Editing Sejm (section)

=== Kingdom of Poland ===
{{Main|Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland}} 
[[File:The_First_Sejm_1182.jpg|thumb|left|The first Sejm in Łęczyca. Recording of laws. A.D. 1180]]

''Sejm'' (an ancient [[Lechitic languages|Proto-Lechitic]] word meaning "gathering" or "meeting") traces its roots to the King's Councils – ''[[wiec]]e'' – which gained authority during the time of [[Testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth|Poland's fragmentation]] (1146-1295). The 1180 Sejm in [[Łęczyca]] (known as the 'First Polish parliament') was the most notable, in that it established laws constraining the power of the ruler. It forbade arbitrary sequestration of supplies in the countryside and takeover of bishopric lands after the death of a bishop. These early ''Sejm''s only convened at the King's behest.

Following the 1493 ''Sejm'' in [[Piotrków Trybunalski|Piotrków]], it became a regularly convening body, to which indirect elections were held every two years. The [[bicameral system]] was also established; the ''Sejm'' then comprised two chambers: the ''Senat'' (Senate) of 81 bishops and [[Offices in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth#Senatorial offices|other dignitaries]]; and the Chamber of Deputies, made up of 54 envoys elected by smaller local ''sejmik'' ([[Sejmik|assemblies of landed nobility]]) in each of the Kingdom's provinces. At the time, Poland's nobility, which accounted for around 10% of the state's population (then the highest amount in Europe), was becoming particularly influential, and with the eventual development of the [[Golden Liberty]], the ''Sejm'''s powers increased dramatically.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web |url=http://opis.sejm.gov.pl/en/historiasejmu.php |title=Poznaj Sejm |website=opis.sejm.gov.pl |access-date=16 June 2013 |archive-date=15 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015145404/http://opis.sejm.gov.pl/en/historiasejmu.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>