Partition Sejm

The Partition Sejm () was a Sejm lasting from 1773 to 1776 in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, convened by its three neighbours (Russian Empire, Prussia and Austria) in order to legalize their First Partition of Poland.

Russia was represented by Otto von Stackelberg, Prussia by Gedeon Benoit and Austria by Karl Reviczky (interesting enough, all three were Germans).

The Sejm begun on 17 April. The Sejm took place in Warsaw and the first 60 deputies and 9 senators declared it a confederated sejm (with decisions decided by the majority) to prevent liberum veto being used to stop it. The marshals of the Sejm were for the Crown of Poland, Adam Poniński, a Polish noble in Russian service, and for the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Michał Hieronim Radziwiłł. Through some deputies tried to protest (notably, Tadeusz Rejtan (who stole the marshal's cane), Samuel Korsak and Stanisław Bohuszewicz), the Sejm elected a committee of thirty to deal with the various matters presented.

On September 18, 1773, the Committee formally signed the treaty of cession, renouncing all claims of the Commonwealth to the occupied territories. The Sejm on 30 September 1773 accepted the partition treaty (notable supporters of the partition, in addition to Poniński, included Michał Hieronim Radziwiłł and the Bishops Andrzej Młodziejowski, Ignacy Jakub Massalski, and primate of Poland Antoni Kazimierz Ostrowski, who occupied high positions in the Senate of Poland).

Those of the senators who protested were...
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