A sejmik (,

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

of ''

sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

'', occasionally translated as a ''dietine''; ) was one of various local

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 ...

s in the

history of Poland The history of Poland spans over a thousand years, from Lechites, medieval tribes, Christianization of Poland, Christianization and Kingdom of Poland, monarchy; through Polish Golden Age, Poland's Golden Age, Polonization, expansionism and be ...

and history of Lithuania. The first sejmiks were regional assemblies in the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

(before 1572), though they gained significantly more influence in the later era of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

(18th century). Sejmiks arose around the late 14th and early 15th centuries and existed until the end of the Commonwealth in 1795, following the partitions of the Commonwealth. In a limited form, some sejmiks existed in partitioned Poland (1795–1918), and later in the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...

(1918–1939). In modern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, since 1999, the term has revived with the ''

voivodeship sejmik A voivodeship sejmik (), also known as a provincial or regional assembly, is the regional-level elected legislature for each of the sixteen voivodeships of Poland. Machnikowski et al., p. 21 Sejmiks are elected to five-year terms, decided during ...

s'' (''sejmiki województwa''), referring to the elected councils of each of the 16 voivodeships. The competencies of sejmiks varied over time, and there were also geographical differences. Often, numerous different types of sejmiks coexisted in the same governance structure. Almost always presided over by the

marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

, sejmiks could often elect delegates to the national sejm, and sometimes would give such delegates binding instructions. Sejmiks attained the peak of their importance at the turn of the 18th century, when they effectively supplanted the inefficient national sejm.

Etymology

The words ''sejm'' and ''sejmik'' are cognates with the

old Czech The Czech language developed at the close of the 1st millennium from common West Slavic languages, West Slavic. Until the early 20th century, it was known as ''Bohemian''. Early West Slavic Among the innovations in common West Slavic languag ...

''sejmovat'', which means "to bring together" or "to summon". Both forms originate from

Proto-Slavic Proto-Slavic (abbreviated PSl., PS.; also called Common Slavic or Common Slavonic) is the unattested, reconstructed proto-language of all Slavic languages. It represents Slavic speech approximately from the 2nd millennium BC through the 6th ...

*sъjьmъ, from *sъ- ("from, with") and *jęti ("to take").

History

The traditions of a sejmik can be traced to the institution of the wiec that actually predates the Polish state. They originated from gatherings of nobility, formed for military and consultative purposes. Historians disagree about the specific date of origin of the sejmiks, with some proposed dates being 1374 (the Privilege of Koszyce) and 1454 (the Nieszawa Statutes). Geographically, sejmiks first arose in central Poland (

Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...

province). Over the next century or so, they spread to other provinces of Poland, and finally, by the 16th century, to the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

. Sejmiks were legally recognized by the 1454 Nieszawa Statutes, in a privilege granted to the

szlachta The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the nobility, noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social ...

(Polish nobility) by King Casimir IV Jagiellon, when the king agreed to consult with the nobility concerning certain decisions. Casimir's recognition of the sejmik stemmed from an attempt to limit the growing power of the magnates, and counteract it with the middle nobility. With the creation of a national

Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

in 1493, which took over the powers of taxation and the pospolite ruszenie previously granted to sejmiks at Nieszawa, the importance of regional governance somewhat diminished. Still, the sejmikis continued to play an important role in the governance of Poland as the most direct form of political enfranchisement of the nobility. In the 1560s, the state organization of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was reformed in accordance with the Polish model. An act of July 1564 established sejmiks in the Grand Duchy. After the

Union of Lublin The Union of Lublin (; ) was signed on 1 July 1569 in Lublin, Poland, and created a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest countries in Europe at the time. It replaced the personal union of the Crown of the Kingd ...

in 1569, the

had about 70 sejmiks (out of those, 24 were in the

). Jacek Jędruch notes a trend of an increasing number of sejmiks over time, from about 16 in the 15th century to 104 by the late 18th century, as nobility sought to meet in places that required less travel time. Stanisław Płaza also estimates about 100 at the turn of the 18th century. Those sejmiks elected 170 deputies (48 from Lithuania). Most sejmiks elected 2 deputies, but there were exceptions.For a full list of sejmiks and the numbers of deputies elected, see Sejm walny#Composition Wojciech Kriegseisen notes that until the late 18th century, there were 44 sejmiks in Poland proper (the

Crown of the Kingdom of Poland The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (; ) was a political and legal concept formed in the 14th century in the Kingdom of Poland, assuming unity, indivisibility and continuity of the state. Under this idea, the state was no longer seen as the Pat ...

