Constitution of 1815 of the Kingdom of Poland

a constitution signed by Alexander I on Nov. 17, 1815, under which the Kingdom of Poland became a constitutional monarchy linked to the Russian Empire by a de facto union. The king exercised executive authority but shared legislative power with the Sejm, retaining for himself the legislative initiative and the right of veto. The constitution established a bicameral Sejm consisting of the Senate, appointed by the King, and the Chamber of Deputies, made up of 77 deputies from the local sejms of the nobility and 51 deputies from the town councils. Only those who paid a poll tax of not less than 100 zlotys were permitted to vote. The constitution proclaimed the inviolability of the individual and freedom of the press and recognized Polish as the official language. After the suppression of the Polish Uprising of 1830–31, the constitution was revoked, to be replaced by the Organic Statute of the Kingdom of Poland (1832).