Nihil Novi
The Sejm's 1505 Act of Nihil novi nisi commune consensu marked an important victory for Poland's nobility over her Kings. It forbade the King to issue laws without the consent of the nobility, represented by the Senat and Chamber of Deputies, except for laws governing royal cities, crown lands (królewszczyzny), mines, fiefdoms, royal peasants, and Jews.
Nihil novi invalidated the Privilege of Mielnik, which had strengthened only the magnates, and it thus tipped the balance of power in favor of the Chamber of Deputies (the formally lower chamber of the Parliament), where the ordinary nobility held sway. Nihil novi is often regarded as initiating the period in Polish history known as "Nobles' Democracy," which was but a limited democracy as only males with titles of nobility were able to participate (the nobility constituting some ten percent of the Republic's population, nevertheless a higher eligible percentage than much of Europe).
The act of Nihil novi was signed by King Alexander Jagiellon on May 3, 1505, during a Sejm session held at the royal castle in Radom.
That same year, the nobility further expanded their power by abrogating most cities' voting rights in the Sejm and by forbidding peasants to leave their lands without the permission of their feudal lords, thereby firmly establishing a "second serfdom" in Poland.
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