Polish-Lithuanian identity

The Polish-Lithuanian identity describes individuals and groups with histories in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth or with close connections to its culture. This federation, formally established by the 1569 Union of Lublin between the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania, created a multi-ethnic and state founded on the binding powers of national identity and shared culture rather than ethnicity or religious affiliation. The term Polish-Lithuanian has been used to describe various groups residing in the Commonwealth, including those that did not share the Polish or Lithuanian ethnicity nor their pre-dominant Christian (Roman Catholic) faith.

Many famous figures from Lithuanian and Polish history, such as Adam Mickiewicz, Józef Piłsudski, and Czesław Miłosz, identified themselves with this Polish-Lithuanian identity.

The usage of "Polish-Lithuanian" in this context can be potentially confusing, particularly as the term is often abbreviated to just "Polish", or misinterpreted at being a simple mix of the 20th century nationalistic usage of the term Polish and Lithuanian, as depending on the context it may include numerous ethnic groups that inhabited the Commonwealth.

Self-identifications during the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth often made use of the Latin 'gens-natione' construct (familial or ethnic origin combined with a national identity). The construct was used by the elite inhabitants of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, by the Ruthenian (Ukrainian and Belarusian) elites, and in Prussia. Religious affiliation was sometimes added, leading to self-identifications such as Natione Polonus, gente Ruthenus; Natione Polonus, gente Prussicus; or Natione Polonus, gente Ruthenus, origine Judaeus. (The Latin phrasing reflects the use of that language as a neutral lingua franca, which continued into the 18th century.)

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