), 24 in Lithuania, and 1 in Inflanty province. The sejmik's role grew again in the late 17th century, as central power weakened. Sejmiks attained the peak of their importance at the turn of the 18th century, when they often set their own time limits—that is, they extended their authorized periods of operation. In the face of an inefficient central government, with the national Sejm often disrupted by the liberum veto and the office of starosta losing much of its importance, sejmiks administered a portion of the taxes, and raised their own military (''wojsko powiatowe''). This period, which was known as the "rule of sejmiks" (''rządy sejmikowe''), was brought to an end by acts of the one-day Silent Sejm (Polish: ''sejm niemy'') of 1717, which removed most taxation and military competences from the sejmiks. Some sejmiks were also affected by liberum veto until it was abolished for sejmiks in 1766; this was not always the case, as some decided to forgo unanimity and move to majority rule. Where the middle nobility had been the leading force at the sejmiks in the 16th century, the magnates became increasingly influential in the 18th century. This stemmed from their ability to bribe masses of poorly educated, landless nobility (known as magnate's "clients" or "clientele"), as all nobles were eligible to vote in the sejmiks. Sejmiks in Lithuania were dominated by the magnates to a greater extent than those in Poland proper, as the Lithuanian magnates were more powerful than their Polish counterparts. The magnate-dominated sejmiks, which gathered impoverished nobility, have been described as more concerned with eating and drinking than debate; for the poorest of nobility, they were a rare occasion to participate in feasts sponsored by the magnates. When they met, the drunken nobility was known to fight among themselves, which on occasion led to fatalities. Sejmiks were significantly reformed by the ''Prawo o sejmikach'', the act on regional sejms, passed on 24 March 1791 and subsequently recognized as part of the Constitution of 3 May. This law introduced major changes to the electoral ordinance, as it reduced the enfranchisement of the noble class. The voting right became tied to a property qualification; to be eligible to vote, a noble had to own or lease land and pay taxes, or be closely related to another who did. Some 300,000 out of 700,000 otherwise eligible nobles were thus disfranchised, much to their displeasure. A document from 1792 lists only 47 sejmiks. Although the independent existence of the Commonwealth ended with the

partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partition (politics), partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place between 1772 and 1795, toward the end of the 18th century. They ended the existence of the state, resulting in the eli ...

in 1795, the institution of the sejmik continued, albeit in a somewhat restricted fashion. In the

Duchy of Warsaw The Duchy of Warsaw (; ; ), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a First French Empire, French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars. It initially comprised the ethnical ...

, sejmiks elected deputies to the Sejm of the Duchy of Warsaw. Similarly, sejmiks of

Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...

elected deputies to the

Sejm of Congress Poland The Sejm of Congress Poland (, ) 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 Sejm of the Duchy of Warsaw. ...

until its abolishment in 1831. Even in the Lithuanian territories incorporated into the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, some judicial sejmiks were allowed to elect lower court judges; it was the only elective representative institution to survive in the Lithuanian territories after the partition. In the Prussian partition there were provincial sejmiks (Provinziallandtag) and powiat sejmiks (Kreistag). Near the turn of the century, some limited local representative institutions existed in the

Russian partition The Russian Partition (), sometimes called Russian Poland, constituted the former territories of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that were annexed by the Russian Empire in the course of late-18th-century Partitions of Poland. The Russian ac ...

and Austrian partition, but they did not bear the name of sejmiks. After Poland regained independence, provincial sejms were restored in the

, although they were called sejms rather than sejmiks. They included the short-lived Sejm of Central Lithuania (1921–1922); the three voivodeship sejms ( Silesian Parliament, Greater Poland Sejm, and Pomeranian Sejm, 1920–1939), which preserved the tradition of sejmiks in the former Prussian partition; and the county sejmiks, of which there were 264 in 1939. The existence of these institutions was interrupted by the occupation of Poland during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and they were not reestablished in the era of communist Poland. The sejmiks were revived again after the fall of communism in modern Poland. Since 1999, the term ''sejmik'' (in full, ''sejmik województwa'') has been used to refer to the elected council of each of the 16 voivodeships or regions (see

). The word ''sejmik'' was chosen by lawmakers in order to eliminate the term ''rada wojewódzka'' ( voivodeship council), which conjured memories of voivodeship people's councils during the communist Poland era.

