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Nihil novi nisi commune consensu ("Nothing new without the common consent") is the original Latin title of a 1505 act or constitution adopted by the Polish Sejm (parliament), meeting in the royal castle at Radom.

Etymology

The Latin expression, "nihil novi" ("nothing new"), had previously appeared in the Vulgate Bible phrase, "nihil novi sub sole" ("there is nothing new under the sun"), in Ecclesiastes 1:9.^[1]

"Nihil novi" in this political sense, is interpreted in the vernacular as "Nothing about us without us" (in Polish, "Nic o nas bez nas").

History

Nihil novi effectively established "nobles' democracy" in what came to be known as the Polish "Commonwealth [or Republic] of the Nobility". It was a major component of the evolution and eventual dominant position of the Polish parliament (Sejm).^[2]^[3]

Nihil novi

The act of Nihil novi was passed in 1505 during a Sejm session in Radom (sejm of Radom (1505) [pl]) that lasted from 30 March to 31 May and was held at the royal castle in Radom [pl].^[4] It was signed by King Alexander Jagiellon on 31 March^[5] and passed by Sejm on 30 May.^[3]^[6]^[7]

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 (królewszczyzny), mines, fiefdoms, royal peasants, and Jews.^{[citation needed]}

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 (the formally lower chamber of the Parliament), 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 (szlachta) were able to participate^[3] (the nobility constituting some ten percent of the Republic's population, still a higher eligible percentage than in much of Europe).

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.

Text

Whereas general laws and public acts pertain not to an individual but to the nation at large, wherefore at this General Sejm held at Radom we have, together with all our kingdom's prelates, councils and land deputies, determined it to be fitting and just, and have so resolved, that henceforth for all time to come nothing new shall be resolved by us or our successors, without the common consent of the senators and the land deputies, that shall be prejudicial or onerous to the Commonwealth [or "Republic"] or harmful and injurious to anyone, or that would tend to alter the general law and public liberty.^[8]

References

^ King James Version: "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun." New International Version: "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."
^ Wagner, W.J. (1992). "May 3, 1791, and the Polish constitutional tradition". The Polish Review. 36 (4): 383–395. JSTOR 25778591.
^ ^a ^b ^c Choińska-Mika, Joanna (2013). "Obywatele u władzy: narodziny, rozkwit i zmierzch szlacheckiej republiki". Klio. Czasopismo poświęcone dziejom Polski i powszechnym (in Polish). 26 (3): 23–54. doi:10.12775/KLIO.2013.032. ISSN 1643-8191. Na mocy aktu uchwalonego 30 maja, w którym zapewniano, że „nihil...
^ Grodecki, Roman; Zachorowski, Stanisław; Dąbrowski, Jan (1995). Dzieje Polski średniowiecznej: Od roku 1333 do 1506 (in Polish). Tow. Autorów i Wydawców Prac Naukowych Universitas. p. 477. ISBN 978-83-7052-230-8. na następnym też sejmie, który obradował w Radomiu od 30 marca do 31 maja 1505
^ Zamoyski, Adam (1987). The Polish Way: A Thousand-year History of the Poles and Their Culture. John Murray. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-7195-4283-1. granted on 31 March 1505 by King Aleksander
^ Linowski, Łukasz; Niedzielska, Agata Ewa, eds. (2022). Polski parlamentaryzm a lekcje historii (in Polish). Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego. p. 12. ISBN 978-83-235-5525-4. konstytucję wydano z datą 30 maja
^ Szpoper, Dariusz (2015). "Cura te ipsum! W odpowiedzi W. Uruszczakowi" (PDF). Studia z Dziejów Państwa i Prawa Polskiego (in Polish). 18: 256–272. Uchwalona na sejmie walnym w Radomiu w dniu 30 maja 1505 r. konstytucja Nihil novi stanowiła
^ Translated from Polish.

Sources

Norman Davies, God's Playground: A History of Poland in Two Volumes. Volume I: The Origins to 1795, New York, Columbia University Press, 1982, ISBN 0-231-05351-7.
Sebastian Piątkowski, Radom: zarys dziejów miasta (Radom: A Brief History of the City), Radom, 2000, ISBN 83-914912-0-X.
Adam Zamoyski, The Polish Way: A Thousand-Year History of the Poles and Their Culture, New York, Hippocrene Books, 1994, ISBN 0-7818-0200-8.

External links

Latin version of act (Starting in second section of page)

[1] King James Version: "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun." New International Version: "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."

[2] Wagner, W.J. (1992). "May 3, 1791, and the Polish constitutional tradition". The Polish Review. 36 (4): 383–395. JSTOR 25778591.

