Jan Suchorzewski
Encyclopedia
Jan Suchorzewski was a Polish noble
of the Zaremba coat of arms, soldier and politician. He held the title of the wojski
of Wschowa
. He was a deputy from Gniezno
to the Sejm
(parliament) of 1786 and deputy from Kalisz
to the Great Sejm
of 1788-1792. He would be best remembered for his dramatic, theatrical gestures from that period. Kazimierz Bartoszewicz
compared Suchorzewski's look and attitude to that of Zagłoba from Henryk Sienkiewicz
's famous trilogy
, if more misguided. He became an opponent of the reforms, and joined the Confederation of Targowica.
During the Great Sejm Suchorzewski was at first a supporter of the Patriotic Party
; in particular he supported the enlargement of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
's army. In 1789 he published a brochure on the cities and law (Basics of urban laws - Zasady praw miejskich). However, he eventually switched sides and joined the Hetman Party opposed to the reforms. Around 18 January 1791 he criticized the recently premiered The Return of the Deputy (Powrót posła) comedy of Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz
for its political content; his critique was not well received and he was ridiculed for it, losing prestige. Despite his opposition of many reforms, he nonetheless played a major, if perhaps not necessarily intentional, role in the passage of the Free Royal Cities Act
in April of 1791, as his rather unexpected involvement in the discussion boosted the supporters of the act and eased its passing. For that, the king rewarded him with the Order of Saint Stanislaus
.
Suchorzewski unsuccessfully attempted to prevent the king from signing the Constitution of 3 May, blocking his way and threatening to kill his own son to save him from the "slavery of the Constitution". In this way he repeated, in an infamous, or tragicomic way, the gesture of Tadeusz Rejtan
. This incident was immortalized on Jan Matejko
's painting Constitution of May 3, 1791
. From Suchorzewski's pocket, a deck of cards has fallen out, an allusion to the way he was bribed by the Hetman Party leaders, Russian ambassador Otto Magnus von Stackelberg
and hetman
Branicki. Later, he would publish a critique of the constitution in the brochure Uwagi nad konstytucją polską 3 maja 1791 (Notes on the Polish Constitution of 3 May 1791) and Odezwa do narodu wraz z protestacyją dla Śladu Gwałtu i Przemocy, do której prawie w całym Sejmie zbliżano, a w dniu 3 maja 1791 dokonano (A Declaration to the Nation with a Protestation for the Evidence of Rape and Violence which was Planned throughout most of the Sejm and on day 3 May 1791 Carried out).
Suchorzewski, with several other opponents of the constitution, to Saint Petersburg
in the Russian Empire
, where he became one of the founding members and high ranking officials (konsyliarz) of the Confederation of Targowica. Derdej speculated that out of all those who signed the act of the Confederation, Suchorzewski was the only one who might have thought they were really acting in the country's best interest. He commanded a cavalry brigade in the Confederation forces during the War in Defense of the Constitution that the Confederates eventually won, overthrowing the Constitution. During the Kościuszko Insurrection
he was sentenced, in absentia
, to a death by hanging, eternal infamy
, loss of all titles and confiscation of possessions. His effigy
was hanged on the 29 September 1794.
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...
of the Zaremba coat of arms, soldier and politician. He held the title of the wojski
Wojski
The Wojski was an officer in medieval Poland, responsible for the security of voivodships or districts at times when voivods and castellans had accompanied the szlachta to war....
of Wschowa
Wschowa
Wschowa is a town in the Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland with 14,607 inhabitants . It is the capital of Wschowa County.-History:Wschowa was originally a border fortress in a region disputed by the Polish dukes of Silesia and Greater Poland. After German colonists had established a settlement nearby,...
. He was a deputy from Gniezno
Gniezno
Gniezno is a city in central-western Poland, some 50 km east of Poznań, inhabited by about 70,000 people. One of the Piasts' chief cities, it was mentioned by 10th century A.D. sources as the capital of Piast Poland however the first capital of Piast realm was most likely Giecz built around...
to the 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) of 1786 and deputy from Kalisz
Kalisz
Kalisz is a city in central Poland with 106,857 inhabitants , the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce...
to the Great Sejm
Great Sejm
The Great Sejm, also known as the Four-Year Sejm was a Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that was held in Warsaw, beginning in 1788...
of 1788-1792. He would be best remembered for his dramatic, theatrical gestures from that period. Kazimierz Bartoszewicz
Kazimierz Bartoszewicz
Kazimierz Bartoszewicz was a Polish writer and historian. He spent at least part of his life in Kraków.In his last will he donated his collection to Museum of History and Art in Łódź, which is now named after him.- Works :...
compared Suchorzewski's look and attitude to that of Zagłoba from Henryk Sienkiewicz
Henryk Sienkiewicz
Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz was a Polish journalist and Nobel Prize-winning novelist. A Polish szlachcic of the Oszyk coat of arms, he was one of the most popular Polish writers at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905 for his...
