- Election Sejm of 1632
The Election Sejm of 1632 (September 27 – November 8, 1632, extended to November 13, 1632) was the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth 'selection sejm that electedWładysław IV Waza to thePolish throne . Władysław had won the support of most of the political factions; and as there were no other serious contenders, he was electedKing of Poland andGrand Duke of Lithuania .Prelude
Every Polish-Lithuanian
election sejm was preceded by aconvocation sejm . In this case, as law dictated, theconvocation sejm was summoned by thePrimate of Poland ,Jan Wężyk , acting as "Interrex", forJune 22 ,1632 , and went on through August 17. Selected asMarshal of the Sejm wasKrzysztof Radziwiłł .At the
convocation sejm , non-Catholic s led by Marshal Radziwiłł and themagnate Bogusław Leszczyński demanded increased rights for non-Catholics. They were opposed byVoivode Tomasz Zamoyski and the future BishopAleksander Trzebiński , but managed to gather enough support that this question would dominate the ensuingelection sejm .pl icon [http://www.poczet.com/wladyslawiv.htm WŁADYSŁAW IV WAZA] at poczet.com. Retrieved on 3 August, 2007] pl icon [http://kamunikat.net.iig.pl/www/knizki/historia/mironowicz/czetwertynski/02.htm Kościół prawosławny w XVII wieku] , КАМУНІКАТУ. Retrieved on 3 August, 2007]Election
Some of the Commonwealth's magnates and Catholic clergy favored Władysław's brother,
Jan Kazimierz , but the latter had less support than Władysław and his candidacy was never officially put forward.Czapliński, p.64-71] Jan Kazimierz was also disadvantaged by being the younger royal son, and KingZygmunt III Waza had before his death (April 30 ,1632 ) blessed Władysław as his successor.Czapliński, p.54]The indecisiveness of the Catholic faction allowed Władysław to campaign for increased rights for
Protestant s and Eastern Orthodox Christians, and thus he obtained their support. At the same time, his evidentreligious tolerance did not lose him the support of his Catholic backers. Similarly, Władysław's breaking custom and coming to Warsaw during the election (which was being held at nearbyWola ) generated little disapproval.Foreign courts did not avail themselves of the opportunity to promote their own candidates for the Polish throne.
Austria 'sHabsburgs were friendly disposed toward the Polish Vasas and did not put forward a contender. Fears that KingGustavus II Adolphus , of the Swedish Vasas, would put forward his own candidacy proved unfounded, though his envoySteno Belke did argue that Władysław should renounce his claim to the Swedish throne. (Władysław declined.) Foreign envoys such as Papal NuncioHonorat Visconti and theHoly Roman Emperor 's envoy CountJulius Mosberg declared their support for Władysław. TheDuke of Prussia asked to be permitted to participate in theelection sejm but was turned down.Jan Albertrandy, "Dzieje krolewstwa polskiego krotko lat porzadkiem opisane przez Jana Albertrandego", 1846K. Jabloński, [http://books.google.com/books?id=MxULAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA164&dq=sejm+1632&as_brr=3 Google Print, full text - p.164+] ] TheRussian Empire was just then preparing for war with the Commonwealth and did not put forward a candidate.Mirosław Nagielski, "Diariusz kampanii smoleńskiej Władysława IV 1633-1634", DiG, 2006, ISBN 8371814100. P.5-7]The Election Sejm of 1632 was convened at the traditional site for that purpose at
Wola nearWarsaw , withMarshal of the Sejm Jakub Sobieski presiding. In addition to electing Władysław as King of thePolish-Lithuanian Commonwealth , it also adopted some items of legislation. A commission headed by Władysław drafted "Measures for the Appeasement of the Ruthenian People of the Greek Faith that Live in the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania," by which Ukrainian Greek Catholic and Orthodox metropolies were granted legal jurisdiction. [http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/pages/W/K/WK5adysK5awIVVasa.htm Władysław IV Vasa] .Encyclopedia of Ukraine . Retrieved on 3 August, 2007] Władysław, lobbied byPeter Mogila , also granted the Orthodox Church the right to its