Free election, 1648
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The 1648 free election in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth began on October 6, 1648, and ended on November 17 of the same year. The new King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania was John II Casimir, the younger brother of previous king, Władysław IV, who had died on May 20, 1648.
The death of King Władysław IV, which took place in the town of Merecz (now Merkine), was not a surprise, as the king, despite being only 52 years of age, suffered from gout and kidney failure. Władysław died at the beginning of the Khmelnytsky Uprising, which devastated southeastern part of the enormous country. Following the customary rule, Poland-Lithuania was ruled by an interrex, the senile Primate Maciej Łubieński. Due to Łubieński’s health problems, the powerful Crown Chancellor Jerzy Ossoliński became the de facto interrex.
The 1648 free election was, to a large degree, influenced by the ongoing conflict in the Ukrainian provinces of Poland. The two opposing factions that emerged during the election were:
Apart from the two House of Vasa candidates, the Protestant nobility supported Sigismund Rakoczi, son of Duke of Transilvania, George I Rakoczi. Sigismund was also backed by Orthodox Christians, and by Bohdan Khmelnytsky.
The so-called Convocation Sejm convened in Warsaw on July 16, 1648, and deliberated until August 1. The two camps argued with each other, as the pro-war faction blamed late King Władysław and Jerzy Ossoliński for the outbreak of the uprising in the Polish Ukraine. Upon the request of Ossolinski, the Sejm became a confederation, in order to begin negotiations with Khmelnytsky, and to break down the Zaporizhian Cossack - Crimean Tatar alliance.
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