# Lwów Oath (1656)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1656-lwow-oath
Location: Lviv

John Casimir placed the Commonwealth under the protection of the Virgin Mary and promised to improve the peasants' lot. Within the broader Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth period: The Commonwealth of Both Nations elected its kings and prized noble liberty and religious tolerance. It won famous victories but was weakened by wars with Sweden, Russia, the Ottomans and the Cossacks, and by political paralysis. At this point in the timeline (1 April 1656), the governing authority was John II Casimir Vasa (King of Poland). Reigned through the Khmelnytsky Uprising and the Swedish Deluge before abdicating in 1668. Lwów Oath mattered because religion shaped Polish identity, culture and the country's place in Europe. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Lwów Oath mattered because religion shaped Polish identity, culture and the country's place in Europe.

Ruler at the time: [John II Casimir Vasa](https://poland-history.com/rulers/john-ii-casimir-vasa)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Lwów Oath](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lw%C3%B3w_Oath)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Lwów Oath](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Lw%C3%B3w+Oath)
- [Wikipedia — Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Lithuanian_Commonwealth)