diff --git a/Lib/sqlite3/test/dbapi.py b/Lib/sqlite3/test/dbapi.py
index ad9c9f02a79a31..c43eb60e63b258 100644
--- a/Lib/sqlite3/test/dbapi.py
+++ b/Lib/sqlite3/test/dbapi.py
@@ -192,6 +192,27 @@ def CheckSameThreadErrorOnOldVersion(self):
             sqlite.connect(':memory:', check_same_thread=False)
         self.assertEqual(str(cm.exception), 'shared connections not available')
 
+
+class UninitialisedConnectionTests(unittest.TestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.cx = sqlite.Connection.__new__(sqlite.Connection)
+
+    def test_uninit_operations(self):
+        funcs = (
+            lambda: self.cx.isolation_level,
+            lambda: self.cx.total_changes,
+            lambda: self.cx.in_transaction,
+            lambda: self.cx.iterdump(),
+            lambda: self.cx.cursor(),
+            lambda: self.cx.close(),
+        )
+        for func in funcs:
+            with self.subTest(func=func):
+                self.assertRaisesRegex(sqlite.ProgrammingError,
+                                       "Base Connection.__init__ not called",
+                                       func)
+
+
 class CursorTests(unittest.TestCase):
     def setUp(self):
         self.cx = sqlite.connect(":memory:")
@@ -943,10 +964,11 @@ def suite():
     closed_con_suite = unittest.makeSuite(ClosedConTests, "Check")
     closed_cur_suite = unittest.makeSuite(ClosedCurTests, "Check")
     on_conflict_suite = unittest.makeSuite(SqliteOnConflictTests, "Check")
+    uninit_con_suite = unittest.makeSuite(UninitialisedConnectionTests)
     return unittest.TestSuite((
         module_suite, connection_suite, cursor_suite, thread_suite,
         constructor_suite, ext_suite, closed_con_suite, closed_cur_suite,
-        on_conflict_suite,
+        on_conflict_suite, uninit_con_suite,
     ))
 
 def test():
diff --git a/Modules/_sqlite/connection.c b/Modules/_sqlite/connection.c
index df4e9466b4bc51..1cf31489d07f9f 100644
--- a/Modules/_sqlite/connection.c
+++ b/Modules/_sqlite/connection.c
@@ -102,8 +102,6 @@ int pysqlite_connection_init(pysqlite_Connection* self, PyObject* args, PyObject
 
     database = PyBytes_AsString(database_obj);
 
-    self->initialized = 1;
-
     self->begin_statement = NULL;
 
     Py_CLEAR(self->statement_cache);
@@ -149,7 +147,7 @@ int pysqlite_connection_init(pysqlite_Connection* self, PyObject* args, PyObject
         Py_INCREF(isolation_level);
     }
     Py_CLEAR(self->isolation_level);
-    if (pysqlite_connection_set_isolation_level(self, isolation_level, NULL) < 0) {
+    if (pysqlite_connection_set_isolation_level(self, isolation_level, NULL) != 0) {
         Py_DECREF(isolation_level);
         return -1;
     }
@@ -208,6 +206,8 @@ int pysqlite_connection_init(pysqlite_Connection* self, PyObject* args, PyObject
     self->ProgrammingError      = pysqlite_ProgrammingError;
     self->NotSupportedError     = pysqlite_NotSupportedError;
 
+    self->initialized = 1;
+
     return 0;
 }
 
@@ -339,6 +339,12 @@ PyObject* pysqlite_connection_close(pysqlite_Connection* self, PyObject* args)
         return NULL;
     }
 
+    if (!self->initialized) {
+        PyErr_SetString(pysqlite_ProgrammingError,
+                        "Base Connection.__init__ not called.");
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
     pysqlite_do_all_statements(self, ACTION_FINALIZE, 1);
 
     if (self->db) {
@@ -1143,6 +1149,9 @@ int pysqlite_check_thread(pysqlite_Connection* self)
 
 static PyObject* pysqlite_connection_get_isolation_level(pysqlite_Connection* self, void* unused)
 {
+    if (!pysqlite_check_connection(self)) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
     Py_INCREF(self->isolation_level);
     return self->isolation_level;
 }
@@ -1175,11 +1184,17 @@ pysqlite_connection_set_isolation_level(pysqlite_Connection* self, PyObject* iso
         return -1;
     }
     if (isolation_level == Py_None) {
-        PyObject *res = pysqlite_connection_commit(self, NULL);
-        if (!res) {
-            return -1;
+        /* We might get called during connection init, so we cannot use
+         * pysqlite_connection_commit() here. */
+        if (self->db && !sqlite3_get_autocommit(self->db)) {
+            int rc;
+            Py_BEGIN_ALLOW_THREADS
+            rc = sqlite3_exec(self->db, "COMMIT", NULL, NULL, NULL);
+            Py_END_ALLOW_THREADS
+            if (rc != SQLITE_OK) {
+                return _pysqlite_seterror(self->db, NULL);
+            }
         }
-        Py_DECREF(res);
 
         self->begin_statement = NULL;
     } else {