Posłowie ziemi chełmskiej, laudum sejmikowe i instrukcja poselska na sejm elekcyjny 1697 roku

Among the various types of noble assemblies in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the 16th–18th centuries, the sejmik (dietine) for electing deputies played a particularly significant role. Its importance, as well as the weight of the decisions made there, increased greatly, especially during interregnum periods, before the convocation and election sejms. It was precisely the deputies chosen at the pre-election sejmik who decided on the election of the new ruler or the rejection of a candidate for the Polish throne. These assemblies were usually convened by the primate–interrex, typically six weeks before the sejm. Senators, in particular, were obliged to participate in the deliberations of pre-sejmik assemblies. Representatives of the burgher class and the military were also present at the sejmik; the latter, in particular, were not welcome. The final result of every sejmik was the adoption of a laudum, and in the case of the pre-sejmik assembly—also the election of deputies to the sejm and the adoption of instructions for them. The sejmik laudum and deputy instructions published below come from 1697 and are evidence of the political activity of the Chełm nobility before the election sejm.