Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland

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For other uses, see Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland (disambiguation).
Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland

Sejm Królestwa Polskiego
wiec)
Succeeded bySejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Leadership
Stanisław Sędziwój Czarnkowski
since 1569
Meeting place
Royal Castle, Warsaw
The First Sejm (held at Łęczyca). Painting by Jan Matejko.

The General Sejm (

Curia Regis
(King's Council) and was one of the primary elements of democratic governance in the Polish dominion.

Initially established in 1386, it officially functioned as a bicameral

Seimas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were merged into the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by the Union of Lublin
in 1569.

Duration and frequencies of the sejms changed over time, with the six-week sejm session convened every two years being most common. Sejm locations changed throughout history. The number of sejm deputies and senators grew over time. Sejms have seen mostly

majority voting
.

History

Casimir the Great
(14th-century Poland)

The General Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland appeared for the first time in the years 1382–1386,

magnates) or officials, and was heavily influenced by local traditions and strength of the ruler.[3] By the 12th or 13th century, the wiec institution likewise limited its participation to high ranking nobles and officials.[7] The nationwide gatherings of wiec officials in 1306 and 1310 can be seen as precursors of the general sejm.[7]

The traditions of local wiec's or

Nieszawa Statutes, in a privilege granted to the szlachta (Polish nobility) by King Casimir IV Jagiellon, when the King agreed to consult certain decisions with the nobility.[10][11][12] Such local gatherings were preferred by the kings, as national assemblies would try to claim more power than the regional ones.[8][13] Nonetheless, with time the power of such assemblies grew, entrenched with milestone privileges obtained by the szlachta particularly during periods of transition from one dynasty or royal succession system to another (such as the Privilege of Koszyce of 1374).[13]

According to some older historians, such as

bicameral session of the Polish parliament (although as noted by Sedlar, 1493 is simply the first time such a session was clearly recorded in sources, and the first bicameral session might have taken place earlier).[8][13][21][22]

Composition

Until 1468, sejms gathered only the high ranking nobility and officials, but the sejm of 1468 saw deputies elected from various local territories.[23] Although all nobles were allowed to participate in the general sejm, with the growing importance of local sejmiks in the 15th century, it became more common for the sejmiks to elect deputies for the general sejm.[8] In time, this shifted importance, particularly legislative competence, from local sejmiks to the general sejm.[24]

The two chambers were:

  • A senate (senat) of high ecclesiastical and secular officials, forming the royal council. In the mid-15th century they numbered 73.[8] That number grew with time, with 81 senators around 1493–1504, and 95 around 1553–65.[25]
  • A lower house, the sejm proper, of lower ranking officials and general nobility.[8] That number also grew with time, at first below that of the senators, with 53 deputies around 1493–1504, and 92 around 1553–65.[25]

The lower house included the representatives of the major cities:

Torun. Other towns were also asked to send deputies at times. They had the same voting and debating rights as others however in practice their participation was limited and often they employed nobles to represent their interests.[26]

Location

Until the

Jędrzejów (1576), Kamień (1573), Koło (1577), Korczyn (1511), Lublin (1506, 1554, 1566, 1569), Poznań (1513), Sandomierz (1500, 1519), Toruń (1519, 1577), and Warsaw (1556, 1563, and numerous times after 1568).[28]

Duration and frequency

In the mid-15th century the general sejm met about once per year.[8] There was no set time span to elapse before the next session was to be called by the king.[22] If the general sejm did not happen, local sejmiks would debate on current issues instead.[8]

References

  1. ISBN 9788301049935
    .
  2. ^ Juliusz Bardach, Boguslaw Lesnodorski, and Michal Pietrzak, Historia panstwa i prawa polskiego (Warsaw: Paristwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1987, p.20, 26-27
  3. ^ a b Juliusz Bardach, Boguslaw Lesnodorski, and Michal Pietrzak, Historia panstwa i prawa polskiego (Warsaw: Paristwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1987, p.62-63
  4. ^ Sochacka, Anna (1989). Zjazdy polsko-litewskie w Lublinie i Parczewie w czasach Władysława Jagiełły; Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Skłodowska, Sectio F, Historia, Vol. 41/42 (1986/1987) [Polish-Lithuanian conventions in Lublin and Parczew in the time of Władysław Jagiełło; Annales University of Mariae Curie-Skłodowska, Section F, History, Vol. 41/42 (1986/1987)] (in Polish). Lublin: Nakładem Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej (The University of Maria Curie-Skłodowska). pp. 66–67.
  5. ISBN 978-0-19-280126-5
    . Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  6. ISBN 978-83-207-0090-9. Retrieved 29 February 2012. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )
  7. ^ a b Juliusz Bardach, Boguslaw Lesnodorski, and Michal Pietrzak, Historia panstwa i prawa polskiego (Warsaw: Paristwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1987, p.63-64
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Juliusz Bardach, Boguslaw Lesnodorski, and Michal Pietrzak, Historia panstwa i prawa polskiego (Warsaw: Paristwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1987, p.104-106
  9. ISBN 978-0-313-26007-0
    . Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  10. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19-925339-5
    . Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  11. ISBN 978-0-295-98093-5
    . Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  12. ISBN 978-0-521-48427-5
    . Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  13. ^
    ISBN 978-0-295-97291-6
    . Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  14. ^ Zygmunt Gloger (1896). Słownik rzeczy starozytnych. Gebethner. p. 386. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  15. ^ Samuel Orgelbrand (1866). Encyklopedyja powszechna. Orgelbrand. p. 193. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  16. ^ Tadeusz Czacki; Kazimierz Józef Turowski (1861). O litewskich i polskich prawach, o ich duchu, źródlach, zwiazku, i o rzeczach zawartych w pierwszym Statucie dla Litwy, 1529 roku wydanym. Nakladem drukarni 'Czasu,'. p. 294. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  17. ISBN 978-1-00-128802-4
    . Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  18. ISBN 978-0-521-02438-9
    . Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  19. ISBN 978-0-313-03456-5
    . Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  20. ^ Galeria Sztuki Polskiej (Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie) (1962). Malarstwo polskie od XVI do początku XX wieku: katalog. Muzeum. p. 103. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  21. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7818-0637-4
    . Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  22. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7818-0637-4
    . Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  23. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7818-0637-4
    . Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  24. ^ Juliusz Bardach, Boguslaw Lesnodorski, and Michal Pietrzak, Historia panstwa i prawa polskiego (Warsaw: Paristwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1987, p.217-219
  25. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7818-0637-4
    . Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  26. ISBN 9780007322732
    .
  27. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7818-0637-4
    . Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  28. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7818-0637-4
    . Retrieved 13 August 2011.
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