Uwagi na temat funkcjonowania sejmiku województw poznańskiego i kaliskiego w Środzie w czasach panowania Władysława IV
Remarks on the functioning of the Poznań and Kalisz Provincial Assembly in Środa during the reign of Władysław IV

Summary/Abstract: The Assembly of the Poznań and Kalisz Provinces in Środa was one of the most important in the entire Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Nevertheless, a comprehensive analysis of its functioning in the 17th century has yet to be written. Stanisław Płaza’s study is limited to the files published by Włodzimierz Dworzaczek (1572–1632). Meanwhile, there are a large number of manuscript sources allowing for very detailed analysis, much more accurate than in the case of other assemblies. During the reign of Władysław IV (1633–1648), the Assembly met regularly in Środa, while the nobility gathered on exceptional occasions in Poznań. The sessions were attended by many senators, arriving as part of a large procession, but the attendance of the nobility is difficult to determine. Sessions of the Assembly could last over a week, and the Assembly itself was generally convened two to three times a year. Pre-Assemblies and Deputy Assemblies were always held, while Relational Assembly sessions were irregular. The nobility tried to organize them together with the Deputy Assemblies. Occasionally, Assembly was convened to adopt taxes. The Assemblies are associated with documentation, both drafted by the royal chancellery (universals, legations), as well as the Assembly itself and the nobility (lauds, instructions, financial documents, correspondence, protests). In the calm and peaceful times of Władysław IV, the Assembly functioned well, and there is no information in the sources of sessions being interrupted or duplicated.

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