The Warsaw Confederation, also called the Compact of Warsaw, was a political-legal act concluded in Warsaw by the first Convocation Sejm (Sejm konwokacyjny) of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and formally promulgated in Kraków on 28 January 1573. Convened and deliberating as a confederation between 6 and 29 January 1573, during the Commonwealth's first interregnum (1572–1574), the Sejm sought to establish a general confederation to secure continuity of governance and prepare for the election of a new king. The confederation also aimed to enact a guarantee of religious tolerance, ensuring the political equality of dissenters with Catholics. It is regarded as one of the first European acts to grant freedom of religion.
It was an important development in the history of Poland and Lithuania, extending religious tolerance to the nobility and free persons (burghers, the townspeople of royal cities) within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. This event is considered the formal beginning of religious freedom in the Commonwealth. Although the confederation initially granted religious freedom primarily to the nobility, it was also embraced in practice by the townspeople of royal cities. This groundbreaking act marked a significant milestone not just for the Commonwealth but for the entire continent, as it was one of the first European acts granting broad religious freedoms.
The text of the Warsaw Confederation was originally written in multiple languages: the original in Classical Latin and Old Polish (mixed-language manuscript), with translations in Ruthenian, Early New High German, and Middle French (intended for Prince Henry of Valois who would be crowned King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania). This multilingual approach ensured that the document could be understood by a diverse audience within the Commonwealth and beyond.
While the confederation could not prevent all religious conflicts and tensions within the state, it guaranteed religious tolerance, civil rights, and political equality to religious minorities, the so-called dissenters (dissidentes de religione), who did not follow the dominant Roman Catholic state religion. At the same time, it ensured internal peace and stability in the Commonwealth, especially during a time of great religious upheavals in 16th and 17th century Europe, which culminated in events such as the bloody Huguenot Wars and the devastating Thirty Years' War.
History of religious tolerance in Poland
Religious tolerance in Poland has a long tradition (e.g., Statute of Kalisz), and influenced by two significant documents issued by King Casimir III the Great. On 30 August 1356, the king approved customs, freedoms, and privileges in the realm of worship and administrative matters for the Monophysite Armenians. In a document from 1341, he guaranteed the followers of the Orthodox Church respect for their rites and customs. This stance by King Casimir made Poland the first multi-denominational state in Europe, where the royal court was Roman Catholic. However, tolerance for schismatics did not extend to heresies that arose within the Catholic Church. The Edict of Wieluń by King Władysław II Jagiełło in 1424 recognised Hussitism as a crime against the state. Nonetheless, in the same century, the Orthodox nobility enjoyed the same privileges as the Catholic nobility, as did the Armenians in Poland. Certain restrictions on the access of Orthodox Christians to the highest offices in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were lifted by King Sigismund II of Poland in 1563 and 1568. In addition to the Orthodox and Armenians, Lipka Tatars, Ashkenazi Jews, and Crimean Karaites living in some cities and more numerous Lithuanian villages also enjoyed tolerance in Poland–Lithuania.
In opposition to the prevailing principles in Western Europe, a doctrine regarding the state's relationship with pagans was formed in Poland in the 15th century, represented by Bishop Andrzej Łaskarz of Poznań and Paweł Włodkowic from the Kraków Academy (Jagiellonian University). In the early years of the Protestant Reformation, royal edicts against reformers were issued, but their implementation was far from perfect. King Sigismund I the Old himself recognised not only the secularisation of the Duchy of Prussia in 1525 but also, as the first ruler, recognised Lutheranism in Prussia as an official religion, guaranteeing tolerance for Catholics. Bishop Andrzej Krzycki, defending the Treaty of Kraków of 1525, referred to the fact that in Poland, alongside Catholics, Ruthenians, Armenians, Ashkenazi Jews, and Lipka Tatars had long lived together in harmony; in this community, there was also a place for Lutherans in the Duchy of Prussia.
Anabaptists, who arrived in Poland in 1535, and Mennonites, who appeared in Poland in 1526, also received tolerance. In the years 1557–1559, King Sigismund II Augustus guaranteed the cities of Prussia the freedom of the Augsburg Confession, and in the Treaty of Vilnius of 1561, Livonia received the same privilege, where the king guaranteed the nobility and townspeople freedom of the Lutheran Confession while simultaneously ensuring tolerance for Catholicism.
Sandomierz Agreement to the Warsaw Confederation
In 1570, representatives of Lutherans, Calvinists, and the Bohemain Brethren residing in the Commonwealth gathered in Sandomierz, where they reached an agreement to mutually recognize each other as Christian denominations and to jointly oppose the Catholic majority. They excluded the Arians (Polish Brethren) from their group, deeming them heretics. The dissenters presented a draft constitution (the Sandomierz Agreement) to the Sejm (parliament) in 1570, guaranteeing freedom of religion for all, so that "everyone may believe according to their conscience" on an equal footing with Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians. However, this draft was not accepted at that time.
Meanwhile, on 7 July 1572, following the childless death of the last king, Sigismund II Augustus of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the Protestant camp, facing a new election for a new king, found itself without legal guarantees for their faith. The matter of choosing a new king was crucial for both sides, as in Europe, kings determined the religious character of their kingdom. Catholics rallied around Bishop Stanisław Karnkowski of Kuyavia. The Roman Catholic primate of Poland Jakub Uchański was a supporter of church reform, which brought him closer to the Protestants. The dissenters were led by Grand Marshal Jan Firlej and the Voivode of Sandomierz Piotr Zborowski. Fearing pressure from the numerous Mazovian nobility loyal to the Catholic Church, the Protestants decided that the election of the new king should take place in Bystrzyca near Lublin, hoping that the Protestant nobility of Lublin would influence the future election. The Catholics, on the other hand, aimed for the election to be held near Warsaw due to the numerous Catholic Mazovian nobility.
Religious tolerance in Poland had been de facto policy during the reign of King Sigismund II Augustus. However, the articles signed by the Confederation gave official sanction to earlier customs. In that sense, they may be considered either the beginning or the peak of Polish tolerance.
Formation of the Warsaw Confederation
The Convocation Sejm (parliament), acting as the Confederation Legislature, was composed of approximately 200 high-ranking nobles (the szlachta) from Poland and Lithuania. They gathered at Warsaw to prevent any separatists from acting and to maintain the existing legal order. To achieve this, the citizens had to unconditionally abide by the decisions made by the body, and the Confederation was a potent declaration that the two former states were still closely linked. At the Convocation Sejm (January 1573), it was decided that every nobleman (viritim) from the Commonwealth could participate in electing a new king, although attendance was not obligatory. Warsaw was designated as the place of election. Another victory for the Catholics was the recognition of the Roman Catholic primate of Poland, Jakub Uchański, as interrex, who would henceforth convene assemblies, appoint, and crown the king. The Grand Marshal, who was then the Calvinist Jan Firlej, was granted the right to announce the election of the new king.