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Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

The General Sejm (Polish: sejm walny, Latin: comitia generalia)[1] was the bicameral legislature of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was established by the Union of Lublin in 1569 following the merger of the legislatures of the two states, the Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland and the Seimas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was one of the primary elements of the democratic governance in the Commonwealth (see Golden Liberty). The sejm was a powerful political institution. The king could not pass laws without its approval.

Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Obojga Narodów

Senate
Chamber of Deputies

2 years

1 July 1569

24 October 1795

Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland
Seimas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Sejm of the Duchy of Warsaw

Appointment by King

MNTV with limited suffrage

27 May 1793

The two chambers of a sejm were the Senate (senat) consisting of high ecclesiastical and secular officials, and the lower house, Chamber of Deputies (izba poselska), the sejm proper, of lower ranking officials and the representatives of all szlachta. Together with the king, the three were known as the sejming estates, or estates of the sejm (stany sejmujące, literally, "deliberating estates").[2]


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, eventually with the Commonwealth capital of Warsaw emerging as the primary location. The number of sejm deputies and senators grew over time, from about 70 senators and 50 deputies in the 15th century to about 150 senators and 200 deputies in the 18th century. Early sejms have seen mostly majority voting, but beginning in the 17th century, unanimous voting became more common, and 32 sejms were vetoed with the liberum veto provision, particularly in the first half of the 18th century. This vetoing device has been credited with significantly paralyzing the Commonwealth governance.


In addition to the regular sessions of the general sejm, in the era of electable kings, beginning in 1573, three special types of sejms (convocation, election, and coronation sejms) handled the process of the royal election in the interregnum period. In total, 173 sejms met between 1569 and 1793.[3]

Etymology[edit]

The Polish word sejm is derived from old Czech sejmovat, which means to bring together or to summon.[4] In English, the terms general,[5] full,[6] or ordinary[7] sejm are used for the sejm walny.

The (senat) consisting of high ecclesiastical and secular officials; it was an evolution of the royal council. The senate numbered over 140 bishops and Senatorial offices of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth;[25] it grew from 149 around 1598–1633 to 153 around 1764–1768, and 157 during the era of the Great Sejm (1788–92).[26] The Constitution of May 3 set their number at 132.[16]

senate

The lower house, (izba poselska), the sejm proper, of lower ranking officials and general nobility.[11] In the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the number of lower house deputies exceeded that of the senators.[26] In 1569 it was composed of 170 deputies representing and elected by a local sejmiks. The 170 included 48 from Lithuania.[27] Deputies from several cities and towns were allowed a status of observers.[27] The number of deputies grew to around 236 in 1764–68, dropping to 181 during the time of the Great Sejm (1788–92).[26] The Constitution of May 3 set their number at 204, including 24 non-voting representatives from cities and towns.[16]

Chamber of Deputies

Sejm gatherings[edit]

Proceedings[edit]

A sejm began with a solemn mass, a verification of deputies mandates, and election of the Marshal of the Sejm (also known as the Speaker).[31][32] (The position of the Marshal of the Sejm (and sejmik) who presided over the proceedings and was elected from the body of deputies evolved in the 17th century.[11]) Next, the kanclerz (chancellor) declared the king's intentions to both chambers, who would then debate separately till the ending ceremonies.[32]


After 1543 the resolutions were written in Polish rather than Latin.[33] All legislation adopted by a given sejm formed a whole and was published as a "constitution" of the sejm. Prior to the May 3 Constitution, in Poland the term "constitution" (Polish: konstytucja) had denoted all the legislation, of whatever character, that had been passed at a sejm.[34] Only with the adoption of the May 3 Constitution did konstytucja assume its modern sense of a fundamental document of governance.[35] From the end of the 16th century, the constitutions were printed, stamped with the royal seal, and sent to the chancelleries of the municipal councils of all voivodeships of the Crown and also to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.[18][36] Such constitutions were often subjected to some final tweaking by the royal court before being printed, although that could lead to protests among the nobility.[18]

Convocation sejm (Sejm konwokacyjny). This sejm was called upon a death or abdication of a king by the .[41] The deputies would focus on establishing the dates and any special rules for the election (in particular, preparation of pacta conventa, bills of nobility privileges to be sworn by the king), and screening the candidates.[41] This sejm was to last two weeks.[17]

Primate of Poland

Election sejm (Sejm elekcyjny), during which the nobility voted for the candidate to the throne. This type of sejm was open to all members of the nobility who desired to attend it, and as such they often gathered much larger number of attendees than the regular sejms.[42] The exact numbers of attendees have never been recorded, and are estimated to vary from 10,000 to over 100,000; subsequently the voting could last for days (in 1573 it was recorded that it took four days).[43] To handle the increased numbers, those sejms would be held in Wola, then a village near Warsaw.[41] Royal candidates themselves were barred from attending this sejm, but were allowed to send representatives.[43] This sejm was to last six weeks.[17]

[41]

Coronation sejm (Sejm koronacyjny). This sejm was held in , where the coronation ceremony was traditionally held by the primate, who relinquished his powers to the chosen king.[44] This sejm was to last two weeks.[17]

Kraków

Order of precedence in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth