The 1669 PolishâÂÂLithuanian royal election was an election to decide on the new candidate for the PolishâÂÂLithuanian throne.
On 16 September 1668, King John II Casimir abdicated the PolishâÂÂLithuanian throne. He left for France and joined the Jesuits where he became Abbot of Saint-Germain-des-Prés Abbey in Paris which resulted in the PolishâÂÂLithuanian Commonwealth being left without a monarch, making an election necessary.
The pro-French faction, which was backed by Michal Prazmowski and Crown Hetman Jan Sobieski, was strong. During the Convocation, several Sejm members of the szlachta urged the election of a native Piast king instead. There were widespread rumors that supporters of foreign candidates had been bribed. Under the circumstances, the Bishop of Cheà Âmno, Andrzej Olszowski, suggested that instead of a foreigner, a Pole should be elected. Olszowski suggested the candidacy of Michaà  Korybut Wià Âniowiecki, who was the son of legendary Ruthenian magnate, Jeremi Wià Âniowiecki. Michaà  Korybut, an exceptional individual, received the backing of the Szlachta who were afraid of growing French influences. Local sejmiks urged the nobility to come to Warsaw as pospolite ruszenie.
The election, which took place in May and June 1669 in Wola, near Warsaw, is regarded as the epitome of szlachta anarchy (see Golden Liberty). After heated arguments on 6 June, a crowd of electors forced senators to void the candidacy of Louis, Grand Condé. Some senators tried to oppose, but most gave way to the threats and eventually supported the Bishop of Kujawy, Florian Czartoryski, who stated: âÂÂThe voice of the people is the voice of GodâÂÂ.
On 17 June some districts of Warsaw burned and rumors soon spread that the fire was intentionally set. Szlachta surrounded the wooden shed in which the senators convened, accusing them of treason and conspiring with foreign envoys. Shots were fired and, as Jan Chryzostom Pasek later wrote in his diaries, âÂÂbishops and senators hid themselves under chairs, emerging only after the situation had been defused.âÂÂTwo days later, on 19 June, Wià Âniowiecki was elected the new king. A Polish nobleman, Jan Antoni Chrapowicki, who participated in the free election, wrote later: âÂÂThere were different factions: some wanted the Neuburgian, others supported the Lotharingian. Since neither side wanted to resign their candidacy, it was decided that in order to avoid commotion, a Piast will be elected, who turned out to be Michaà  Korybut Wià Âniowiecki. Primate Prazmowski, who was hesitant at the choice, was eventually forced to sing the Te DeumâÂÂ.
Even though Wisniowiecki won the support of the majority of electors, a faction led by Prazmowski and Sobieski continued to oppose him. The Crowning by the Sejm, which took place in Kraków, was dismissed. The Commonwealth, which suffered from continuous Crimean Tatar raids, was on the brink of civil war. The outbreak of the PolishâÂÂOttoman War (1672âÂÂ76) however ended internal conflicts.