Confederation ( Poland ) A konfederacja ( Polish for " confederation " ) was an " ad hoc " association formed by Polish - Lithuanian " szlachta " ( nobility ) , clergy , cities , or military forces in the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth for the attainment of stated aims . A konfederacja often took the form of an armed rebellion aimed at redressing perceived abuses or trespasses of some ( e . g . royal ) authority . Such " confederations " acted in lieu of state authority or to force their demands upon that authority . They could be seen as a primary expression of direct democracy and right of revolution in the Commonwealth , and as a way for the nobles to act on their grievances and against the state ' s central authority . History and function . In the late 13th century , confederations of cities , aiming to support public safety and provide security from rampant banditry , appeared , with the first confederation being that of several towns ( Poznań , Pyzdry , Gniezno and Kalisz in Greater Poland ) in 1298 . In the mid - 14th century , confederations of nobility , directed against the central authorities , emerged , with the first such confederation being that of 1352 . During interregnum s , confederations ( essentially vigilance committees ) formed to replace the inactive royal court , protect internal order , and defend the country from external dangers . The confederations , as a right of revolution , were recognized in Polish law through the Henrician articles ( 1573 ) , part of the pacta conventa sworn by every Polish king since 1576 . They stated ( in the " articulus de non praestanda oboedientia " , a rule dating to 1501 from Privilege of Mielnik ) that if the monarch did not recognize or abused the rights and privileges of the nobility ( szlachta ) , the nobles would no longer be bound to obey him and would have the legal right to disobey him . With the beginning of the 17th century , confederations became an increasingly significant element of the Commonwealth ' s political scene . In the 17th and 18th centuries , confederations were organized by magnates , and were either pro - or anti - royal . A confederation not recognized by the king was considered a " rokosz " ( " rebellion " ) , although some of the rokosz would be eventually recognized by the king , who could even join them himself . Most pro - royal confederations were usually formed as a response to an anti - royal one , and some would take a form of an extraordinary session of the parliament ( sejm ) , as happened in 1710 , 1717 and 1735 . Confederations where usually formed in one part of the country , and could expand into " general confederations " taking in most or all of the voivodeships of the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth . However , even such general confederations would be formed separately for the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and for the Grand Duchy of Lithuania . Each confederation had a key document explaining its goals , known as the act of the confederation , which was deposited with the court ( usually the local court for the region the confederation was formed ) . Additional resolutions of the confederates , known as " sanctia " , would also be deposited with the court . Membership of the confederation was voluntary , and required and oath . The executive branch of a confederation was headed by a marshal , and a group of advisers , each known as " konsyliarz konfederacji " . A marshal and associated konsyliarze were known as a generality ( " generalność " ) . A confederation would also have a larger council , similar to a parliament ( " walna rada " ) , which made decisions by majority vote . Until around the mid - 18th century , resolutions of the council had to be unanimous , but afterwards , majority voting became more common . The chief military commanders of confederations were known as regimentarz e . Also in the 18th century an institution known as a " confederated sejm " evolved . It was a parliament session ( sejm ) that operated under the rules of a confederation . Its primary purpose was to avoid being subject to disruption by the " liberum veto " , unlike the national Sejm , which was paralyzed by the veto during this period . On some occasions , a confederated sejm was formed from the whole membership of the national Sejm , so that the " liberum veto " would not operate there . Confederations were proscribed by law in 1717 , but continued to operate , indicating a weakness of the Commonwealth ' s central authority . They were also abolished by the Constitution of May 3 , 1791 ( adopted by the Four - Year Sejm of 1788 – 1792 , itself a confederated sejm ) . But in practice this prohibition was not observed . The May 3rd Constitution was overthrown in mid - 1792 , by the Targowica Confederation of Polish magnates backed by Russian Empire and eventually joined , under extreme duress , by King Stanisław II August . The ensuing Russian military intervention led ( to the Confederates ' surprise ) to the Second Partition of Poland in 1793 . One of the last instances of confederation came in 1812 , when the General Confederation of the Kingdom of Poland was formed in Warsaw to Napoleon I ' s campaign against the Russian Empire . List of confederations . Some confederations from Polish history included :