Hetmans' Party
Encyclopedia
The Hetmans' Party also known as the Magnates' Party (Stronnictwo magnackie), the Muscovite Party (Stronnictwo moskiewskie), the Conservative Party (Stronnictwo konswerwatywne) and the Old-Nobility Party (Stronnictwo staroszlacheckie), was a political party that opposed reforms advocated in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
by the Patriotic Party
. The Hetmans' Party was aligned with the Russian Empire and supported preservation of the status quo
and the "Golden Freedoms". Its various names come from the fact that it was headed by two hetman
s (commanders of Commonwealth military forces), represented the interests of conservative nobles and magnates, and was aligned with the Russian Empire
.
s of Poland and Lithuania controlled the state—or rather, they managed to ensure that no reforms would be carried out that might weaken their privileged status (the "Golden Freedoms"). The peculiar parliamentary institution of the liberum veto
("free veto") since 1652 had in principle permitted any Sejm
deputy to nullify all the legislation that had been adopted by that Sejm. Thanks to this device, deputies bribed by magnates or foreign powers, or simply content to believe they were living in some kind of "Golden Age", for over a century paralyzed the Commonwealth's government. The government was near collapse, giving rise to the term "Polish anarchy".
A major opportunity for reform seemed to present itself during the "Great" or "Four-Year Sejm" of 1788–92, which opened on October 6, 1788. Events in the world now played into the reformers' hands. Poland's neighbors were too occupied with wars — Prussia with France, Russia and Austria with the Ottoman Empire
— and with their own internal troubles to intervene forcibly in Poland. The Russian Empire had, since the beginning of the century, been increasingly involved in the Commonwealth politics, and the current situation meant it was paying significantly less attention to the Commonwealth politics. The Patriotic Party
was established during the Four-Year Sejm (Great Sejm) of 1788-92 by individuals who sought reforms aimed at strengthening the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
and assuring its independence from the Russian Empire
. The reforms, however, did not enjoy a unanimous support.
s Franciszek Ksawery Branicki
and Seweryn Rzewuski
, as well as Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki and Kazimierz Nestor Sapieha
. They wished to preserve the status quo
, as the inefficient state machinery meant that the magnates had little, if any, responsibility to the state and were the major power wielders on their lands. They hid their desire for power from the public, and sought support among the lesser, poorer nobility, portraying themselves as defenders of the traditional privileges and freedoms of the Polish nobility
(the Golden Liberties) and of the Cardinal Laws
. The magnates were not always united, and occasionally fought one another and criticized the Russian influence, though this may have been partly a smokescreen designed to increase their support among the public.
The Magnates were aligned with the Russian Empire and formed two groups, one aided by Russian Ambassador Otto Magnus von Stackelberg
, and the other by Grigory Potemkin. Many of them had received financial assistance from the Russians. The Russians wielded substantial influence in the Commonwealth, often by bribing Sejm
(parliament) deputies, ensuring that the Commonwealth was unable to threaten Russian state interests. Russia's Empress Catherine II
saw the Patriotic Party's reform attempts as a threat to Russian influence in the Commonwealth, and possibly as a long-term danger to absolute monarchy in Russia itself.
in defense of the traditional Golden Liberties and the cardinal laws
, and called for the Russian Empire for assistance. After the War in Defense of the Constitution, which was won by the Confederates and their Russian allies, the Hetman Party was briefly victorious, but events escalated beyond their imagining, with the Second Partition of Poland
followed by the Kościuszko Uprising
and the final Third Partition of Poland
, ending the independent existence of the Commonwealth.
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
by the Patriotic Party
Patriotic Party
The Patriotic Party , also known as the Patriot Party or, in English, as the Reform Party, was a political movement in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the period of the Four-Year Sejm of 1788–92, whose chief achievement was the Constitution of 3 May 1791...
. The Hetmans' Party was aligned with the Russian Empire and supported preservation of the status quo
Status quo
Statu quo, a commonly used form of the original Latin "statu quo" – literally "the state in which" – is a Latin term meaning the current or existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they presently are...
and the "Golden Freedoms". Its various names come from the fact that it was headed by two hetman
Hetman
Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....
s (commanders of Commonwealth military forces), represented the interests of conservative nobles and magnates, and was aligned with the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
Background
By the early 17th century, the magnateMagnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
s of Poland and Lithuania controlled the state—or rather, they managed to ensure that no reforms would be carried out that might weaken their privileged status (the "Golden Freedoms"). The peculiar parliamentary institution of the liberum veto
Liberum veto
The liberum veto was a parliamentary device in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It allowed any member of the Sejm to force an immediate end to the current session and nullify any legislation that had already been passed at the session by shouting Nie pozwalam! .From the mid-16th to the late 18th...
("free veto") since 1652 had in principle permitted any Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
deputy to nullify all the legislation that had been adopted by that Sejm. Thanks to this device, deputies bribed by magnates or foreign powers, or simply content to believe they were living in some kind of "Golden Age", for over a century paralyzed the Commonwealth's government. The government was near collapse, giving rise to the term "Polish anarchy".
