* liberum veto ( a later development ), the right for a single representative to veto the entire proceedings of the Sejm

Later, with the rise of the Polish magnates and their increasing power, the unanimity principle was re-introduced with the institution of the nobility's right of ' liberum veto ' ( Latin: ' I freely forbid ').

In the 16th century, no single person or small group dared to hold up proceedings, but, from the second half of the 17th century, the liberum veto was used to virtually paralyze the Sejm, and brought the Commonwealth to the brink of collapse.

During the reign of Władysław IV ( 1632 – 48 ), the liberum veto had evolved.

The liberum veto and all the old abuses of the last one and a half centuries were guaranteed as unalterable parts of this new constitution ( in the so-called cardinal laws ).

In 1605 Sigismund attempted to strengthen the monarch's power by asking the Sejm ( the Polish – Lithuanian Commonwealth's parliament ) to limit the liberum veto, increase taxes, and augment the military.

On the other hand the Commonwealth, under king John II Casimir Vasa since 1648, experienced a crisis resulting both from the Cossack Khmelnytsky Uprising in the southeast and from the paralysis of the administration due to the internal quarrels of the nobility, including feuds between the king and the Lithuanian hetman Janusz Radziwiłł and feuds among disagreeing sejmiks who had been able to stall each other's ambitions with the liberum veto since 1652.

It banned pernicious parliamentary institutions such as the liberum veto, which had put the Sejm at the mercy of any single deputy who could choose, or be bribed by an interest or foreign power, to undo all the legislation that had been passed by that Sejm.

* liberum veto ( Latin ), the right of an individual land envoy to oppose a decision by the majority in a Sejm session ; the voicing of such a " free veto " nullified all the legislation that had been passed at that session ; during the crisis of the second half of the 17th century, Polish nobles could also use the liberum veto in provincial sejmiks ;

Failing to evolve into the " modern " system of an absolutist and national monarchy, the Commonwealth suffered a gradual decline down to the brink of anarchy, through liberum veto and other abuses of the system.

Notably, neither the Republic of Venice nor Italy had a liberum veto among their institutions.

On the Sejm's first day ( 19 April ), and possibly even in the discussions on the previous days, Rejtan, working together with the Stanisław Bohuszewicz and Samuel Korsak, strongly protested against the proposal of Adam Poniński who wanted to form a confederated sejm ( such as sejm would be immune to the threat of liberum veto ).

Also, during the Deluge in 1652, the liberum veto was established in these rooms, although not carried out until 1669.

The liberum veto ( Latin for " the free veto ") was a parliamentary device in the Polish – Lithuanian Commonwealth.

From the mid-16th to the late 18th century, the Polish – Lithuanian Commonwealth had the liberum veto, a form of unanimity voting rule, in its parliamentary deliberations.

The principle of liberum veto formed a key role on the political system of the Commonwealth, strengthening democratic elements and checking the royal power, going against the European-wide trend of strong executive ( absolute monarchy ).

Many historians hold that the principle of liberum veto was a major cause of the deterioration of the Commonwealth political system — particularly in the 18th century, when foreign powers bribed Sejm members to paralyze its proceedings — and the Commonwealth's eventual downfall.

He invented the concept of the Free seas or Mare liberum, which was fiercely contested by England, the Netherlands's main rival for domination of world trade.

It is commonly, and erroneously, believed that a Sejm was first disrupted by means of liberum veto by a Trakai deputy, Władysław Siciński, in 1652.

It was fewer than 20 years later, in 1669, in Kraków, that the entire Sejm was prematurely disrupted on the strength of the liberum veto before it had finished its deliberations.

Its primary purpose was to avoid disruption by the liberum veto, unlike the national Sejm, which was paralyzed by the veto during this period.

On some occasions, a confederated sejm was formed of the whole membership of the national Sejm, so that the liberum veto would not operate there.

The road to reform was not easy, as conservatives, supported by the foreigner powers, opposed most of the changes, attempting to defend liberum veto and other elements perpetuating the inefficient governance, most notably through the Cardinal Laws of 1768.

The liberum veto was finally abolished by the Constitution of May 3, 1791, adopted by a confederated sejm, which permanently established the principle of majority rule.

Roháč Dalibor noted that the " principle of liberum veto played an important role in emergence of the unique Polish form of constitutionalism " and acted as a significant constraint on the powers of the monarch by making the " rule of law, religious tolerance and limited constitutional government ... the norm in Poland in times when the rest of Europe was being devastated by religious hatred and despotism.

At the same time, historians hold that the principle of liberum veto was a major cause of the deterioration of the Commonwealth political system and Commonwealth's eventual downfall.

Its primary purpose was to avoid being subject to disruption by the liberum veto, unlike the national Sejm, which was paralyzed by the veto during this period.

On some occasions, a confederated sejm was formed from the whole membership of the national Sejm, so that the liberum veto would not operate there.

Many historians hold that a major cause of the Commonwealth's downfall was the peculiar parliamentary institution of the liberum veto (" free veto "), which since 1652 had in principle permitted any Sejm deputy to nullify all the legislation that had been adopted by that Sejm.

Some sejmiks were also affected by liberum veto ( until it was abolished for sejmiks in 1766 ); this was not always the case as some decided to forgo unanimity and move to majority voting.

A castellan of several notable towns, he was an important politician at the royal court in Warsaw and was one of the main supporters of the liberum veto during the diet of 1764, when he became known for his dispute with Szymon Konarski.

The liberum veto was finally abolished by the Constitution of May 3, 1791.

The Constitution of May 3, 1791 finally abolished the liberum veto, replacing it by majority voting, in most important matters requiring 75 % of the votes.

The Constitution abolished pernicious parliamentary institutions such as the liberum veto, which at one time had placed a sejm at the mercy of any deputy who might choose, or be bribed by an interest or foreign power, to undo all the legislation that had been passed by that sejm.

The Constitution abolished pernicious parliamentary institutions such as the liberum veto, which at one time had placed the sejm at the mercy of any deputy who might choose, or be bribed by an interest or foreign power, to undo all the legislation that had been passed by that sejm.

The Dutch, for their part, considered it their right to trade with anyone anywhere, defending the principle of the mare liberum.

The issue ended in a political deadlock, with Denmark – Norway and England both claiming sovereignty and France, the Netherlands and Spain claiming it a free zone under mare liberum.

In the face of an inefficient central government, with the national Sejm often disrupted by the liberum veto, and the office of starosta losing much of its importance, sejmiks administered part of the taxes, and raised their own military ( wojsko powiatowe ).

The Czartoryski's Familia have seen the decline of the Commonwealth and the rise of anarchy and joined to camp which was determined to press ahead with the reforms, thus they sought the enactment of such constitutional reforms as the abolition of the liberum veto.

32 sejms were vetoed with the infamous liberum veto, particularly in the first half of the 18th century.

Later, with the rise of the magnates ' power, the unanimity principle was enforced with the szlachta privilege of liberum veto ( from the Latin: " I freely forbid ").