Z badań nad początkami obrad Sejmu Wielkiego
Abstract
One of the most signiflcant events associated with the beginning of the
debates of the Great Seym (the debates started on 6th October 1788) was the
transformation of the independence oriented deputies into a gentry parliamentary
formation, which became an independent political subject able to influence
the debates of the Seym and the situation of the Commonwealth. An important
role in the process of shaping this formation was played by the signiflcant Seym
sessions of 3rt! and 21st /22nd November 1788, the accompanying commotion
among deputies and an attempt at organizing separatist Seym debates under the
presidency of Stanisław Małachowski (the Speaker of the Great Seym) at the
beginning of November. Due to the obstructive attitude of the king, who wanted
to defend the system of government based on the Permanent Council (dependent
on Russia) the independence oriented deputies, aiming at overthrowing the
Permanent Council and abolishing the Russian protectorate, had to, apart from
the ordinary course of debates, resort to drastic political measures. Thus, they threatened to announce the Seym secesion, they started tumult riots and
threatened to use force, violence and bloodshed. Consequently, the king withdrew
from parliamentary obstruction making it possible to re-establish the
normal course of Seym debates. However, as a result of the November Seym
debates and the events mentioned above the independence oriented deputies
outnumbered the King's party and liberated Poland from the dependence on
Russia even though the Permanent Council was still not abolished at that time.
The political activity, self-reliance and anti-senator tendencies of the independence
oriented deputies increased remarkably. This is how the independence
oriented deputies transformed into the gentry parliamentary formation and
became an independent political subject accepted by the State elites as a real
political partner in the Seym debates (at the beginning of the Seym by the
Pulawy party and from 1790 also by the King);the gentry deputies strengthened
their position in the Seym in relation to the Senate and the enlightened landed
gentry gradually acquired the status of the real sovereign of the Commonwealth.
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