Comment: "Constitution de la Ville libre de Cracovie et de son Territoire" - this is the original title of the document which is the third subsequent constitution of Free City of Cracow (called also Cracow Republic).
The first constitutional regulation, from the 5th of May 1815, was an integral part of an additional treaty signed by representatives of Austria, Prussia and Russia during the Congress of Vienna. It was then decided that Cracow together with its vicinity would become a free city, independent and strictly neutral, under supervision of the three powers. The additional treaty was included in a final act of the congress signed in Vienna on the 9th of June 1815 by England, Austria, France, Prussia and Russia.
The second consitution, from the 11th of September 1818, called developed consitution, was prepared by Organisation Commission, fromed by citizens of Free City of Cracow. It was valid until liquidation of Free City of Cracow after a fall of Cracow uprising on the 6th of November 1846. Over that time it was three times ammended (in 1837, 1838 and 1839).
The state which was created at the Congress of Vienna covered area of about 1150 km² and consisted of city of Cracow and a district of mostly agricultural character which included 224 villages and 3 towns: Chrzanow, Trzebinia and Nowa Gora. Political system of Free City of Cracow, specified in constitutions of 1815 and 1818, was based on co-existence of an elected parliament (the Representatives' Assembly) and executive authority - the Ruling Senate, elected mianly by the parliament but also by the Jagiellonian University and the Cracow chapter (however its first makeup was appointed by the supervising states). Granting the Senate large influence on legislation shook the balance between legislative and executive power and led to a state of constant fight over a hegemony and a form of government.
Constitution of 1815 guaranteed freedom and equality before the law of all citiznes, equal rights for all Christians denominations (though Catholicism was described "religion of the country"), legal protection of "tolerated" religions (mostly Judaism), eligibility of higher officials and judges, independent judiciary and openess of court proceedings. An official language was Polish.
Constitution of 1818 did not introduce any significant changes in the political system - in opposite to constitution of 1833. After a fall of the November Uprising the supervising states accused the governemnt of Cracow Republic of abusing neutrality. In result Reorganiztaion Commission was sent to the city. It changed a makeup of the Senate and introduced new constitution, which limited power of the Representatives' Assembly in benefit of the Ruling Senate, fully dependent from the supervising powers. Moreover the consitution definitely abolished neutrality of Cracow Republic giving a lot of possibilities for the supervising powers to interfere in its internal affairs. (Magdalena Marosz)
External description: Original, in French, a book bound in red velvet, size 320x215 mm, 21 sheets + 1 non-numbered, signatures of representatives of three occupation states and their seals. Location: The State Archive in Cracow, Archive of Free City of Cracow, WMK I-19.