Confederation (Poland)

This article is about a legal concept, not a political union of territories (confederation), also known in Poland as "konfederacja".

The swearing in of the Tyszowce Confederation in 1655, painting by Walery Eljasz-Radzikowski.

A konfederacja (Polish for "confederation") was an ad hoc association formed by Polish-Lithuanian szlachta (nobility), clergy, cities, or military forces in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth for the attainment of stated aims. Often took the form of an armed rebellion aimed at redressing perceived abuses or trespasses of some (e.g. royal) authority. Such "confederations" acted in lieu of state authority or to force their demands upon that authority. They could be seen as a primary expression of direct democracy in the Commonwealth, and as a way for the nobles to act on their grievances and against the state's central authority.

History and function

In the late 13th century, confederations of cities appeared; in the mid-14th century, confederations of nobility, directed against the central authorities (1352, 1439).{fact|date=January 2012}} During interregnums, confederations (essentially vigilance committees) formed to replace the inactive royal court, protect internal order, and defend the country from external dangers. The confederations, as a right of revolution, were recognized in the Polish law in the Henrician articles (1573), part of the pacta conventa sword by every Polish king since 1576. They stated (in the articulus de non praestanda oboedientia, a rule dating to 1501 from Privilege of Mielnik) that if the monarch would not recognize or would abuse the rights and privileges of the nobility (szlachta), the nobles would no longer be bound to obey him and would have the legal right to disobey him.

With the beginning of the 17th century, confederations became an increasingly significant element of the Commonwealth's political scene. In the 17th and 18th centuries, confederations were organized by magnates, and were either pro- or anti-royal. A confederation not recognized by the king was considered a rokosz ("rebellion"), although some of the rokosz would be eventually recognized by the king, who could even join them himself. Most pro-royal confederations were usually formed as a response to an anti-royal one, and some would take a form of an extraordinary session of the parliament (sejm), as happened in 1710, 1717 and 1735.

Confederations where usually formed in one part of the country, and could expand into "general confederations" taking in most or all the Voivodeships of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. However, even such general confederations would be formed separately for the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and for the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Each confederation had a key document explaining its goals, known as the act of the confederation, which was deposited with the court (usually the local court for the region the confederation was formed). Additional resolutions of the confederates, known as sanctia, would also be deposited with the court. Membership of the confederation was voluntary, and required and oath. The executive branch of a confederation was headed by a Marshal, and a group of advisers, each known as konsyliarz konfederacji. Marshal and the konsyliarze were known as the generality (generalność). A confederation would also have its larger council, similar to a parliament (walna rada), which made decisions by majority vote. Up till around mid-18th century, resolutions of the council were unanimous, but afterwards, majority voting became more common. Confederation's chief military commanders were known as regimentarze.

Also in the 18th century an institution of a "confederated sejm" evolved. It was a parliament session (sejm) that operated under the rules of a confederation. Its primary purpose was to avoid being subject to disruption by the liberum veto, unlike the national Sejm, which was paralyzed by the veto during this period. On some occasions, a confederated sejm was formed of the whole membership of the national Sejm, so that the liberum veto would not operate there.

Confederations were proscribed in 1717, but continued to operate, indicating a weakness of the Commonwealth's central authority. They were also abolished by the Constitution of May 3, 1791 (adopted by the Four-Year Sejm of 1788-1792, itself a confederated sejm). But in practice this prohibition was not observed. The May 3rd Constitution was overthrown in mid-1792, by the Targowica Confederation of Polish magnates backed by Russian Empire and eventually joined, under extreme duress, by King Stanisław II August. Ensuing Russian military intervention led (to the Confederates' surprise) to the Second Partition of Poland in 1793.

List of confederations

Some confederations from Polish history included:

• Confederation of Maciej Borkowic (1352–1358)
• Confederation of Bartosz of Odolanowo (1381–1382)
• Confederation of Spytek of Melsztyn (1439)
• Chicken War (1537)
• Warsaw Confederation (1573)
• Zebrzydowski Rebellion (1605)
• Rohaczew Confederation (1614)
• Tyszowce Confederation (1655)
• Lubomirski's Rokosz (1665–1666)
• Gołąb Confederation (1672)
• Szczebrzesz Confederation (1672)
• Starogard Confederation (1703–1709)
• Greater Poland Confederation (Wielkopolska Confederation) (1703)
• Warsaw Confederation (1704)
• Sandomierz Confederation (1704)
• Tarnogród Confederation (1715)
• Grudziądz Confederation (1733–1734)
• Dzików Confederation (1734)
• Słuck Confederation (1767)
• Toruń Confederation (Thorn Confederation) (1767)
• Radom Confederation (1767)
• Bar Confederation (1768–1772)
• Targowica Confederation (1792-1793)
• Grodno Confederation (1793)
• General Confederation of the Kingdom of Poland (1812-1813)

See also

• Sejmik
• Nobles' Democracy