Medal struck to commemorate the opening of the first Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland, which took place on March 27, 1818, in Warsaw. This was an event of great political importance, as the Sejm – alongside Tsar Alexander I (King of Poland) and the Viceroy – was one of the constitutional organs of the Kingdom of Poland, established under the provisions of the Congress of Vienna (1815).
The Constitution granted to the Kingdom of Poland in 1815, regarded as one of the most liberal in Europe, guaranteed, among other things, a bicameral parliament, freedom of speech, and personal inviolability. The opening of the Sejm in 1818 was meant to symbolically confirm these rights, although in practice these freedoms were soon curtailed by the Tsarist authorities.
Scratch on the reverse. Detail well-preserved, surfaces fresh with natural luster.
Obverse: Bust of Tsar Alexander I, raised on the wings of a crowned Eagle
ALEXANDER I CES S W ROS KROL POL
Reverse: Open book, scepter and sword in the background, right hand above, oak wreath below
PIERWSZY SEYM D.27 MARCA 1818
Gold, diameter 10 mm, weight 0.77 g
