The Constitution of 3 May 1791 was adopted by the Great Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and is regarded as the first modern written national constitution in Europe and the second in the world, after that of the United States. It was drafted by reformers including King Stanislaw August Poniatowski, Ignacy Potocki and Hugo Kollataj. It established a constitutional monarchy with the separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers, abolished the liberum veto, which had paralysed the Sejm, and gave limited rights to townspeople and some protection to peasants. Conservative nobles formed the Targowica Confederation and asked Russia for help. Russian troops invaded, and the Second Partition of Poland in 1793 ended the reforms.
Before and after
- 1791Discovery of titanium
- 1791Brandenburg Gate
- 23 April 1791Birth of James Buchanan
- 27 April 1791Birth of Samuel Finley Breese Morse
- 3 May 1791Constitution of May 3, 1791
- from 14 August 1791 to 1 January 1804Haitian Revolution
- 22 September 1791Birth of Michael Faraday
- 5 December 1791Death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- 26 December 1791Birth of Charles Babbage
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 24 June 1812 to 14 December 1812French invasion of Russia
- from 1821 to 1829Greek War of Independence
- from 24 April 1846 to 2 February 1848Mexican-American War
- from 18 August 1866 to 10 May 1871Unification of Germany
- from 24 April 1877 to 3 March 1878Tenth Russo-Turkish War
- 27 August 1896Anglo-Zanzibar War
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 18th century.