Violations of Order and Law during Deliberations of the Tribunal of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Abstract

Established in 1581, the Tribunal of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was not free from the shortcomings of the noble judiciary of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The smooth course of the deliberations was hampered by drunkenness, lawlessness, self-interesst and conflicts among the deputies, Vilnius students and townspeople. The
sessions of the Tribunal were accompanied by fights, intrigues, bribes, appointing people who were not elected by the council of nobility as judges, as well as issuing judgments in their own cases by judges. The difficulty in reaching a compromise sometimes resulted in delegating a double number of deputies to the Tribunal by the regional councils (sejmiki). Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł committed many violations of the order in the 2nd half of the 18th
century. Even the marshals violated the law. The provisions of the Act of 1581 defining the activities of the Lithuanian Tribunal and the Constitution of the Sejm were not obeyed either.