General sejm in Cracow. 1553.

This sejm was convened in October 1522 to take place on 18 January 1553. The pre-sejm sejmiks were held in December 1552 and January 1553. The proceedings started not until 1 February 1553 and were finished by 29 March 1553. The elected marshal was Mikołaj Sienicki, chamberlain of Chełm. Sejm was convened after a longer stoppage, caused by the temporary residence of king Sigismund II Augustus in the Great Duchy of Lithuania. The proceedings were dominated by disputes with the king, mainly over problems concerning execution of laws, unsolved at previous sejms. Moreover, disputed between Chamber of Deputies and the Senate arose during the sessions. On the behalf of the Chamber of Deputies spoke mainly Hieronim Ossoliński and Mikołaj Sienicki. So, as a result, sejm matters dominated most of the sejm proceedings. However, tax and judiciary resolutions were adopted, as well as a letter mustering the general levy, referred also as “sending wici” [“wici”: in Polish tradition it was a medieval way of calling to arms].

See: Ustawodawstwo zob. Volumina Constitutionum, T. 2, cz. 1, Design and layout prepared by S. Grodziski, I. Dwornicka, W. Uruszczak, Warszawa 2005, s. 49-61..A. Sucheni-Grabowska, Sejm w latach 1540-1587 [1540-1587 Sejms], in: Historia sejmu polskiego [The history of Polish sejm], t. 1, Warszawa 1984, red. J. Michalski, s. 114-216.Diarjusze sejmów koronnych 1548, 1553 i 1570 [General sejm diaries in years 1548, 1553 and 1570]. Wyd. Józef Szujski, Kraków 1872 S. Płaza, A. Sucheni-Grabowska, Z badań nad polskim parlamentaryzmem XVI wieku [Research on Polish parliamentarism in 16th century.], „Czasopismo Prawno-Historyczne” , t. XXIV, 1974, z. 1, s. 59-83.