When absolute governments began to dominate in many countries of modern Europe, democracy developed in Poland and Lithuania. Admittedly only among the nobility but it was still an extraordinary peculiarity in the systems of government of the then world.

On July 7, 1572, Sigismund II Augustus, king of the Kingdom of Poland and prince of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, passed away from this world. Earlier, in 1569, the two countries merged and created the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Death is natural, even among kings. In this case, the problem was that Sigismund II Augustus did not leave a descendant who could take the throne. So, there was an interregnum in the country.

Free election or how to deal with the interregnum

The nobility in Poland and Lithuania decided to solve this problem in an unconventional way at that time.

It was established that the power during the interregnum would be taken over by an interrex, the primate of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The first was Jakub Uchański, the archbishop of Gniezno. The task of the interrex was to call the convocation of the Seym. At this Seym, the nobles determined what obligations the future king would have to undertake before he was crowned.

Then the elections were called. The first one, in which every nobleman from Poland and Lithuania could vote, began on April 5, 1573. Nobles from various parts of the country, 6-7 thousand people and the candidates for the throne or their representatives appeared at the Seym congregation. At the first Seym of the free election, there were many candidates for the throne of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth including Ernest Habsburg, Archduke of Austria; Jan III Vasa, king of Sweden; Ivan IV the Terrible, the ruler of the Moscow state, and Henry Valois, brother of Charles IX, king of France.

Who won the elections?

The nobility started voting. Anyone who came to the election Sejm was allowed to participate in it – regardless of property status or religion. Representatives did not vote; therefore, the election was called free. The voivodships voted on their own which means that a candidate who won in a given voivodship received the support of that region.

On May 9, 1573, when the counting of votes was finished, it turned out that Henry of Valois was supported by 22 voivodeships, which was enough to win. The coronation took place on February 21, 1574. However, the reign of Henry de Valois did not last long. The elective system itself, i.e. the election of rulers through free elections, turned out to be more durable than his reign. It remained in Poland and Lithuania until the second half of the eighteenth century.