Editing Elective monarchy (section)

====Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth====
{{main|Royal elections in Poland}}
[[File:Potega Rzeczypospolitej u zenitu Zlota wolnosc Elekcja 1573.JPG|thumb|300px|right|''The Republic at the Zenith of Its Power. [[Golden Liberty]]. The [[Royal elections in Poland|Royal Election]] of 1573'', by [[Jan Matejko]]]]
The tradition of electing the country's ruler, which occurred when there was no clear heir to the throne, dates to the very beginning of Polish statehood. The election privilege, exercised during the gatherings known as ''[[wiec]]'', was usually limited to the most powerful nobles ([[Magnates of Poland and Lithuania|magnates]]) or officials, and was heavily influenced by local traditions and strength of the ruler.<ref name="bardach6263">Juliusz Bardach, Boguslaw Lesnodorski, and Michal Pietrzak, ''Historia panstwa i prawa polskiego'' (Warsaw: Paristwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1987), p.62-63</ref>

In [[Poland]], after the death of the last [[Piast]] in 1370, Polish kings were initially elected by a small council; gradually, this privilege was granted to all members of the ''[[szlachta]]'' (Polish nobility). Kings of Poland and Grand Dukes of Lithuania during the times of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] (1569–1795) were elected by gatherings of crowds of nobles at a field in [[Wola]], today a district in [[Warsaw]]. Since in Poland, all sons of a noble were nobles, and not only the eldest, every one of an estimated 500,000 nobles could potentially have participated in such elections in person – by far the most extensive franchise of any European country at the time. During the election period, the function of the king was performed by an [[Interrex (Poland)|interrex]] (usually in the person of the [[primate of Poland]]). This unique Polish election was termed the [[Free election (Polish throne)|free election]] (''wolna elekcja'').{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}} Although the elective principle was already established in Polish political culture in the late Middle Ages, the rules changed significantly in the 1570s, and the principles developed in that period lasted until the [[Partitions of Poland]].{{sfn|Roșu|2017|p=10}} There have been thirteen royal elections in Poland–Lithuania from 1573 to 1764.{{sfn|Roșu|2017|p=10}} Roșu (2017) marked the [[1576 Polish–Lithuanian royal election|1575/1576 Polish–Lithuanian royal election]] as the most significant for several reasons. First, 'the citizens of the commonwealth were forced to ''de facto'' depose their [[Henry III of France|first elected king]]&nbsp;– thus applying the right of disobedience they had inscribed in their public records only two years before.' Second, it resulted in two candidates being proclaimed the winner, and in subsequent events the nobility was able to confirm their majority choice for [[Stephen Báthory]] and have it recognised, while avoiding war with [[Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian II of Habsburg]].{{sfn|Roșu|2017|p=12}}