Polish Commonwealth

Polish Commonwealth
Faction information
Ruler	King Jan Kasimir
Claimant	Janusz Radziwill

“	That is the most amazing state I have ever seen. It is a feudal republic, comprised of three major groups of people -- the Poles, the Lithuanians, and Russian-Ukrainians. The nobility is nearly all Polish. All the important decisions, including who is to be king, is determined by their congress, which they call the Sejm. But the Polish gentry is unruly, which leads to constant strife and a divided military. Unless they make up their minds and come forth in unity and strength, soon they will be conquered by their autocrat neighbors.	”
— Jaques de Clermont

The Polish Commonwealth is a nation in Eastern Europe.

Also known as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, its population is made up of three major groups: Poles, Ruthenians (ancestors of Ukrainians and Belarusians), and Lithuanians. The minority groups were non-Lithuanian Balts and Jews also Lipka Tatars. The Polish Commonwealth is famed for its majestic Winged Hussars. While it possesses a powerful army, it is fragile due to its dissatisfied gentry, which could ultimately lead to the Polish Commonwealth's demise.

The Polish Commonwealth is led by King Jan Kasimir. Polish infantry does not lack in anything — their Zolniers and Pikemen are perfectly competent — but they don't really shine, being outgunned by Swedish musketeers and outfought by even Russian marksmen and their poleaxes. Poland's strength lies in its winged hussars, unmatched in both armor and shock value. Backed up with light dragoons, the Polish cavalry is devastating against infantry while posing a good match for even Crimean cavalry. It is located at the North-Middle to West part of the overland map.

The Deluge is the main questline for the Polish Commonwealth.

Rulers

King Jan Kasimir Initial ruler

Janusz Radziwill Claimant

Vassals

Colonel Andrzej Kmicic	Colonel Michal Wolodyjowski	Colonel Jan Skrzetuski
Warlord Alexander Oginsky	Warlord Stanislav Liantskoronsky	Warlord Fyodor Obukhovich
Count Casimir Tyszkiewicz	Warlord Janusz Kiszka	Hetman Pavel Sapega
Colonel Jerzy Halecki	Colonel Jan Zenowicz	Warlord Jan Zamojski
Cornet Siegmund Slushka	Hetman Jan Sobieski	Hetman Stanislaw Potocki
Hetman Stefan Czarniecki	Warlord Krzysztof Grzymultowski	Colonel Alexander Casimir Wolowicz
Prince Boguslav Nesvizhsky	Prince Michal Vishnevetsky

Tactics

Strengths

• Nearly unmatched heavy cavalry (the Winged Hussars).
• Large and balanced unit roster, a jack of all trades.
• Infantry Commander units are very capable and easily available.

Weaknesses

• Elite Heavy Cavalry is not easily available or easy to mass.
• Does not excel in any particular category besides Heavy Cavalry.

The Polish Commonwealth is similar to the Kingdom of Swadia of Mount&Blade: Warband. Most Polish units are unremarkable with average stats, but Poland makes up for this by having the largest, most balanced and varied unit roster of any faction, the exception to this rule being the majestic Winged Hussars.

Poland's standard infantry units like the Zolnier and Pikeman are dependable and easily massed. Regional infantry like the Town Cossack and Lithuanian Musketeer are desirable for their superior stats or better armor (respectively) than their standard Polish counterparts. A direct upgrade from any of the musketeers previously mentioned are the German Infantry Musketeers. Don't bother with the Scottish Musketeers, as they have worse stats and the same firearm as a Zolnier. Polish Pikemen are great at their job but, for more survivability, consider transitioning to German Infantry Pikeman and Scottish Pikeman for their superior stats, armor, and pikes. For a heavy shock infantry, your one option is the Scottish Swordsman, who will perform quite well against infantry (and a bonus against shields) in sieges both offensively and defensively.

Dragoons perform well as dragoons (go figure) with the regionally available Rank Cossack and Reiter performing a similar role. Cavalry charges should be left to Winged Hussars with their exceptional stats, armor, and long lances. Polish Reiters or Volunteers are great in support due to their high melee stats and carry sabers, but expect Volunteers to die en masse due to their lack of armor. Lithuanian Tatars and Armored Cossacks are good Horse Archers, however the Armored Cossack performs quite well as a cavalry charger or in siege, with its medium-heavy armor and the potential of spawning with a lance or armor-piercing weapons.

Troop tree

Town Recruits	Mercenary Camp	Village Recruits
Garrison Commander Militia Pikeman Musket Militiaman Infantry Commander Zolnier Pikeman Scythe Wielder Town Cossack Rank Cossack Lithuanian Musketeer Lithuanian Tatar Cavalry Commander Volunteer Dragoon Heavy Infantry Commander German Infantry Pikeman German Infantry Musketeer Heavy Cavalry Commander Polish Reiter Armored Cossack Personal Guard Commander Winged Hussar Mercenary Commander Scottish Musketeer Scottish Pikeman Scottish Swordsman	Infantry Polish Mercenary Infantryman Marksman Polish Mercenary Rifleman Cavalry Polish Mercenary Cavalryman	Scythe Wielder Militia Pikeman Musket Militiaman

Territories

The territory of the Polish Commonwealth starts with the following Towns, Fortresses, and Villages.

Battle Cries

• insult marks lines heard in the middle of a battle.
• death marks lines heard on the death of a character.
• victory marks lines heard at the end of a battle by the winning side.

Trivia

• The Polish Commonwealth's full name was The Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Królestwo Polskie i Wielkie Księstwo Litewskie), but it was often shortened to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth or in fact just Poland. In Polish, it is more commonly known as Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów "Commonwealth of Both Nations" or I Rzeczpospolita "the First Republic of Poland". The term Rzeczpospolita is a calque of Latin res publica and, even today, the official name of the Republic of Poland is Rzeczpospolita Polska.
• The Polish Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch.
• It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th and 17th century Europe, with almost 400,000 square miles (1,000,000 square kilometers) and a multi-ethnic population of about 12 million at its peak in the early 17th century.
• The Commonwealth was established at the Union of Lublin in July 1569 and ceased to exist as an independent state after the Third Partition of Poland in 1795.
• Although the two component states of the Commonwealth were formally equal, Poland dominated in the partnership - as the King of Poland was always the Grand Duke of Lithuania at the same time, Polish language was used in the Lithuanian Province as an official language, and many, many more.
• The Polish Commonwealth achieved its maximum territorial extent in 1619. It terms of present-day borders, it encompassed most of Poland and Ukraine; all of Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, and the Kaliningrad Oblast; much of Estonia; parts of Russia (including Smoleńsk); as well as small parts of Moldova and Romania.
• In the game's code, the Polish Commonwealth is referred to as swadian - the Polish Commonwealth and the Kingdom of Swadia being similar in that they are both the "main" faction of their respective games.

Wikipedia has an article on this subject at: Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

Factions