Sejmiks of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

Features

Sejmiks were usually held in a large, open field. The nobility would elect a presiding officer (''marszałek sejmiku'': sejmik marshal), whose role was analogous to the marshal of the sejm at national Sejms. (This term has been revived since 1999, but it now refers to the chairman of the voivodeship executive board rather than the presiding officer of the sejmik itself.) While the sejmiks were originally convened by the king, soon a loophole was exploited: the sejmiks would limit the number of issues discussed, using that as a pretext to reconvene later at a time chosen by the marshal. Voivodes and starosts also had the ability to convene some sejmiks. Until the reforms of the Constitution of 3 May, all the nobility residing in the territory that was holding a sejmik were eligible to participate in the sejmik. It is estimated that most sejmiks drew around 4 to 6% of eligible participants.

Types

Historians distinguish several types of sejmiks, depending on their geographical scope: * General (Polish: ''generalny'', Latin ''conventiones generales''), held in western Poland (

) at Koło, in southern Poland ( Little Poland) at Nowe Miasto Korczyn, in Masovia at

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, in Red Ruthenia at Sądowa Wisznia ( Sudova Vyshnia), and in

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

at Wołkowysk ( Vawkavysk). The General Sejmiks were composed of delegates elected at the provincial sejmiks, and of Senators. Their goal was to agree on a position for the General Sejm ( Sejm Walny) and issue instructions for the deputies on how they were supposed to vote during the General Sejm. The competences of the general sejmiks were defined by precedent and custom rather than law; on rare instances when external circumstances prevented a national Sejm from being convened (such as 1511, 1513 and 1577), the general sejmiks were seen as competent to legislate on national matters. In the 15th century some general sejmiks reserved the right to accept or reject national legislation. In the 16th century they were tasked with preparing drafts of legislation to be discussed at Sejms. Around the 17th century general sejmiks were mostly abandoned (with the exceptions of those in Royal Prussia, see Prussian estates); instead, provincial deputies would meet in special sessions during the Sejm proper. * Provincial, Territorial, Voivodeship or County (Polish: ''ziemski'',

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''conventiones particulares, conventiones terrestrae''). The names of these sejmiks varied depending on their administrative level and local traditions; Płaza lists

powiat A ''powiat'' (; ) is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture (Local administrative unit, LAU-1 ormerly Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, NUTS-4 ...

sejmiks (county sejmiks; ''sejmiki powiatowe''),

ziemia Land is a historical unit of administration in Poland and Ruthenia. In the Polish language, the term is not capitalized (''ziemia chełmińska'', Chelmno Land; not ''Ziemia Chełmińska''). All ''ziemias'' are named after main urban centers (o ...

sejmiks (territorial sejmiks; ''sejmiki ziemskie''),

voivodeship A voivodeship ( ) or voivodate is the area administered by a voivode (governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in ...

sejmiks (''sejmiki wojewódzkie'') and provincial sejmiks (''sejmiki prowincjonalne''). A theoretical hierarchy that almost never existed in practice could be drawn starting from the powiat sejmiks, and moving upwards to ziemia, voivodeship, general (of several voivodeships) and provincial sejmiks ending with the final, national sejm. Almost all ziemias had their own sejmiks, but the importance of the sejmik varied based on whether the given ziemia was autonomous (that is, whether it was part of a voivodeship). Powiat sejms were common in Lithuania, but were rare in the Crown of Poland, where instead voivodeship sejms were much more common. Some voivodeships could hold a single voivodeship sejmik, and others might be covered by more than one sejmik. The importance of the local sejmiks began to diminish with the formation of the national sejm. Thereafter the local sejmiks were relegated to dealing with local matters and electing deputies to the General Sejms. They rose in importance again in the second half of the 17th century, as the central Sejm grew weaker. Kriegseisen, quoting Adam Lityński, argues that there was only one type of sejmik and that the only difference between various sejmiks was the purpose for which they were convened. Nonetheless, other scholars often distinguish between different types of sejmiks. Juliusz Bardach and Jędruch, for example, divide sejmiks based on their purpose as follows: * Pre-sejm (Polish: ''przedsejmowe'') sejmiks were convened by the king who sent a