's famous trilogy
The Trilogy
In modern culture, The Trilogy may also refer to George Lucas' The Trilogy. For the general use of the term "trilogy", see Trilogy.The Trilogy is a series of three novels written by the Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz. The series follows dramatized versions of famous events in Polish history,...
, if more misguided. He became an opponent of the reforms, and joined the Confederation of Targowica.
Biography
Jan was born in 1740 or 1754 as the son of Jakub Suchorzewski and Jadwiga Zajączek. Around 1770 he married Joanna Przyjemska; they had three children.During the Great Sejm Suchorzewski was at first a supporter of 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...
; in particular he supported the enlargement of 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...
's army. In 1789 he published a brochure on the cities and law (Basics of urban laws - Zasady praw miejskich). However, he eventually switched sides and joined the Hetman Party opposed to the reforms. Around 18 January 1791 he criticized the recently premiered The Return of the Deputy (Powrót posła) comedy of Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz
Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz
Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz was a Polish poet, playwright and statesman. He was a leading advocate for the Constitution of May 3, 1791.-Life:...
for its political content; his critique was not well received and he was ridiculed for it, losing prestige. Despite his opposition of many reforms, he nonetheless played a major, if perhaps not necessarily intentional, role in the passage of the Free Royal Cities Act
Free Royal Cities Act
The Free Royal Cities Act was an act adopted by the Four-Year Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on April 18, 1791, in the run-up to the adoption of the...
in April of 1791, as his rather unexpected involvement in the discussion boosted the supporters of the act and eased its passing. For that, the king rewarded him with the Order of Saint Stanislaus
Order of Saint Stanislaus
The Order of Saint Stanislaus , also spelled Stanislas, was an Order in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and The Kingdom of Poland between 1765 and 1831 and of Russian Empire from 1831 to 1917.-History of the Order of Saint Stanislaus:Stanisław August Poniatowski, King of Poland, established the...
.
Suchorzewski unsuccessfully attempted to prevent the king from signing the Constitution of 3 May, blocking his way and threatening to kill his own son to save him from the "slavery of the Constitution". In this way he repeated, in an infamous, or tragicomic way, the gesture of Tadeusz Rejtan
Tadeusz Rejtan
Tadeusz Reytan was a Polish nobleman. He was a member of the Polish Sejm from the constituency of Nowogródek . Rejtan is remembered for a dramatic gesture he made in September 1773, as a deputy of the Partition Sejm...
. This incident was immortalized on Jan Matejko
Jan Matejko
Jan Matejko was a Polish painter known for paintings of notable historical Polish political and military events. His most famous works include oil on canvas paintings like Battle of Grunwald, paintings of numerous other battles and court scenes, and a gallery of Polish kings...
's painting Constitution of May 3, 1791
Constitution of May 3, 1791 (painting)
Constitution of May 3, 1791 is a late 19th century Romantic genre painting by the Polish artist Jan Matejko, commemorating the centenary of an important event in the history of Poland. It is an oil painting on canvas measuring 247 x 446 cm, and like many of Matejko's works, is a large and crowded...
. From Suchorzewski's pocket, a deck of cards has fallen out, an allusion to the way he was bribed by the Hetman Party leaders, 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 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....
Branicki. Later, he would publish a critique of the constitution in the brochure Uwagi nad konstytucją polską 3 maja 1791 (Notes on the Polish Constitution of 3 May 1791) and Odezwa do narodu wraz z protestacyją dla Śladu Gwałtu i Przemocy, do której prawie w całym Sejmie zbliżano, a w dniu 3 maja 1791 dokonano (A Declaration to the Nation with a Protestation for the Evidence of Rape and Violence which was Planned throughout most of the Sejm and on day 3 May 1791 Carried out).
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
in 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...
, where he became one of the founding members and high ranking officials (konsyliarz) of the Confederation of Targowica. Derdej speculated that out of all those who signed the act of the Confederation, Suchorzewski was the only one who might have thought they were really acting in the country's best interest. He commanded a cavalry brigade in the Confederation forces during the War in Defense of the Constitution that the Confederates eventually won, overthrowing the Constitution. During the Kościuszko Insurrection
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...
he was sentenced, in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
, to a death by hanging, eternal infamy
Infamy
Infamy, in common usage, is notoriety gained from a negative incident or reputation . The word stems from the Latin infamia, antonym of fama ....
, loss of all titles and confiscation of possessions. His effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
was hanged on the 29 September 1794.
External links
- A poem for Suchorzewski, anonymous, quoted by Bartoszewski on p. 220-221