A major opportunity for reform seemed to present itself during the "Great" or "Four-Year Sejm" of 1788–92, which opened on October 6, 1788. Events in the world now played into the reformers' hands. Poland's neighbors were too occupied with wars — Prussia with France, Russia and Austria with the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
— and with their own internal troubles to intervene forcibly in Poland. The Russian Empire had, since the beginning of the century, been increasingly involved in the Commonwealth politics, and the current situation meant it was paying significantly less attention to the Commonwealth politics. The Patriotic Party
Patriotic Party
The Patriotic Party , also known as the Patriot Party or, in English, as the Reform Party, was a political movement in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the period of the Four-Year Sejm of 1788–92, whose chief achievement was the Constitution of 3 May 1791...
was established during the Four-Year Sejm (Great Sejm) of 1788-92 by individuals who sought reforms aimed at strengthening the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
and assuring its independence from the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. The reforms, however, did not enjoy a unanimous support.
The party
The Hetmans' Party was formed to oppose the reformers. The Party's most notable members included prominent magnates such as HetmanHetman
Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....
s Franciszek Ksawery Branicki
Franciszek Ksawery Branicki
Count Franciszek Ksawery Branicki was a Polish nobleman of the Korczak coat of arms, magnate and one of the leaders of the Targowica Confederation....
and Seweryn Rzewuski
Seweryn Rzewuski
Seweryn Rzewuski was a Polish-Lithuanian szlachcic.He was Field Hetman of the Crown from 1774 to 1795. Participant of the Radom Confederation in 1767 and one of the leaders of the Hetman Party and the...
, as well as Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki and Kazimierz Nestor Sapieha
Kazimierz Nestor Sapieha
Prince Kazimierz Nestor Sapieha was a Polish-Lithuanian noble .Kazimierz Sapieha was educated at the Knight School in Warsaw from 1767 until 1791, and served as Artillery General of Lithuania, from 1773 to 1793...
. They wished to preserve the status quo
Status quo
Statu quo, a commonly used form of the original Latin "statu quo" – literally "the state in which" – is a Latin term meaning the current or existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they presently are...
, as the inefficient state machinery meant that the magnates had little, if any, responsibility to the state and were the major power wielders on their lands. They hid their desire for power from the public, and sought support among the lesser, poorer nobility, portraying themselves as defenders of the traditional privileges and freedoms of the Polish nobility
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
(the Golden Liberties) and of the Cardinal Laws
Cardinal laws
The Cardinal Laws were a constitution enacted in Warsaw, Poland, by the Repnin Sejm of 1767–68. Ostensibly the Cardinal Laws were intended to ensure the "Golden Liberty" of the Polish-Lithuanian nobility, as demanded by nobles united in the Radom Confederation...
. The magnates were not always united, and occasionally fought one another and criticized the Russian influence, though this may have been partly a smokescreen designed to increase their support among the public.
The Magnates were aligned with the Russian Empire and formed two groups, one aided by Russian Ambassador Otto Magnus von Stackelberg
Otto Magnus von Stackelberg (ambassador)
Reichsgraf Otto Magnus von Stackelberg was a diplomat of the Russian Empire, an envoy in Madrid from 1767 to 1771, ambassador in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1772 to 1790 and in Sweden from 1791 to 1793....
, and the other by Grigory Potemkin. Many of them had received financial assistance from the Russians. The Russians wielded substantial influence in the Commonwealth, often by bribing Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
(parliament) deputies, ensuring that the Commonwealth was unable to threaten Russian state interests. Russia's Empress Catherine II
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
saw the Patriotic Party's reform attempts as a threat to Russian influence in the Commonwealth, and possibly as a long-term danger to absolute monarchy in Russia itself.
Aftermath
After the Patriotic Party succeeded in passing the Constitution of 3 May, the hetmans and their supporters created the Targowica ConfederationTargowica Confederation
The Targowica Confederation was a confederation established by Polish and Lithuanian magnates on 27 April 1792, in Saint Petersburg, with the backing of the Russian Empress Catherine II. The confederation opposed the Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791, which had been adopted by the Great Sejm,...
in defense of the traditional Golden Liberties and the cardinal laws
Cardinal laws
The Cardinal Laws were a constitution enacted in Warsaw, Poland, by the Repnin Sejm of 1767–68. Ostensibly the Cardinal Laws were intended to ensure the "Golden Liberty" of the Polish-Lithuanian nobility, as demanded by nobles united in the Radom Confederation...
, and called for the Russian Empire for assistance. After the War in Defense of the Constitution, which was won by the Confederates and their Russian allies, the Hetman Party was briefly victorious, but events escalated beyond their imagining, with the Second Partition of Poland
Second Partition of Poland
The 1793 Second Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the second of three partitions that ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition occurred in the aftermath of the War in Defense of the Constitution and the Targowica Confederation of 1792...
followed by the Kościuszko Uprising
Kosciuszko Uprising
The Kościuszko Uprising was an uprising against Imperial Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in Poland, Belarus and Lithuania in 1794...
and the final Third Partition of Poland
Third Partition of Poland
The Third Partition of Poland or Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in 1795 as the third and last of three partitions that ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.-Background:...
, ending the independent existence of the Commonwealth.