writ In common law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court. Warrant (legal), Warrants, prerogative writs, subpoenas, and ''certiorari'' are commo ...

(''legacja królewska'') to each sejmik, outlining the reasons the next Sejm would be held. Such sejmiks elected one to six deputies (''poslowie''), depending on the size and importance of the sejmik's territory, to the ''ordinary'' General Sejm (Polish: ''Sejm Walny'') that was held every two years, and to any ''extraordinary'' General Sejm that might be called at any time in an emergency. Sometimes pre-sejm sejmiks were referred to as electoral. In some cases, a sejmik could be called for two voivodeships – in that case it could elect more than 6 deputies. Deputies were given instructions on how to vote during the sejm proper, although on occasion the instructions could be vague, or even give the deputies full freedom. These sejmiks arose in the late 15th century. * Relational or Debriefing (Polish: ''relacyjne'') sejmiks heard the reports of deputies returned from the General Sejm, usually presenting the law (''konstytucje sejmowe'') decreed by the Sejm. They passed specific instructions with regards to the execution of sejm decrees, and other local resolutions. Such sejmiks could also receive special requests from the king; this happened if the sejmik deputy was bound by instructions not to vote on certain issues that subsequently were voted on and passed in the national sejm. In such cases the king would request the sejmik to reconsider their decision and support the national legislation. These sejmiks arose in the 16th century. * Electoral (Polish: ''elekcyjne'') sejmiks elected higher voivodeship officials, judges in particular. They were convened irregularly, as such offices were usually held for life. Several candidates would be nominated, and the king would make the final appointment from among them. These sejmiks arose in the 15th century. * Deputational or Judicial (Polish: ''deputackie'') sejmiks met on a yearly basis and elected deputies (''deputaci'') to

tribunal A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a singl ...

s ( Crown Tribunal and Lithuanian Tribunal) from the times of King Stefan Batory onwards (starting in 1578 in Poland, and from 1581 in Lithuania). * Administrative or Economic (Polish: ''gospodarcze'') sejmiks oversaw voivodeship self-government. Often, they were held on the day following the deputational sejmik. Their decrees were known as ''laudas''. Some of the specific issues that these sejmiks addressed included: dealing with taxation (distribution of national taxes) and tax collectors, managing the local (voivodeship) taxes and treasury, recruiting local military and (from mid-1700s) election of deputies to the Treasury Tribunals. These sejmiks arose in the early 16th century. * Hooded (Polish: ''kapturowe'') sejmiks had special powers during an

interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of revolutionary breach of legal continuity, discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one m ...

. These sejmiks were organized as confederations, and would elect confederation officials. The name was derived from hoods worn in the period of royal mourning. These sejmiks began during the interregnum of 1572.

Assessment and historiography

Kriegseisen notes that the institution of the sejmik gained a negative reputation following the partitions of Poland, and it has been described as one of the dysfunctional elements of the Polish political system that contributed to the fall of the Commonwealth. He cautions against such simplistic assessments, and traces them to 18th century publications whose negative views of the sejmiks have been rarely challenged since. The

stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...

of a group of drunken, fighting nobility, found in some literature, should not be seen as representative, particularly outside the period of the sejmik's decline in the 18th century. He argues that while many sensationalist descriptions of debauchery, brawling or outright bloody violence at sejmiks have survived, they did so because they were just that—sensationalist—and should be seen as exceptions to the long, uneventful, but usually constructive proceedings that were much more common. Kriegseisen also remarks that there is a myth about the uniqueness of sejmiks to Poland, and notes that similar institutions of self-governance and regional parliamentary participation by nobility can be found in other places, such as in

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

and various German provinces (

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

, Brandenburg).

