TheConstitution of the Kingdom of Poland (Polish:Konstytucja Królestwa Polskiego) was granted to the'Congress' Kingdom of Poland byKing of PolandAlexander I of Russia in 1815, who was obliged to issue aconstitution to the newly recreated Polish state under his domain as specified by theCongress of Vienna. It was considered among the mostliberal constitutions of its time; however, it was never fully respected by the government. It was modified during theNovember Uprising by the revolutionary government and discarded afterwards by the victorious Russian authorities in 1832.
TheCongress of Vienna obliged Emperor Alexander I of Russia, in his role as King of Poland, to issue aconstitution to the newly recreated Polish state under Russian domination.[1] The new state would be one of the smallest Polish states ever, smaller than the precedingDuchy of Warsaw and much smaller than thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.[2] Because it was the Congress of Vienna whichde facto created the Kingdom of Poland, it became unofficially known as theCongress Poland (Kongresówka).[2]
It was signed on November 27, 1815 by the Tsar. It was aconstitution octroyée: given by the ruler and not voted upon by aparliament.[2]
A significant contributor to the constitution was PrinceAdam Czartoryski, although the text was edited by the Emperor himself and his advisors.[3] The constitution, promisingfreedom of speech andreligious tolerance, among other freedoms, was considered to be among the mostliberal in contemporary Europe,[3] reflecting much of the thought of thePolish andRussian Enlightenments. Compared to theConstitution of the Duchy of Warsaw, the document which governed the lands that became part of the Kingdom of Poland during their time as theDuchy of Warsaw, it however prioritized the nobility (szlachta) and revoked some rights given to thePolish Jews andpeasants. It was never fully respected by the Russian authorities, and increasingly its liberal but ambiguous provisions became manipulated, avoided and violated by the government.[2][3][4][5] The parliament was supposed to have been called into session every two years, but after it became the scene of many clashes between liberal deputies and conservative government officials, it was in fact called only four times (1818, 1820, 1826, and 1830, with the last two sessions being secret). This disregard for the promised rights, among other factors, led to increasing discontent within Poland, eventually culminating in the failedNovember Uprising in 1830.[6] The constitution was modified during the uprising, and in its aftermath, the constitution was superseded on 26 February 1832 by the much more conservativeOrganic Statute of the Kingdom of Poland granted by TsarNicholas I of Russia and never actually implemented.[3][4]
The Constitution had 165 articles in seven titles.[2]
The Kingdom of Poland was aconstitutional monarchy in apersonal union with theRussian Empire, with a common foreign policy. Each Emperor of Russia was alsoKing of Poland. Theparliament,military,administration andjudiciary remained separate.
The King was the head of all three branches (executive,legislative and judicial). He:
Namiestnik:
Composed of five ministers and other people nominated by the king, headed by namestnik, it:
Composed of the ministers, councilors, secretary of the state, referendars and other people nominated by the king, it had the followed prerogatives:
Parliament was composed of the king, theupper house (Senate) and thelower house (Chamber of Deputies or Sejm). Deputies numbering 128 were chosen for six years, with one-third of them chosen every two years. They hadlegal immunity. Voting was open to all persons of 21 years or older. Candidates for deputy had to be able to read, write and have a certain amount of wealth. Military personnel had no right to vote. Parliaments were called every two years for a period of 30 days. Sejm had the right to vote on civil, administrative and legal issues. With permission from the king, it could vote on matters related to the fiscal system and the military. It had the right to control government officials and file petitions. A Senate numbering 64 was composed of ninebishops,voivodes andcastellans and Russian "princes of the blood." It acted as the Parliament Court, had the right to control citizens' books, and similar legislative rights as the Chamber of Deputies.
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