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Constitution of the Duchy of Warsaw

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Constitution of the Duchy of Warsaw
Napoleon issuing the Constitution
Napoleon issuing the Constitution of the Duchy of Warsaw by Marcello Bacciarelli (1811)
Original title(in Polish) Konstytucja Księstwa Warszawskiego
Created22 July 1807
SignatoriesNapoleon
Media typeConstitution
Part of a series on the
politics and government of Poland
Constitutions and major statutes of Poland

The Constitution of the Duchy of Warsaw was promulgated by Napoleon on 22 July 1807 in Dresden. Together with the Napoleonic Code it was a significant reform of the Polish law and government in the new Duchy of Warsaw. The constitution provided for a bicameral Sejm and for a Council of Ministers. The new laws abolished serfdom and legal distinction by social classes (nobility, peasantry, townsfolk) by introducing the principle that all people are equal before the law. Individual liberty was guaranteed. The Duchy of Warsaw was a satellite state of France, with no diplomacy of its own. King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony became Duke of Warsaw, and had control over foreign policy; a French representative was to reside in Warsaw and had significant influence over the Duchy's government. The army of the Duchy of Warsaw was subordinate to the French Army. It was, nonetheless, considered a liberal constitution for its time.

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