First European Constitution
And no! It was not French!
It was written up May 3rd, 1791 by Lithuania and Poland (The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) during the work of Senate of 1788-1792. Sadly it was official for only a few years, as in 1795 Lithuania and Poland were absorbed by Russian, Prussian and Austrian empires.
“The Law on Governance” – Title page of the printed edition of the Constitution of May 3, 1791. Warsaw, 1791 | Michael Gröll Printing House National Library of Poland. SD XVIII.1.1573 and SD XVIII.1.505
The Adoption of the Constitution on May 3, 1791, in the Senate Hall of the Royal Palace in Warsaw By Jean-Pierre Norblin de la Gourdene, c. 1791 National Library of Poland. R.4312/WAF.9
Main points of the Constitution:
1. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth became a constitutional monarchy.
2. The old procedure for electing kings was abolished (yes, the kings were elected before - selected from various noble candidates). The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was declared a hereditary monarchy.
3. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth remained a noble state, but the Constitution sought to establish principles of class harmony and opened the door to further reforms of the state system.
4. The Catholic Church was recognized as the dominant religion, while religious tolerance was acknowledged.
5. A member of parliament elected to the Senate was granted the status of a representative of the entire nation.
6. The liberum veto—the nobility’s right to protest against Senate's resolutions and block their work—was abolished.
7. Social reforms: the Constitution recognized the citizens of royal cities as free people; they were granted the right to hold administrative and judicial offices and to attain military ranks. The framers of the Constitution regarded the alliance between the nobility and the townspeople as the foundation of the reformed system.
8. State protection was guaranteed to peasants in their relations with landowners.