own hierarchs, subject to the candidates' confirmation by the government. [http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/pages/M/O/MohylaPetro.htm Mohyla, Petroa] .Encyclopedia of Ukraine . Retrieved on 3 August, 2007] Many differences regarding the Orthodox Church and theUnion of Brest were thus settled. The religious freedoms that had been established in 1573 by theWarsaw Confederation were reaffirmed, and a new tax was adopted, the "kwarta", which sent 40% of "starostwo"s' incomes to the Royal Treasury.Kate Wilson, "The jewel of liberty stolen?: The Rokosz of Sandomierz and Polish Dissent", paper at GRADUATE CONFERENCE IN CENTRAL EUROPEAN STUDIES, The Contours of Legitimacy in Central Europe, Oxford, [http://users.ox.ac.uk/~oaces/conference/papers/Kate_Wilson.pdf PDF] . Retrieved on 3 August, 2007] It was decided to fortify Puck and to create there a port for the Commonwealth Navy. [http://www.polishroots.org/slownik/puck.htm Slownik Geograficzny: Puck] . Retrieved on 3 August, 2007] TheCossack delegation's proposal for increased funding and aCossack register was turned down; similarly, requests from the Royal Army were rejected.Albrecht Stanisław Radziwiłł , Pamiętnik o dziejach w Polsce, t. I, PIW, 1980] Some of the Sejm's proposals were vetoed by the Senate. [http://www.senat.gov.pl/k5eng/historia/noty/nota11a.htm History of the Polish Senate] , senat.gov.pl. Retrieved on 3 August, 2007]The decision on who would be the Commonwealth's next king was reached on November 8, but as the "
pacta conventa " were not yet ready, the official announcement was delayed until November 13. In the "pacta conventa", Władysław pledged himself to fund a military school and equipment; to find a way to fund a naval fleet; to maintain current alliances; not to raise armies, give offices or military ranks to foreigners, negotiate peace treaties or declare war without the Sejm's approval; not to take a wife without the Senate's approval; to convince his brothers to take an oath to the Commonwealth; and to transfer the profits from the Royal Mint to the Royal Treasury rather than to a private treasury.When the election result had been announced by the Crown Grand Marshal, Łukasz Opaliński, the nobility ("
szlachta ") who had taken part in the election began festivities in honor of the new king, which lasted three hours.The
election sejm had been the third sejm of 1632. It had been preceded by an ordinarygeneral sejm (March 11 – April 2, 1632) and by theconvocation sejm (June - August 1632) .Aftermath
The next day,
November 14 ,1632 , Władysław signed his "pacta conventa " and theHenrician Articles that had been required of new Polish kings since the 1573 election ofFrance 'sHenri de Valois to the Polish throne.Władysław was crowned king on
February 5 ,1633 , the proceedings continuing into the next day.Czapliński, p.84]The
coronation sejm , presided over byMarshal of the Sejm Mikołaj Ostroróg , took place from February 8 toMarch 17 ,1633 . It confirmed the Orthodox rights that had been pledged by Władysław, but did not support Władysław's proposal to create a "Kawaleria", an honorary brotherhood for his supporters. This would be one of many setbacks that Władysław would suffer at the hands of theSejm .The 1633 Sejm would also take more direct control of the royal mint, deepen the sway of
serfdom , and accept the petition ofPolish Jews to forbid the printing ofantisemitic literature, its importation fromWestern Europe , and its distribution in the Commonwealth.pl iconIwo Cyprian Pogonowski , [http://www.pogonowski.com/publications/Ilustrowana_Historia_Polski/Ilustrowana_Historia_Polski-II.php Ilustrowana Historia Polski] . Retrieved on 3 August, 2007 ] The Sejm also declared war onMuscovy , which had invaded the Commonwealth the previous fall.References
Further reading
*
Władysław Czapliński , "Na Dworze Króla Władysława IV" (At the Court of King Władysław IV), 1959.
* Walerian Koronowicz, "Słowo dziejów polskich", 1858, W. Gerhard, [http://books.google.com/books?id=Jy8LAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA319&dq Google Print, full text]
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