Magnate projects of electoral reform during the reign of Sigismund III and the potential effects of their implementation

Abstract

Projects for reforming the mode of free election during the reign of the first Vasa dynasty were discussed in the literature in terms of the circumstances of their creation, but without final conclusions regarding the possibility of their implementation and effects. The author of this article dealt with the issue of the possibility of practical application of these projects, the conditions necessary for their implementation and their potential effects in terms of political changes (legalization of the transition from a republic to an oligarchy or full monarchy) and social changes (acceptance of the separation of the nobility as a separate state), considering the progressive decentralization of state management and relations between Poland and Lithuania in the period in question.