Freedom of religion

====Poland====
[[File:Konfederacja Warszawska.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Original act of the [[Warsaw Confederation]] 1573. The beginning of religious freedom in the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]]]
The General Charter of Jewish Liberties known as the [[Statute of Kalisz]] was issued by the Duke of [[Greater Poland]] [[Bolesław the Pious|Boleslaus the Pious]] on 8 September 1264 in [[Kalisz]]. The statute served as the basis for the legal position of Jews in Poland and led to the creation of the [[Yiddish]]-speaking autonomous Jewish nation until 1795. The statute granted exclusive jurisdiction of Jewish courts over Jewish matters and established a separate tribunal for matters involving Christians and Jews. Additionally, it guaranteed personal liberties and safety for Jews including freedom of religion, travel, and trade. The statute was ratified by subsequent Polish Kings: [[Casimir III of Poland]] in 1334, [[Casimir IV of Poland]] in 1453 and [[Sigismund I the Old|Sigismund I of Poland]] in 1539. Poland freed Jews from direct royal authority, opening up enormous administrative and economic opportunities to them.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sinkoff|first=Nancy|title=Out of the Shtetl: Making Jews Modern in the Polish Borderlands|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f-KmeZgY2hIC|year=2003|publisher=Society of Biblical Lit|isbn=978-1930675162|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=f-KmeZgY2hIC&dq=1539&pg=PA18 18]}}</ref>