[:0-3] Choińska-Mika, Joanna (2013). "Obywatele u władzy: narodziny, rozkwit i zmierzch szlacheckiej republiki". Klio. Czasopismo poświęcone dziejom Polski i powszechnym (in Polish). 26 (3): 23–54. doi:10.12775/KLIO.2013.032. ISSN 1643-8191. Na mocy aktu uchwalonego 30 maja, w którym zapewniano, że „nihil...

[4] Grodecki, Roman; Zachorowski, Stanisław; Dąbrowski, Jan (1995). Dzieje Polski średniowiecznej: Od roku 1333 do 1506 (in Polish). Tow. Autorów i Wydawców Prac Naukowych Universitas. p. 477. ISBN 978-83-7052-230-8. na następnym też sejmie, który obradował w Radomiu od 30 marca do 31 maja 1505

[5] Zamoyski, Adam (1987). The Polish Way: A Thousand-year History of the Poles and Their Culture. John Murray. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-7195-4283-1. granted on 31 March 1505 by King Aleksander

[6] Linowski, Łukasz; Niedzielska, Agata Ewa, eds. (2022). Polski parlamentaryzm a lekcje historii (in Polish). Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego. p. 12. ISBN 978-83-235-5525-4. konstytucję wydano z datą 30 maja

[7] Szpoper, Dariusz (2015). "Cura te ipsum! W odpowiedzi W. Uruszczakowi" (PDF). Studia z Dziejów Państwa i Prawa Polskiego (in Polish). 18: 256–272. Uchwalona na sejmie walnym w Radomiu w dniu 30 maja 1505 r. konstytucja Nihil novi stanowiła

