Constitution of 3 May 1791 (adopted by the Four-Year Sejm)

E62401

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth law legal document national constitution

The Constitution of 3 May 1791 was a landmark Polish–Lithuanian reform charter widely regarded as Europe’s first modern written national constitution, aiming to strengthen the Commonwealth’s political system and safeguard its sovereignty.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form	Occurrences
Constitution of 3 May 1791	2

Statements (48)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth law ⓘ legal document ⓘ national constitution ⓘ
abolished	liberum veto in most legislative matters ⓘ
adoptedBy	Sejm ⓘ surface form: Four-Year Sejm
adoptedInCity	Warsaw ⓘ
affirmed	Roman Catholicism as the dominant religion ⓘ
aimedTo	safeguard the sovereignty of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ⓘ strengthen the political system of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ⓘ
alsoKnownAs	Government Act of 3 May 1791 ⓘ May 3rd Constitution ⓘ surface form: Konstytucja 3 maja May 3rd Constitution ⓘ
commemoratedAs	Poland’s Constitution Day ⓘ
commemoratedOn	3 May ⓘ
country	Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ⓘ
created	Guardians of the Laws (executive council) ⓘ
dateAdopted	1791-05-03 ⓘ
describedAs	Europe’s first modern written national constitution ⓘ landmark Polish–Lithuanian reform charter ⓘ
followedByEvent	Polish–Russian War (1792) ⓘ surface form: Polish–Russian War of 1792 Second Partition of Poland ⓘ
guaranteed	religious tolerance for non-Catholics ⓘ
historicalPeriod	Age of Enlightenment ⓘ surface form: Enlightenment
influenced	later Polish constitutional traditions ⓘ
inspiredBy	American constitutionalism ⓘ Enlightenment political thought ⓘ French constitutional reforms of the late 18th century ⓘ ideas of Montesquieu ⓘ
introduced	hereditary monarchy in place of elective monarchy ⓘ political equality between townspeople and nobility in some areas ⓘ principle of separation of powers ⓘ
jurisdiction	Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ⓘ
language	Latin ⓘ Polish ⓘ
legislativeBody	Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ⓘ
limited	political rights of the magnate oligarchy ⓘ
locationOfSigning	Royal Castle in Warsaw ⓘ
opposedBy	Targowica Confederation ⓘ
principalAuthor	Hugo Kołłątaj ⓘ Ignacy Potocki ⓘ Stanisław II Augustus Poniatowski ⓘ surface form: King Stanisław II August Poniatowski
provided	state protection for peasants ⓘ
replaced	existing political system based on the liberum veto ⓘ
restricted	liberum veto ⓘ
strengthened	executive power of the king and the government ⓘ
supportedBy	Patriotic Party ⓘ
suspendedBy	Targowica Confederation ⓘ
triggered	Russian Partition of Poland ⓘ surface form: Russian intervention in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth → notableConstitution → Constitution of 3 May 1791 (adopted by the Four-Year Sejm) ⓘ

this entity surface form: Constitution of 3 May 1791

Sejm → notableHistoricalAct → Constitution of 3 May 1791 (adopted by the Four-Year Sejm) ⓘ

Stanisław II Augustus Poniatowski → supported → Constitution of 3 May 1791 (adopted by the Four-Year Sejm) ⓘ

this entity surface form: Constitution of 3 May 1791