thumb|250px|right|The first pacta conventa, signed by King [[Henry III of France|Henry of Poland, 1573]]

Pacta conventa (Latin for "articles of agreement") was a contractual agreement entered into between the "Polish nation" (i.e., the szlachta (nobility) of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth) and a newly elected king upon his "free election" (wolna elekcja) to the throne from 1573 to 1764.

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  • Polish online encyclopedia