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Primary sourceDocument3 May 1791

Constitution of May 3, 1791

3 May 1791

The reform constitution of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, which Kościuszko defended as a general before it was overturned, triggering his 1794 uprising.

Kościuszko fought as a general to defend this constitution in 1792, and its overthrow led directly to his 1794 Uprising.

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Handwritten manuscript page in Polish, dark ink on aged paper, with an ornate title reading 'Ustawa Rządowa' and the opening invocation 'W Imię Boga w Trójcy Świętey Jedynego', followed by a list of royal titles and body text in cursive. A handwritten date notation appears at top right.
Constitution of 3 May 1791 (manuscript).

About this source

What it is

The Constitution of 3 May 1791 was a written constitution for the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, adopted by the Great Sejm and drafted mainly by figures including Ignacy Potocki and Hugo Kołłątaj. It introduced checks and balances, equality between townspeople and nobility, and protection for peasants.

Why it matters

Neighbouring powers reacted with hostility, and Russia and Prussia helped defeat the Commonwealth in the 1792 war, in which Tadeusz Kościuszko served as a major general defending the new order. The constitution was declared void within two years, and the partitions that followed ended Poland's and Lithuania's independence for well over a century, directly provoking Kościuszko's 1794 Uprising.

Look closer

  • What rights did the constitution extend beyond the nobility, and why was that controversial?
  • Why did foreign powers see this reform as a threat to their own interests?
  • How does the connection between this document and Kościuszko's later uprising show the link between law and armed resistance?

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Printed broadside proclamation headed 'RADA NAYWYZSZA NARODOWA' with the name Tadeusz Kosciuszko in large capitals, dated Warsaw 30 Maja 1794, in Polish, printed in two columns on aged paper with a signature and seal mark at the bottom.Document

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Oil painting of a young man with curly brown hair in a dark coat and white cravat, reclining on a green day bed with one hand raised to his head. Red curtains frame a window showing a domed building. A desk with papers and an inkstand is at left, and a red book and letters lie on the bed.Painting

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General Thaddeus Kosciusko

Benjamin West · 1797

Oil painting of a man with dark, tousled hair in a dark coat over a blue sash, with a white collar and black cravat, looking toward the viewer against a grey-brown background.Painting

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Portrait of Tadeusz Kościuszko

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Stone wall ruins of Fort Putnam at West Point with black cannons mounted on a stone parapet, a wooded mountain range under a hazy sky behind, and metal railings in the foreground.Artifact

Primary source

Fort Putnam

1778

Line engraving in an ornate scrolled border titled JEFFERSON. Inside an inner frame, a profile bust portrait in three-quarter view facing right of a man with a laurel wreath in his powdered hair, wearing a dark coat and white cravat against a cloudy background. Printed caption is along the bottom edge of the image.Painting

Secondary source

Thomas Jefferson, Line Engraving by A. Oleszczynsky after T. Kosciuszko

A. Oleszczynsky, after Tadeusz Kościuszko · 1829

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