Grodno Sejm

The Sejm of Grodno (Polish Sejm grodzieński, Lithuanian Seimas Giardino ) was the last Sejm of Poland - Lithuania. He was held from 17 June to 23 November 1793 in Grodno on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania instead. The result of the meeting was the Second Partition of Poland.

The Sejm was convened at the end of the Russo- Polish War of 1792, which ended with the victory of Russia and its allies, the Confederation of Targowica to Grodno to confirm the Russian claims. Grodno was from 1673, next to Warsaw, main venue of Sejmsitzungen, also was Warsaw as unsafe for the Russians, which should be confirmed in the following year during the Warsaw Uprising. Many of the deputies of the Sejm supported the Russian position as the Marshal of the Sejm, Stanisław Kostka Bieliński, partly they were bribed by the Russian representatives, some had the local leadership of the Russian army in Poland forced the election of their candidates agreeable to the Sejm.

The Sejm was held in the New Castle of Grodno. At the castle and around the castle a Russian garrison was stationed under the command of the Russian ambassador in Poland Johann Jacob Sievers, which ensured the obedience of the deputies; Dissidents were threatened with beatings, arrest, dispossession and exile. Many of them have been denied the right to speak.

The most important law proposal on the agenda was the ' eternal alliance between Poland and Russia ', which was introduced at the request of the Russian Empress Catherine the Great of Russia as a Polish supporters ' desire of the Polish people ' in the Sejm. Despite all 25 of the 140 deputies present dared speak out against the proposal to raise, especially against the Prussian territorial claims. After further measures and threats of the Russian alliance was decided on October 14, 1793 by " acclamation ". In fact, the Marshal of the Sejm asked in the presence of Russian soldiers, who prevented the deputies from leaving the room, three times if there was consent to the application. As then came silence, told Józef Ankwicz, another supporter of the foreign powers, the request for approved unanimously ( " silence gives consent to" ).

The Russian Empire did not use this strategy for the first time: the fate of the Sejm of Grodno resembled that of the dumb Sejm of 1717, when only the Marshal of the Sejm had the right to speak, or that of the Repnine - Sejm 1767-1768, while the opponents of the Russian intervention arrested and were exiled to Russia.

The Sejm of Grodno adopted the following laws:

• The eternal alliance between Poland and Russia: Poland became a Russian ally dependent, in fact a Russian protectorate. The Russian Empire was given the right to station troops in Poland and to make this march freely through Polish territory. Poland was allowed without Russian consent not sign their own agreements or self-employment have diplomatic relations with foreign countries;
• The Constitution of May 3, 1791 was canceled, but some of this established there civil rights have been retained;
• The cardinal laws ( Prawa kardynalne, including free choice, Liberum Veto ) were re-enacted, as well as the Permanent Council ( Rada Nieustająca ), but was now placed under the chairmanship of the Russian ambassador;
• The Polish army was limited to 15,000 men;
• Polish Virtuti Militari was abolished.

The consequences of the Second Partition of Poland include the Kościuszko Uprising and the Third Partition of Poland.

Swell

• Sejm grodzieński 1793 (Polish )