History
“The silent” Seimas the end of the internal fights
The Sejm of the Polish – Lithuanian joint state – the Commonwealth of the Two Nations – that convened on 1 February 1717, and sat in conference for only six or seven hours instead of the usual several weeks or several months, was given a name of “silent” because the draft laws were approved without considering them and none of the participants was allowed to start discussions. This procedure for adopting laws was agreed upon in advance. Only the Speaker of the Sejm was allowed to speak whose candidature was coordinated prior to the beginning of the Sejm. There was no usual election of the Speaker of the Sejm either. […]