Union of Krewo (1385) — Polish-Lithuanian Dynastic Union

Timeline

1. 1384–1385Kingdom of Poland · PolandAfter Louis I, king of Hungary and Poland, died in 1384, his daughter Jadwiga succeeded as Queen of Poland; but Polish nobles rejected the earlier Habsburg marriage arrangement and instead sought an alliance with Grand Duke Jogaila of Lithuania, to counter the threat of the Teutonic Knights and resolve questions of succession and territorial security.
2. 1385Krewo · Grodno RegionJogaila met a delegation of Polish nobles at Krewo and signed a union agreement: he pledged to convert to Roman Catholicism, marry Jadwiga, unite the lands of Poland and Lithuania, and recover previously lost Polish territories. The agreement took the form of a dynastic union rather than a territorial merger, preserving each country's own laws and institutions.
3. 1386Kraków · Lesser PolandIn 1386 Jogaila was baptized at Kraków under the name Władysław II, then married Jadwiga and was crowned King of Poland at Wawel Cathedral, putting the union commitments into effect. Lithuania thereby completed its official Christianization, and the Polish-Lithuanian composite monarchy was formally established.