Nihil novi


Nihil novi nisi commune consensu is the original Latin title of a 1505 act or constitution adopted by the Polish Sejm, meeting in the royal castle at Radom.

History

Nihil novi effectively established "nobles' democracy" in what came to be known as the Polish "Commonwealth of the Nobility". It was a major component of the evolution and eventual dominant position of the Polish parliament.
"Nihil novi", in this political sense, is interpreted in the vernacular as "Nothing about us without us".
The Latin expression, "nihil novi", had previously appeared in the Vulgate Bible phrase, "nihil novi sub sole", in Ecclesiastes 1:9.

''Nihil novi''

The Sejm's 1505 Act of Nihil novi nisi commune consensu marked an important victory for Poland's nobility over her kings. It forbade the king to issue laws without the consent of the nobility, represented by the Senat and Chamber of Deputies, except for laws governing royal cities, crown lands, mines, fiefdoms, royal peasants, and Jews.
Nihil novi invalidated the Privilege of Mielnik, which had strengthened only the magnates, and it thus tipped the balance of power in favor of the Chamber of Deputies, where the ordinary nobility held sway. Nihil novi is often regarded as initiating the period in Polish history known as "Nobles' Democracy," which was but a limited democracy as only male nobility were able to participate.
The act of Nihil novi was signed by King Alexander Jagiellon on 3 May 1505 in a Sejm session held at the royal castle in Radom.
That same year, the nobility further expanded their power by abrogating most cities' voting rights in the Sejm and by forbidding peasants to leave their lands without permission from their feudal lords, thereby firmly establishing a "second serfdom" in Poland.

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