Upon Commencement of the Final War with the Teutonic Order. The Sejm in Toruń. 1519-1520.

The Sejm was convoked in October, Sejmiks held in November 1519. The Sejm was convoked in Toruń (Thorn), near the border with the Teutonic Order’s lands. Sejm sessions commenced on December 8th 1519, once King Sigismund I arrived in the city on December 8th 1519, yet after the outbreak of war. The King’s fundamental intent was to secure consent to taxation allowing warfare – yet the Deputies tabled a number of postulates as conditions for passing taxation resolutions (free navigation on the River Vistula, restrictions to town privileges as concerns the capture and punishing of noblemen for misdemeanours committed in cities, expanding the scope of domination over peasants and recognition of a peasant serfdom minimum – no less than 1 day per week per peasant lan, course and form of publishing Sejm constitutions). In all probability, Sejm debates concluded at the turn of December 1519 and January 1520.

See: Z. Wojciechowski, Zygmunt Stary, Warsaw 1946; W. Uruszczak, Sejm walny koronny w latach 1506-1540 (Crown Sejm General in the Years 1506-1540), Warsaw 1980. For legislation, see Volumina Constitutionum, vol. 1, part 1, prepared for print by S. Grodziski, I. Dwornicka, W. Uruszczak, Warsaw 1996, pp. 325-345.