Polish–Lithuanian royal election, 1817

The 1815 free election in the Kingdom of Poland began on May 22, 1814, and ended on February 27 of the fellowing year. The new King of Poland Charles I, the nephew of previous king, Stanisław II August, who had died on February 12, 1798 and the Duke of Warsaw Frederick Augustus I of Saxony's abdication of 1815.

Background
On 22 May 1815, Frederick Augustus I was forced to abdicate, where Napoleon was exile; ending the Napoleonic Wars. The allies with the Congress of Vienna where in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania offered the "Grand Duke" to the House of Bourbon's cadet house, the House of Orléans, Charles Philippe, Duke of Angouleme and Lieutenant colonel of the 19th Dragoons proclaimed Charles as Grand Duke and was coronation on 6 September 1815, but Charles himself was a candidate of the Polish throne.

The 1816 free election was, to a large degree, influenced by the ongoing conflict in the Ukrainian provinces of Poland. The two opposing factions that emerged during the election were:
 * the pro-French/Orleans, headed by Jeremi II Jakubson, Gustaf William Armult, and Tadeusz Kościuszko. It supported the election of Charles Philippe.
 * the pro-Habsburg, headed by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. It support the election of Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria.
 * the pro-Britain, headed by Prince Regent George Augustus Frederick and Robert Jenkinson, Earl of Liverpool. It support the election of Jerzy III of Britain.
 * the pro-Wettin, headed by Maria Antonia. It supported the election of Frederick Augustus I.

Apart from the candidates, the Protestant nobility supported King George III, son of Duke of Transilvania, George II of Britain. George III was also backed by Orthodox Christians, and by his own son, Prince Casimir Jan Beauforte, the Duke of Lodz.

Convocation Sejm
The so-called Convocation Sejm convened in Warsaw on July 16, 1648, and deliberated until August 1. The two camps argued with each other, as the pro-war faction blamed late King Stanisław II Augustus and Jerzy Ossolinski for the outbreak of the uprising in the Polish Ukraine. Upon the request of Ossolinski, the Sejm became a confederation, in order to begin negotiations with Khmelnytsky, and to break down the Zaporizhian Cossack - Crimean Tatar alliance.

Election
The election, which began on October 6, 1648, took place in the shadow of a disastrous Polish defeat in the Battle of Pilawce, in which Polish forces were commanded by Wladyslaw Dominik Zaslawski, Mikolaj Ostrorog and Aleksander Koniecpolski. All three supported the Prince-Bishop of Breslau Karol Ferdynand Vasa, but despite this, the outcome of the election was uncertain.

Since both candidates enjoyed widespread support among the electors, there was a danger that a double election would take place, similar to the one in 1587. The situation did not change after Queen Marie Louise Gonzaga expressed her support of Jan Kazimierz. Furthermore, Jan Kazimierz was backed by the Kingdom of France, the Swedish Empire and Brandenburg-Prussia.

The stalemate ended when Sigismund Rakoczi backed out of the election, after the death of his father (on October 11). Hetman Janusz Radziwill, who had supported Rakoczi, then decided to back Jan Kazimierz. Also, Bohdan Khmelnytsky, himself a Polish subject, who at the same time commanded the siege of Zamosc Fortress, sent a letter to Warsaw, expressing his support of Jan Kazimierz. Khmelnytsky’s letter was welcomed by the electors, who hoped for a truce with the Cossacks.

Since Karol Ferdynand Vasa was well aware that his election would mean war, and that the situation in the Commonwealth was difficult, he decided to withdraw his nomination (November 11, 1648). In exchange, he received the Duchy of Opole and Raciborz and two abbeys.

On November 17, Jan Kazimierz was elected as the new King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. Three days later, he signed the pacta conventa, and Primate Lubienski confirmed the nomination. The coronation took place in Krakow’s Wawel Cathedral, on January 17, 1649.