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The unification of Poland and Lithuania in 1569 and the founding of the Council of Four Lands (circa 1580) improved the status of the Jews in the kingdom. The Council was a unique phenomenon in the tradition of overarching communal organizations: it had permanent institutions and was recognized by the government as the representative body of the Jews. The Council remained in operation for about two hundred years and achieved leadership standing among the different communities.
An uprising of Ukrainian peasants against the Polish government broke out in 1648, led by Bogdan Chmielnicki. It was also directed against the Jews who managed the estates of Polish nobles in the southeastern outlying areas and led to what was known as the Massacres of 1648-1649. Nevertheless, the Jews managed to recover from the terrible pogroms and flourished economically in the 18th century.
