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Pacta conventa (Poland)

 
Pacta Conventa (Poland)

 
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Pacta conventa (Poland)
 
 
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Pacta conventa (Latin: "agreed-upon agreements") was a contractual agreement, from 1573 to 1764 entered into between the "Polish nation" (i.e., the szlachta
Szlachta

Szlachta refers to the nobility social class in the Kingdom of Poland , the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the increasingly polonized territories under their control ....
 (nobility) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries in 16th and 17th-century Europe, formed by a Union of Lublin of Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569....
) and a newly-elected king upon his "free election
Free election

Free election was the election of individual monarchs, rather than of dynasties, to the Poland throne between 1572 and 1791, when "free election" was abolished by the Constitution of May 3, 1791....
."

The pacta conventa affirmed the king-elect's pledge to respect the laws of the Commonwealth and specified his undertakings and promises in such realms as foreign affairs
Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs is an United States journal on international relations published by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually. The CFR is a private-sector group established in New York City in 1921, with the mission of promoting understanding of foreign policy and America?s role in the world....
, tax
Tax

To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon an individual or Legal person by a state or the functional equivalent of a state.Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entity....
es, public debt, the military
Military

A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or Threat of force ....
, etc.






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Pacta Conventa
Pacta conventa (Latin: "agreed-upon agreements") was a contractual agreement, from 1573 to 1764 entered into between the "Polish nation" (i.e., the szlachta
Szlachta

Szlachta refers to the nobility social class in the Kingdom of Poland , the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the increasingly polonized territories under their control ....
 (nobility) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries in 16th and 17th-century Europe, formed by a Union of Lublin of Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569....
) and a newly-elected king upon his "free election
Free election

Free election was the election of individual monarchs, rather than of dynasties, to the Poland throne between 1572 and 1791, when "free election" was abolished by the Constitution of May 3, 1791....
."

The pacta conventa affirmed the king-elect's pledge to respect the laws of the Commonwealth and specified his undertakings and promises in such realms as foreign affairs
Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs is an United States journal on international relations published by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually. The CFR is a private-sector group established in New York City in 1921, with the mission of promoting understanding of foreign policy and America?s role in the world....
, tax
Tax

To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon an individual or Legal person by a state or the functional equivalent of a state.Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entity....
es, public debt, the military
Military

A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or Threat of force ....
, etc. The document was drawn up by the election sejm
Election sejm

Election sejm was one of three kinds of special sejm in partitions of Poland Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Upon vacancy of the throne, the election sejm, meeting at Wola outside Warsaw, elected a new king....
 (sejm elekcyjny), and its acceptance by the king-elect was a condition of his elevation to the throne.

An example of the various concrete undertakings found in a king-elect's pacta conventa is King Wladyslaw IV Waza's pledge to create a Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Navy
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Navy

Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth Navy was the navy of the Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth....
 for the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53?N to 66?N latitude and from 20?E to 26?E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Denmark islands....
.

In addition to his own unique pacta conventa, each king-elect was required to sign "King Henry's Articles."

The distinction between the two documents gradually faded away over successive elections.

See also

  • King Henry's Articles
  • Warsaw Confederation


External links