His words “I am not the ruler of human consciences" gave the country a tolerance for the new faith.
[4] In 1573, a year after the King's death, the Polish Sejm approved the Warsaw Confederation, ensuring freedom of religion to all religious communities in Poland and Lithuania.
[4] By the first half of the 18th century, Protestants were barred from most civil offices, including being elected to the Sejm.
[6] Eventually King Charles XII of Sweden forced the Habsburg Emperor Joseph I to allow Protestants to practice unencumbered.
[8] Major denominations (with at least two thousand followers) classified as Protestant by Poland's Central Statistical Office (as of 2020) include:[1]