Locations of provincial (or territorial) sejmiks

The following is a list of locations at which the provincial (or territorial) sejmiks were held.Henryk Wisner, Rzeczpospolita Wazów. Czasy Zygmunta III i Władysława IV. Wydawnictwo Neriton, Instytut Historii PAN, Warszawa 2002. , pages 27–29

Province of Lesser Poland

Bełz Belz (, ; ; ) is a small city in Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine, located near the Poland–Ukraine border, border with Poland between the Solokiya River (a tributary of the Bug River) and the Richytsia stream. Belz hosts the administration of Belz ...

(for Bełz Voivodeship), four envoys elected to the

, *

Chełm Chełm (; ; ) is a city in eastern Poland in the Lublin Voivodeship with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some from the border with Ukraine. The ...

(for the

Land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of Earth not submerged by the ocean or another body of water. It makes up 29.2% of Earth's surface and includes all continents and islands. Earth's land sur ...

of Chełm), two envoys elected, * Czernihów (for Czernihów Voivodeship), four envoys elected, * Halicz (for the Lands of Halicz, Kołomyja, and Trembowla), six envoys elected, * Kamieniec Podolski (for Podole Voivodeship), four envoys elected, * Łuck (for Wołyń Voivodeship), six envoys elected, * Opatów (for Sandomierz Voivodeship), six envoys elected, *

Proszowice Proszowice is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Kraków Voivodeship (1975–1998). Its population numbers 6,206 inhabitants (2004). It is the capital of Proszowice County, and the tow ...

(for Kraków Voivodeship), six envoys elected, * Urzędów, also

Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...

(for

Lublin Voivodeship Lublin Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) of Poland, located in the southeastern part of the country, with its capital being the city of Lublin. The region is named after its largest city and regional capital, Lu ...

, three envoys elected, * Winnica (for Bracław Voivodeship), three envoys elected, * Sądowa Wisznia (for the Lands of Lwów, Sanok, and

Przemyśl Przemyśl () is a city in southeastern Poland with 56,466 inhabitants, as of December 2023. Data for territorial unit 1862000. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodeship. It was previously the capital of Prz ...

), six envoys elected, * Zator (for the Duchy of Oświęcim, and the Duchy of Zator), one envoy elected, * Żytomierz (for Kijów Voivodeship), three envoys elected.

Province of Greater Poland

* Bielsk (for the County of Bielsk), two envoys elected, * Ciechanów (for the Land of Ciechanów), two envoys elected, * Czersk (for the Land of Czersk), two envoys elected, * Drohiczyn (for the County of Drohiczyn), two envoys elected, *

Gąbin Gąbin is a small town in Płock County, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, with 4,065 inhabitants as of December 2021. The Warsaw radio mast, which stood near Gąbin, was the tallest structure in the world until its collapse in 1991. It remained the ...

(for the Land of Gostynin), two envoys elected, * Lipno (for the Land of Dobrzyń), two envoys elected, * Liw (for the Land of Liw), two envoys elected, *

Łomża Łomża () is a city in north-eastern Poland, approximately to the north-east of Warsaw and west of Białystok. It is situated alongside the Narew river as part of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the capital of Łomża County and has been the se ...

(for the Land of Łomża), two envoys elected, * Mielnik (for the County of Mielnik), two envoys elected, * Nur (for the Land of Nur), two envoys elected, * Parzęczew (for Łęczyca Voivodeship), two envoys elected, * Raciąż (for

Płock Voivodeship Płock (pronounced ), officially the Ducal Capital City of Płock, is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by Central Statistical Office (Poland), GUS on 31 December 2021, the ...

), four envoys elected, * Radziejów (for Brześć Kujawski Voivodeship and Inowrocław Voivodeship), four envoys elected, * Rawa Mazowiecka (for the Land of Rawa), two envoys elected, * Różan (for the Land of Różan), two envoys elected, *

Sochaczew Sochaczew () is a town in central Poland, with 33,456 inhabitants (as of 2023). In the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), formerly in Skierniewice Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Sochaczew County and is located approximately west ...

