The lesser nobility fell under the control of ''magnates'', and this, compounded with two relatively weak kings of the Saxon Wettin dynasty, Augustus II and Augustus III, as well as the rise of neighbouring countries after the Great Northern War only served to worsen the Commonwealth's plight. Despite this, the personal union of Poland and Saxony gave rise to the Commonwealth's first reform movement, and laid the foundations for the Polish Enlightenment. The fundamental internal reforms brought a much improved economy, significant population growth and far-reaching progress in the areas of education, intellectual life, art, and especially toward the end of the period, evolution of the social and political system. The most populous capital city of Warsaw replaced Gdańsk (Danzig) as the leading centre of commerce, and the role of the more prosperous urban population increased.