Sejm of the Duchy of Warsaw ( pl, Sejm Księstwa Warszawskiego) was the
parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
of the
Duchy of Warsaw. It was created in 1807 by
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
, who granted a new constitution to the recently created Duchy. It had limited competences, including having no
legislative initiative
The right of (legislative) initiative is the constitutionally defined power to propose a new law (bill) in a legislature.
The right of initiative is usually given to both the government (executive) and individual legislators.
However, some sys ...
. It met three times: for regular sessions in 1809 and 1811, and for an extraordinary session in 1812. In the history of Polish parliament, it succeeded the
Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the ...
and was followed by the
Sejm of the Congress Poland
The Sejm of Congress Poland ( pl, Sejm Królestwa Polskiego) was the parliament in the 19th century Kingdom of Poland, colloquially known as Congress Poland. It existed from 1815 to 1831. In the history of the Polish parliament, it succeeded the ...
.
History
In 1807
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
created the
Duchy of Warsaw and granted it a
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
.
Like with all Napoleonic
legislature
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...
s, it was inferior in political power to
executive
Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to:
Role or title
* Executive, a senior management role in an organization
** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators
** Executive dire ...
by design.
The Sejm had met three times: for regular sessions in 1809 and 1811, and for an extraordinary session of 1812.
The Sejm was mainly occupied with administration and financial matters; its final act, in 1812, was to create the last
Polish confederation, the
General Confederation of the Kingdom of Poland
The General Confederation of the Kingdom of Poland (28 June 1812 – 30 April 1813, Polish ''Konfederacja Generalna Królestwa Polskiego'') was a Polish confederation established by emperor Napoleon Bonaparte on the eve of his campaign in Russi ...
.
Composition and duration
The Sejm was composed of two chambers: a chamber of deputies and a
senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
.
The chamber of deputies was composed of 100 deputies, in 1810 increased to 166.
The initial 100 was composed of 60 deputies (after 1810, 100) elected from the ranks of the nobility (
szlachta
The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the ...
) during the sessions of the local parliaments (
sejmiks), and 40 non-noble deputies (after 1810, 66), as well as members of the
Council of State.
The deputy candidates had to be 24 years or older, and government officials, priests or officers in active military service were not eligible for candidacy.
They were elected for a nine-year term of office, in three tranches (elections for a third of the deputies were to be held every three years).
The senate was composed of
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
s,
voivode
Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the me ...
s and
castellan
A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...
s; all nominated by the king.
They numbered six each, in 1810 increased to ten each.
Those enfranchised to vote included landowners, owners of large businesses, clergy, artists, scientists, and the military.
Notably, peasants could vote as well, provided they owned the land.
The Sejm session lasted fifteen days, and was convened every two years.
Notable politicians of the Sejm of the Duchy of Warsaw included:
Józef Godlewski
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
,
Tomasz A. Ostrowski,
Stanisław Sołtyk
Stanisław Sołtyk (12 December 1753 – 4 June 1831) was a Polish nobleman (szlachcic), political activist, landowner, father of Roman Sołtyk.
Stanisław was born in Krysk near Płońsk. He became Royal chamberlain in 1780, Great Podstoli ...
,
Stanisław Staszic,
Wawrzyniec Surowiecki Wawrzyniec is a Polish masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Wawrzyniec Cyl (1900-1974), Polish footballer
* Wawrzyniec Grzymała Goślicki (circa 1530-1607), Polish nobleman
* Wawrzyniec Mitzler de Kolof (1711-1778), Polish ...
and
Józef Wybicki.
Competences
The competences of the Sejm of the Duchy of Warsaw were limited compared to its predecessor, the
Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the ...
.
It had no
legislative initiative
The right of (legislative) initiative is the constitutionally defined power to propose a new law (bill) in a legislature.
The right of initiative is usually given to both the government (executive) and individual legislators.
However, some sys ...
(that was limited to the executive, represented by the king and the Council of State), and could only accept or refuse (by
simple majority) the legislation on the issues of treasury (finances and taxes) and civil and criminal law, presented to it by the executive.
Further, discussions were limited, as only the members of the five-person strong committees (one for treasury and one for each of the two laws), elected in
secret ballot
The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vote ...
and tasked with the analysis of the proposed legislation, and members of the Council of State, had the right to speak.
In practice, the members of the Sejm found a way to overcome this limitation, as after the day session would be officially closed, the deputies would remain in the parliament and start a new discussion.
The senate was to supervise the chamber of deputies, ensuring it acts according to the constitution, and ensure the proper procedure during the elections. The senate could object to a legislation, but could be overruled by the king.
The king had the right to dissolve the chamber of deputies, or replace senators with new nominees.
Notes
References
{{Authority control
Sejm
Duchy of Warsaw
1809 in Poland
1811 in Poland
1812 in Poland
1807 establishments in Poland
1815 disestablishments