[8] Translated from Polish.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|1506 Polish constitutional document}}
+{{italics title}}
 {{Constitutions of Poland}}
-'''''Nihil novi nisi commune consensu''''' ("Nothing new without the [[Consent of the governed|common consent]]") is the original [[Latin]] title of a 1505 [[Statute|act]] adopted by the [[Poland|Polish]] ''[[Sejm]]'' ([[parliament]]), meeting in the royal castle at [[Radom]].
+'''''Nihil novi nisi commune consensu''''' ("Nothing new without the [[Consent of the governed|common consent]]") is the original [[Latin]] title of a [[1505]] [[Statute|act]] or [[constitution]] adopted by the [[Poland|Polish]] ''[[Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland|Sejm]]'' ([[parliament]]), meeting in the royal castle at [[Radom]].
+== Etymology ==
+The [[Latin]] expression, "''nihil novi''" ("nothing new"), had previously appeared in the [[Vulgate Bible]] phrase, "''nihil novi sub sole''" ("there is nothing new under the sun"), in ''[[Ecclesiastes]]'' 1:9.<ref>''[[King James Version]]'':  "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done:  and there is no new thing under the sun." ''[[New International Version]]'':  "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."</ref>
+"''Nihil novi''" in this [[politics|political]] sense, is interpreted in the [[vernacular]] as "[[Nothing about us without us]]" (in [[Polish language|Polish]], "''Nic o nas bez nas''").
 ==History==
 [[Image:POL Radom castle Nihil novi.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Plaque at [[Radom]] Castle, commemorating 500th anniversary of adoption there, in 1505, of Act of ''Nihil novi'']]
-''Nihil novi'' effectively established "[[Golden Liberty|nobles' democracy]]" in what came to be known as the Polish "[[Commonwealth]] [or [[Republic]]] of the Nobility." It was a major component of the evolution and eventual dominant position of the Polish parliament ([[Sejm]]).<ref>{{cite journal|last=Wagner|first=W.J.|title=May 3, 1791, and the Polish constitutional tradition|journal=The Polish Review|date=1992|volume=36|issue=4|pages=383–395|jstor=25778591}}</ref>
+''Nihil novi'' effectively established "[[Golden Liberty|nobles' democracy]]" in what came to be known as the Polish "[[Commonwealth]] [or [[Republic]]] of the Nobility". It was a major component of the evolution and eventual dominant position of the Polish parliament ([[Sejm]]).<ref>{{cite journal|last=Wagner|first=W.J.|title=May 3, 1791, and the Polish constitutional tradition|journal=The Polish Review|date=1992|volume=36|issue=4|pages=383–395|jstor=25778591}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Choińska-Mika |first=Joanna |date=2013 |title=Obywatele u władzy: narodziny, rozkwit i zmierzch szlacheckiej republiki |url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=664287 |journal=Klio. Czasopismo poświęcone dziejom Polski i powszechnym |language=Polish |volume=26 |issue=3 |pages=23–54 |doi=10.12775/KLIO.2013.032 |issn=1643-8191 |quote=Na mocy aktu uchwalonego 30 maja, w którym zapewniano, że „nihil...|doi-access=free }}</ref>
-"'''''Nihil novi'''''," in this [[politics|political]] sense, is interpreted in the [[vernacular]] as "[[Nothing about us without us]]" (in [[Polish language|Polish]], "''Nic o nas bez nas''").
-The Latin expression, "''nihil novi''" ("nothing new"), had previously appeared in the [[Vulgate Bible]] phrase, "''nihil novi sub sole''" ("there is nothing new under the sun"), in ''[[Ecclesiastes]]'' 1:9.<ref>''[[King James Version]]'':  "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done:  and there is no new thing under the sun." ''[[New International Version]]'':  "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."</ref>
 == ''Nihil novi'' ==
+The act of ''Nihil novi'' was passed in 1505 during a [[Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland|Sejm]] session in Radom ({{ill|sejm of Radom (1505)|pl|sejm radomski 1505}}) that lasted from 30 March to 31 May and was held at the {{ill|royal castle in Radom|pl|Zamek Królewski w Radomiu}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Grodecki |first1=Roman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ObkjAQAAIAAJ&q=%22od+30+marca+do+31+maja+1505%22 |title=Dzieje Polski średniowiecznej: Od roku 1333 do 1506 |last2=Zachorowski |first2=Stanisław |last3=Dąbrowski |first3=Jan |date=1995 |publisher=Tow. Autorów i Wydawców Prac Naukowych Universitas |isbn=978-83-7052-230-8 |pages=477 |language=pl |quote=na następnym też sejmie, który obradował w Radomiu od 30 marca do 31 maja 1505}}</ref> It was signed by King [[Alexander Jagiellon]] on 31 March<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zamoyski |first=Adam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G_quAQAACAAJ&q=The+Polish+Way |title=The Polish Way: A Thousand-year History of the Poles and Their Culture |date=1987 |publisher=John Murray |isbn=978-0-7195-4283-1 |pages=99 |language=en |quote=granted on 31 March 1505 by King Aleksander}}</ref> and passed by Sejm on 30 May.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/book-detail?id=1042479 |title=Polski parlamentaryzm a lekcje historii |date=2022 |publisher=Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego |isbn=978-83-235-5525-4 |editor-last=Linowski |editor-first=Łukasz |pages=12 |language=Polish |quote=konstytucję wydano z datą 30 maja |editor-last2=Niedzielska |editor-first2=Agata Ewa}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Szpoper |first=Dariusz |date=2015 |title=Cura te ipsum! W odpowiedzi W. Uruszczakowi |url=https://bibliotekanauki.pl/articles/533009.pdf |journal=Studia z Dziejów Państwa i Prawa Polskiego |language=pl |volume=18 |pages=256–272 |quote=Uchwalona na sejmie walnym w  Radomiu w  dniu 30 maja 1505  r. konstytucja  Nihil novi stanowiła}}</ref>
-The ''[[Sejm]]'''s 1505 Act of ''Nihil novi nisi commune consensu'' marked an important victory for Poland's [[szlachta|nobility]] over her [[List of Polish monarchs|kings]]. It forbade the king to issue laws without the consent of the nobility, represented by the ''[[Senate of Poland|Senat]]'' and Chamber of Deputies, except for laws governing [[Free Royal Cities Act|royal cities]], [[crown land]]s (''królewszczyzny''), [[mining|mine]]s, [[fiefdom]]s, royal [[peasant]]s, and [[Jew]]s.
