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.

Etymology

The Latin expression, "nihil novi", had previously appeared in the Vulgate Bible phrase, "nihil novi sub sole", in Ecclesiastes 1:9.
"Nihil novi" in this political sense, is interpreted in the vernacular as "Nothing about us without us".

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''

The act of Nihil novi was passed in 1505 during a Sejm session in Radom that lasted from 30 March to 31 May and was held at the. It was signed by King Alexander Jagiellon on 31 March and adopted by the Sejm on 30 May.
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. This initiated the period in Polish history known as the "Nobles' Democracy," a limited democracy giving suffrage to male nobility, who at the time made up more than 10 percent of the Republic's population.

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