergence of new trends in political thought. The essay illuminates how the ancient tradition was summoned and sustained in Polish–Lithuanian political discourse. It delves into the reasons behind this steadfast adherence, particularly when European thought was veering onto a different course around the cusp of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Furthermore, it illustrates how references to classical antiquity in the eighteenth century provided a platform for re-engaging with contemporary Western theories. Keywords: Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth – early modern political thought – civic humanism – mixed monarchy – Aristotelian-Ciceronian tradition – Roman republicanism – state sovereignty.