(for the Land of Sochaczew), two envoys elected, * Szadek (for Sieradz Voivodeship), two envoys elected, * Środa Wielkopolska (for Kalisz Voivodeship and Poznań Voivodeship), twelve envoys elected, *

(for the Land of Warsaw), two envoys elected, * Wieluń (for the Land of Wieluń and the County of Ostrzeszów), two envoys elected, * Wizna (for the Land of Wizna), two envoys elected, * Wyszogród (for the Land of Wyszogród), two envoys elected, * Zakroczym (for the Land of Zakroczym), two envoys elected.

Royal Prussia

Człuchów Człuchów (, ''Człochòwo'', or ''Człëchòwò''; ) is a town in the region of Gdańsk Pomerania, northern Poland, with 13,350 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the capital of Człuchów County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Location ...

(for the County of Człuchów), two envoys elected, * Kowalewo Pomorskie ( for Chełmno Voivodeship), two envoys elected, * Malbork (for Malbork Voivodeship), two envoys elected, * Mirachowo (for the County of Mirachowo), two envoys elected, * Puck (for the County of Puck), two envoys elected, *

Starogard Gdański Starogard Gdański (; until 1950: ''Starogard''; formerly ) is a city in Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland with 48,328 inhabitants (2004). Starogard is the capital of Starogard County. Founded in the Middle Ages, Starogard is a city with ...

(for the Counties of

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

Tczew Tczew (, formerly ) is a city on the Vistula River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland, with 59,111 inhabitants (December 2021). It is the capital of Tczew County and the largest city of the ethnocultural region of Kociewie within th ...

, Nowe, and in 1642–1655 for the Lębork – Bytów Land), two envoys elected; in 1642–1655, four envoys elected, *

Świecie Świecie (; ) is a town in northern Poland with 24,841 inhabitants (2023), capital of Świecie County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is located within the ethnocultural region of Kociewie in the historic region of Pomerania. Founded ...

(for the County of Świecie), two envoys elected, *

Tuchola Tuchola (; ) is a town in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland. The Pomeranian town, which is the seat of Tuchola County, had a population of 13,418 . Geographical location Tuchola lies about north of Bydgoszcz, close to th ...

(for the County of Tuchola), two envoys elected.

Grand Duchy of Lithuania

* Brasław (for the County of Brasław), two envoys elected, * Brześć (for the County of Brześć), two envoys elected, *

Grodno Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...

(for the County of Grodno), two envoys elected, * Kowno (for the County of Kowno), two envoys elected, * Lida (for the County of Lida), two envoys elected, * Mińsk (for the County of Mińsk), two envoys elected, * Mozyrz (for the County of Mozyrz), two envoys elected, * Mścisław (for Mścisław Voivodeship), two envoys elected, * Nowogródek (for the County of Nowogródek), two envoys elected, * Orsza (for the County of Orsza), two envoys elected, * Oszmiana (for the County of Oszmiana), two envoys elected, * Pińsk (for the County of Pińsk), two envoys elected, * Połock (for Połock Voivodeship), two envoys elected, * Poniewież (for the County of Upita), two envoys elected, * Rosienie (for the Duchy of Samogitia), two envoys elected, * Rzeczyca (for the County of Rzeczyca), two envoys elected, * Słonim (for the County of Nowogródek), two envoys elected, *

Smoleńsk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...

(for the County of Smoleńsk), two envoys elected, * Starodub (for the County of Starodub), two envoys elected, * Troki (for the County of Troki), two envoys elected, * Wilno (for the County of Wilno), two envoys elected, * Wiłkomierz (for the County of Wiłkomierz), two envoys elected, * Witebsk (for the County of Witebsk), two envoys elected, * Wołkowysk (for the County of Wołkowysk), two envoys elected.

Duchy of Livonia

* According to the 1598 bill of the

, regional sejmiks for Livonia took place in Kieś, in some cases also in

Ryga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

. After Swedish conquest of most of Livonia in the 1620s, the sejmiks were moved to Dyneburg. The

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

of the County of Piltyń, formally equal to the nobility of the Commonwealth, did not elect any envoys to the Sejm.

Notes

References

{{Good article Political history of Poland Legislatures of country subdivisions Sejm Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Historical legislatures