Théodore de Bèze, The Liberum Veto and the ''King Henry's Articles“ of Poland: The origins of both constitutional splendor in the 16th century and political decadence of the most serene Res Publica Poloniae Diagnosed by Rousseau in the 18th Century

Abstract

This article will approach the repercussion of the Political Philosophyof Théodore de Bèze, related to the protagonism of the Polish Protestant nobility in century XVI, which culminated in the constitutional document “Articles of the King Henry”. Among other restrictions to the royal power, the document appoints that: the king must call the parliament regularly as well as submit extraordinary taxes to the parliamentary assembly; the king only can declare war or celebrate peace with the consent of the “Sejm” – the Polish parliament, headed by the nobility. In this period, other prerogatives of this class are strengthened, like the liberum veto. Although the principle of the liberum veto was not formally codified, the chaos experienced by the The Most Serene Republic of Poland – object of many of Rousseau’s criticism regarding the Polish political organization – has its origins in those prerogatives from the Sixteenth Century, as will be shown.