Security of the Greater Poland during the elections of the Polish Vasa dynasty. Mechanisms, organization and legal state

Abstract

The interregnum is an exceptional time for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. During its duration, some institutions did not function as normal as the reign of the monarch, so it was necessary for the assemblies to develop certain rules of conduct at these times. One of the most important issues in this difficult period was security. In the resolutions of the province assembly, it was decided to establish own armed forces, which were to defend the local territory. The representatives of Vasa in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were elected three times. During each election, province assembly of Greater Poland, shared for the Poznań and Kalisz voivodeships, appointed soldiers who were to guard Greater Poland. How large were these enlistments, what were their characteristics and who were their leaders, as well as many other issues will be explained by the author in the article.