The political structure of Poland in French political treatises of the second half of the 16th century

Abstract

The Political Structure of Poland in the French Political Treatieses of the Second Half of the 16th Century. Poland became an object of scholarly interest in the 16th-century treatises, which can be explained by the conclusion of the Union of Lublin and the creation of a new political entity, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The interest of the French political thinkers in Poland was associated with the election of Henry de Valois, Duke of Anjou, as King of the Poland in 1573. This fact was discussed in French political treatises and was used by supporters of both royal power and supporters of popular representation and the elective power of the king in their political rhetoric. Historians, geographers, and political thinkers debated the issue of the Polish political structure. The article examines three treatises: «The Six Books on the Commonwealth», «A Defense of Liberty Against Tyrant», and «The Alarm Bell of the French and Their Neighbors». The authors include Jean Bodin, Philippe Duplessis-Mornay, Hubert Languet, and anonymous author. These thinkers wrote about the peculiarities of sovereignty, female power, alienation of the royal domain, the tyranny of the king and the electiveness of royal power. The political structure of the Kingdom of Poland became a convenient political example for representatives of different political groups.