Polish Constitution of 1815

On November 15 ( 27 ), 1815 , the Kingdom of Poland, given to Alexander I by the Vienna Congress, received the Constitution from its new King. This constitution turned the newly created state into a hereditary monarchy, “forever united with the Russian Empire”. The king appointed the governor, which could only be a Pole; an exception was made for the governor of the members of the Imperial House.

"The Roman Catholic religion, professed by the majority of the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Poland," was to be the subject of special care of the government, without the slightest, however, damage to the freedom of other confessions.

A special article ensured freedom of the press. The law was supposed to determine how to eliminate the abuse of this freedom.

Further, personal freedom was ensured with reference to the old fundamental law: “ neminem captivari permittimus nisi jure victum ”.

The Polish language was declared the language of administration, court, troops, etc .; all posts were to be replaced only by Poles.

“The Polish people,” one article went on to say, “will forever have a national representation in the Sejm, consisting of a king and two chambers (huts), of which the first will be the senate, and the second will be ambassadors and deputies from the communities” ( Commune ).

The king was entirely given executive power. All his successors were to be crowned in Warsaw and sworn to preserve the constitution. All royal orders and decrees had to be sealed by the signature of the minister, who would be responsible for everything that could have been contrary to the constitution and laws in these orders and decrees.

The Constitution also established a state council, without which the governor could not undertake anything important. Five ministries (“commissions") were established: the ministry of cults and public education, the ministry of justice, the ministry of internal affairs and the police, the military ministry, and the ministry of state revenues and property.

Legislative power was to consist in the person of the king and in two chambers. The Sejm was convened every two years for thirty days, and the king had the right to dissolve the Sejm, postpone the Seimas meetings and convene an emergency Sejm. Members of the Sejm during the session enjoyed immunity. The legislative initiative was recognized only by the king, but ambassadors and deputies were allowed to represent the king through the state council of various kinds of desires regarding the welfare of their fellow citizens.

The budget was approved by the Sejm for no more than four years.

The meetings of both chambers were supposed to be public and only at the request of a tenth of the members present could turn into secret committees. The final sanction of laws belonged to the king. Senators (members of the imperial house, bishops, governors and coughtans) were appointed by the king for life and, moreover (except for the senators of the first two categories) from the two candidates represented by the senate himself.

The “ embassy izba ” was to consist of 77 ambassadors, selected on the gentry seymics one from each district , that is, a county, and from 51 deputies from communes , that is, communities. The term of office for ambassadors and deputies was set for six years, the electoral qualification was determined by paying in the form of a direct tax of at least one hundred zlotys. If the king dismissed the embassy hut, then within two months he had to call new elections.

The Constitution also determined the composition and functions of gentry seymic and non-gang community assemblies, which were given the right to elect not only ambassadors and deputies, but also members of the voivodship councils, as well as compile lists of candidates for administrative posts.

The constitution declared the administration of justice independent: the judge was to express his opinion completely free from any influences from the "highest or ministerial authority." Judges, both appointed by the king and elected, were declared irremovable, with the exception of cases of removal by judicial sentence for official or other crimes.

State crimes and crimes of the highest state dignitaries were subject to the Sejm court of all members of the Senate. The penalty of confiscation of property was canceled and could not be restored in any case.

This constitution, which, by some of its parties (especially terminology) is adjacent to the former arrangement of the Commonwealth, was very liberal, taking into account the political theories of the era. In its most significant points, it compares with the French charter of 1814 , which, in turn, was to establish an order reminiscent of the English constitution . The liberal nature of the Polish “constitutional charter” of 1815 is also recognized by historians who have studied this document.

• The Polish Constitution of 1815 // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• The Constitution of Poland in 1815, the original in French. the language
• The Constitutional Charter of the Kingdom of Poland of 1815 .
• About the new order of management and education of the Kingdom of Poland. Manifesto February 14, 1832. Complete collection of laws of the Russian Empire. The second meeting. Volume 7. 1832. St. Petersburg., 1833.S. 83-90.
• The highest approved Regulation on the provincial and county government in the provinces of the Kingdom of Poland. A personal decree given to the Governing Senate. December 19 (31), 1866
• On the device of the peasants of the Kingdom of Poland. Name Decree of February 19 (March 2), 1864
• About the device of rural communes in the Kingdom of Poland. Name Decree of February 19 (March 2), 1864
• About the Liquidation Commission of the Kingdom of Poland. Named Decree of February 19 (March 2), 1864.
• On the abolition of the Government Commission of the Interior in the Kingdom of Poland. The Decree of the Name given to the Senate. February 29, 1868
• On the procedure for listing the inhabitants of the Empire in the province of the Kingdom of Poland. The Decree of the Name given to the Senate. June 26, 1868
• Establishment of the Office of the Provinces of the Kingdom of Poland. 1892 edition.