Provincial Council (Polish-Prussia)

The Landesrat (historically mostly council ) was the governing body in Prussia's royal portion in the Kingdom of Poland from the 15th century to 1569.

Structures

The regional council consisted of the bishops of Warmia and Kulm , the voivodes of Pomerania , Marienburg and Kulm , the lower chamberlain and castellans of the three voivodships, three representatives each from the large cities of Danzig , Elbing and Thorn and two representatives of the landed nobility. The chairmanship was held by the Bishop of Warmia (initially the governor of Polish Prussia).

The National Council was the political governing body of the Polish province of Royal Prussia and met at least twice a year. He was also a member of the Provincial Diet, which also included the representatives of the smaller towns and the landed gentry.

history

The regional council was formed after the First Peace of Thorn of 1411 as a representative of the cities and the nobility in the state of the Teutonic Order . After western Prussia became part of the Kingdom of Poland from 1466, the composition changed. The governor became its head, and after 1480 the Bishop of Warmia.

In 1569 the Provincial Council was formally dissolved after the Union of Lublin . The three big cities and the voivodes should belong to the Senate (upper chamber) in the Polish Sejm , the remaining representatives should meet in the Landtag ( Sejmik ).

literature

• Peter Baumgart, Jürgen Schmädeke: Corporate state and state formation in Brandenburg-Prussia. Walter de Gruyter Berlin, New York 1983. p. 134 .
• Hartmut Boockmann : East Prussia and West Prussia . (= German history in Eastern Europe). Siedler, Berlin 1992. pp. 262-265.