Most people don’t realize this, but historically speaking, once upon a time, the Catholic Kingdom of Poland was a real powerhouse, and even dominated Russia at one point before geography (no natural barriers between Russia and Germany) finally caught up to it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagiellon_dynasty
You must be Polish. The Lithuanians saved the Poles from themselves by marrying into the royal family and keeping the Polish dukes from destroying each other. The “dynasty” was Lithuanian until the Lithuanians became Polish gentry. The huge swatch of Europe of which you speak is labeled as you can see here. Note WHO is between Poland and Russia: the Duchy of Lithuania.
BTW: If I didn’t say this, my Lithuanian wife would kill me. There is still “bad blood” between the Poles and the Lithuanians and it didn’t start in 1939! It has gone on for centuries.