“The Constitution of May 3, 1791: The Progressive Basic Law of the Polish-Lithuanian Union and Its Downfall”

In the middle of the 18th century, only memories remained of the former greatness of the Polish-Lithuanian union. Territorially and in terms of population, Žečpospolita was still one of the largest countries in Europe, but domestically it was so weak that the neighboring empires had made it a field for their power games. The reason was the disproportionately growing privileges of the Polish nobility, or slacht, which lacked a balancing counterforce in the state power system. Other countries had noticed how useful the egoism and power ambitions of the Žečpospolita aristocrats could be used. Russia and Prussia were particularly active in this respect, which purposefully hindered the strengthening of the central power, maintained the nobility’s demands for the preservation of old privileges, and intervened with military force in the internal conflicts of the country.

In 1772, the neighboring countries Russia, Prussia and Austria carried out the First Partition of Poland, depriving the weakened union of vast territories.

In the union itself, the demands for reforms, which were maintained by both the citizen class, demanding equal rights, and the patriotic aristocrats, understanding the sad situation of the country, took effect. The king Stanislavs Augusts Poniatovskis, elected in 1764, was also aware of the need for reforms. Under the influence of these forces, the Seimas assembled in 1788 began work on the development of the constitution. The moment was also favorable internationally – Russia and Austria were then involved in the war against the Ottoman Empire, and their controlling grip on Poland had loosened. On May 3, 1791, the so-called “Great Seimas” approved the “Government Act” – the new constitution of the Polish-Lithuanian Union.

The “Constitution of May 3”, as this document is called in the history of Poland and Lithuania, was one of the most progressive basic laws of the time, which in its spirit of civil liberties and rights was second only to the constitutions of the First Republic of France and the United States of America. The principle of separation of powers was introduced in the country, the inviolability of the person and the protection of the law were guaranteed.

The constitution significantly expanded citizenship rights, eliminating the nobles’ monopoly on representation in the Seimas, public positions and military careers.

In St. Petersburg, Berlin and Vienna, the “Constitution of May 3” caused indignation and concern. It was clear to the rulers of the empires that the new basic law significantly reduces their influence in Žečpospolita, they saw in it the spread of the dangerous ideas of the French revolution. Unfortunately, the opponents of the constitution were also in Poland itself – several Polish magnates issued a declaration, the real author of which was Vasiliy Popov, the head of the chancellery of the Russian empress Catherine II, and in which these nobles turned to the tsarina of the neighboring country with a request for support.

It didn’t take long to pray, and in May 1792, Russian troops invaded Poland-Lithuania. The Polish army under the leadership of Generals Poniatowski and Kosciuszko fought heroically, but the outnumbered was too great. Prussia, with whom Poland had recently entered into a military alliance, declared that after the adoption of the constitution Poland had become a completely different country, so that the obligations were no longer valid. After a few months, King Stanislaus capitulated, hoping to negotiate an acceptable compromise, but it all ended in the Second Partition of Poland, in which Russia and Prussia seized about half of the country’s remaining territory. Even the opponents of the Constitution, who had now turned out to be the destroyers of the motherland, had not expected such an outcome.

In 1794, a rebellion led by General Kosciuszko broke out – the last desperate attempt to get rid of the power of the aggressive empires. This battle also ended in defeat, and in 1795 Russia, Prussia and Austria divided the remaining lands of Poland and Lithuania among themselves, erasing these nations from the European map for more than a century.

More

Report a bug