+The Sejm''<nowiki/>'''s 1505 Act of ''Nihil novi nisi commune consensu'' marked an important victory for Poland's [[szlachta|nobility]] over her [[List of Polish monarchs|kings]]. It forbade the king to issue laws without the consent of the nobility, represented by the ''[[Senate of Poland|Senat]]'' and Chamber of Deputies, except for laws governing [[Free Royal Cities Act|royal cities]], [[crown land]]s (''królewszczyzny''), [[mining|mine]]s, [[fiefdom]]s, royal [[peasant]]s, and [[Jew]]s.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}
-''Nihil novi'' invalidated the [[Privilege of Mielnik]], which had strengthened only the [[magnate]]s, and it thus tipped the balance of power in favor of the Chamber of Deputies (the formally lower chamber of the [[Sejm|Parliament]]), where the ordinary [[szlachta|nobility]] held sway. ''Nihil novi'' is often regarded as initiating the period in [[History of Poland|Polish history]] known as "[[History of Poland (1569-1795)|Nobles' Democracy]]," which was but a limited democracy as only male nobility (''[[szlachta]]'') were able to participate (the nobility constituting some ten percent of the Republic's population, still a higher eligible percentage than in much of Europe).
+''Nihil novi'' invalidated the [[Privilege of Mielnik]], which had strengthened only the [[magnate]]s, and it thus tipped the balance of power in favor of the Chamber of Deputies (the formally lower chamber of the [[Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland|Parliament]]), where the ordinary [[szlachta|nobility]] held sway. ''Nihil novi'' is often regarded as initiating the period in [[History of Poland|Polish history]] known as "[[History of Poland (1569-1795)|Nobles' Democracy]]," which was but a limited democracy as only male nobility (''[[szlachta]]'') were able to participate<ref name=":0" /> (the nobility constituting some ten percent of the Republic's population, still a higher eligible percentage than in much of Europe).
-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 [[szlachta|nobility]] further expanded their power by [[Repeal|abrogating]] most [[city|cities']] voting rights in the ''[[Sejm]]'' and by forbidding [[peasant]]s to leave their lands without permission from their [[feudal lord]]s, thereby firmly establishing a "second [[serfdom]]" in Poland.
+That same year, the [[szlachta|nobility]] further expanded their power by [[Repeal|abrogating]] most [[city|cities']] voting rights in the Sejm and by forbidding [[peasant]]s to leave their lands without permission from their [[feudal lord]]s, thereby firmly establishing a "second [[serfdom]]" in Poland.
 == Text ==
 {{wikisource}}
-{{Blockquote|Whereas general [[law]]s and public [[statute|act]]s pertain not to an individual but to the nation at large, wherefore at this [[General Sejm]] held at [[Radom]] we have, together with all our kingdom's [[prelate]]s, councils and land deputies, determined it to be fitting and just, and have so resolved, that henceforth for all time to come ''nothing new'' shall be resolved by us or our successors, ''without the common consent'' of the [[senator]]s and the land deputies, that shall be prejudicial or onerous to the Commonwealth [or "[[Rzeczpospolita|Republic]]"] or harmful and injurious to anyone, or that would tend to alter the general law and public liberty.<ref>Translated from [[Polish language|Polish]].</ref>}}
+{{Blockquote|Whereas general [[law]]s and public [[statute|act]]s pertain not to an individual but to the nation at large, wherefore at this [[Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland|General Sejm]] held at [[Radom]] we have, together with all our kingdom's [[prelate]]s, councils and land deputies, determined it to be fitting and just, and have so resolved, that henceforth for all time to come ''nothing new'' shall be resolved by us or our successors, ''without the common consent'' of the [[senator]]s and the land deputies, that shall be prejudicial or onerous to the Commonwealth [or "[[Rzeczpospolita|Republic]]"] or harmful and injurious to anyone, or that would tend to alter the general law and public liberty.<ref>Translated from [[Polish language|Polish]].</ref>}}
-== See also ==
+==See also==
+* [[List of Latin phrases]]
-* [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]]
+* [[Nothing About Us Without Us]]
+* [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]
 * [[Szlachta privileges]]
-==Notes==
+==References==
 {{reflist}}
-==References==
+==Sources==
-* [[Norman Davies]], ''God's Playground:  A History of Poland in Two Volumes.  Volume I:  The Origins to 1795'', New York, Columbia University Press, 1982, ISBN 0-231-05351-7.
+* [[Norman Davies]], ''God's Playground:  A History of Poland in Two Volumes.  Volume I:  The Origins to 1795'', New York, Columbia University Press, 1982, {{ISBN|0-231-05351-7}}.
-* Sebastian Piątkowski, ''Radom:  zarys dziejów miasta'' (Radom:  A Brief History of the City), Radom, 2000, ISBN 83-914912-0-X.
+* Sebastian Piątkowski, ''Radom:  zarys dziejów miasta'' (Radom:  A Brief History of the City), Radom, 2000, {{ISBN|83-914912-0-X}}.
-* [[Adam Zamoyski]], ''The Polish Way:  A Thousand-Year History of the Poles and Their Culture'', New York, Hippocrene Books, 1994, ISBN 0-7818-0200-8.
+* [[Adam Zamoyski]], ''The Polish Way:  A Thousand-Year History of the Poles and Their Culture'', New York, Hippocrene Books, 1994, {{ISBN|0-7818-0200-8}}.
+== External links ==
+* [https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10690847?page=170 Latin version of act] (Starting in second section of page)
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Nihil Novi}}
 [[Category:1505 in law]]
 [[Category:1505 in Poland]]
-[[Category:History of Poland (1385–1569)]]
 [[Category:Legal history of Poland]]
 [[Category:Latin words and phrases]]
-[[Category:Latin legal terms]]
+[[Category:Latin legal terminology]]
 [[Category:Constitutions of Poland]]
-[[Category:Lesser Poland]]
+[[Category:Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]