The Sejm in the English Periodical Press (Newsbooks), 1641–1660

The article discusses how the English periodical press (newsbooks) published between 1641 and 1660, i.e. from the birth of that medium to the Stuart Restoration, presented the Sejm and the parliamentary system of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Primary sources show that English newspapers regularly printed reports on the Sejm. This allowed the English-reading public to follow events and form a general picture of Polish-Lithuanian parliamentarism. However, that picture was very incomplete – the reports focused exclusively on the Sejm in session and did not deal with other elements of the parliamentary system. Similarly, information on the composition of the Sejm and the legislative process was scarce and often vague. At the same time, some of the reports provided readers with very detailed information on specific events or topics, e.g. the end of the deliberations of the first Sejm in 1652. What is also very interesting is that the Sejm was present in the domestic political discourse in England, mostly in connection with the relations between the King and his subjects or the legal status of Parliament.