Background
The Sejm was called to Grodno by the Russian Empire after the Polish-Russian War of 1792 ended with the victory of Russia and its allies, Targowica Confederation to confirm the Russian demands. Grodno was chosen for the Commonwealth's capital, as Warsaw was deemed too unsafe for Russians (and indeed it would prove so during the Warsaw Uprising next year). Many of the deputies were Russian supporters (like marshal of the Sejm, Stanisław Kostka Bieliński), with Russian representatives bribing some deputies and Russian armies forcing the election of their favoured candidate at local sejmiks. The Russians needed to use their army, as well as devote funds towards bribery, in order to bypass the opposition of Polish-Lithuanian deputies, as initially, the sejmiks refused to elect enough deputies to satisfy the requirements of a national Sejm.
Eventually, the Sejm was called on the 17 June. The Sejm was held in New Castle in Grodno in presence of Russian garrison stationed in and around the New Castle and commanded by Russian ambassador to Poland, Jacob Sievers, to ensure the obedience of all deputies; dissidents were threaten with beatings, arrests, sequestration or exile. Majority of the Senators chose not to attend the proceedings.
Read more about this topic: Grodno Sejm
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