11 November 1918 is considered the symbolic date on which Poland regained its independence. However, the process of laying down the legal foundations of the reborn state continued for a number of years. One of the main things was to draw up a constitution. As early as February 1919, the single-chamber Legislative Sejm (parliament) elected… Continue reading March Constitution
Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s victorious campaign against Prussia and Russia in 1806-1807 ended with the Treaties of Tilsit, which laid the foundations for the revival of the Polish state as a rump Duchy of Warsaw, ruled by Saxon king Fryderyk August (Frederick August I), grandson of the Polish king August III and a descendant of Jan… Continue reading Constitution of the Duchy of Warsaw
During the reign of the last king of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski (Stanisław II Augustus), daring attempts at internal reform were carried out in order to avert disaster for the Rzeczpospolita (Commonwealth). A promising opportunity arose with the Sejm that deliberated between 1788 and 1792, as it was a “confederated Sejm”, meaning that unanimity was… Continue reading The Constitution of the 3rd of May (the Government Statute)
As a result of the growing belief in the existence of witches and – less often – sorcerers as those who acted against people and used the help of the Devil, many witch trials took place in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe. The cases focused on two spheres of witches’ activity: the religious one… Continue reading The abolishment of torture and death penalty in witch trials
The Nihil novi Constitution was adopted by the General Sejm (parliament) convened in the city of Radom in 1505. Its passage entailed one of the stages in the conflict between the magnates of the royal council and the representation of the szlachta (gentry) gathered in the Chamber of Deputies – i.e., the lower house of… Continue reading Nihil novi constitution
