History /
Was the Polish/ Lithuanian commonwealth a European power? [111]
i am very interested in this matter and want to learn as much as possible about back then Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
I recommend reading
Poland: A history, By Adam Zamoyski It gets into detail about the intricate culture and politics of that time. Szlachta culture (Sarmatism) is also a very interesting/important topic.
other then that, you could watch/read the trilogy
with fire and sword , but that is mostly for entertainment and visuals.
Don't let the west fool you they hated the Sarmatism and lots of negative things where written about it as propaganda.
for example in that video, when he say's 2%, it was really at minimum 5% but most like around 10% of people had voting rights
Sarmatian culture was not based on wealth (for the most part) but strictly on lineage, you had to have a Sarmatian ancestor.
Also by reading you would understand the atrocity the Swedes committed on Polish culture and well being. Destruction of Commonwealth came within the Commonwealth through Sigismund Vasa organized by malicious Swedes. read Deluge.
This is what destroyed The Commonwealth, not Sarmatism (true Poles) but propaganda will try to tell you otherwise.
