Namiestnik of the Kingdom of Poland
Encyclopedia
The Namiestnik of the Kingdom of Poland was the deputy of the King of Poland (Tsar of Poland) —i.e., the deputy of the Emperor of Russia who, under Congress Poland
(1815–74), styled himself "King of Poland." Between 1874 and 1914, when the former Congress Poland
was known as the Vistula Country, the title Namiestnik was replaced by that of Governor-General of Warsaw .
citizens. The namiestnik supervised the entire public administration
and, in the monarch's absence, chaired the Council of State of Congress Poland, as well as the Administrative Council of Congress Poland. He could veto
the councils' decisions; other than that, his decisions had to be countersign
ed by the appropriate government minister
. The namiestnik exercised broad powers and could nominate candidates for most senior government posts (ministers, senators, judges of the High Tribunal, councilors of state, referendaries
, as well as bishop
s and archbishop
s).
The namiestnik had no competence in the realms of finances and foreign policy; his military competence varied. In the event that the namiestnik were unable to exercise his office due to resignation or death, this function would be temporarily carried out by the president of the Council of State.
The office of namiestnik was never officially abolished; however, after the January 1863 Uprising
it disappeared along with the Congress Kingdom. The last namiestnik was Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg
, who served from 1863 to his death in 1874. No namiestnik was named to replace him; however, the role of namiestnik—viceroy
of the former Congress Kingdom, now called the Vistula Country—passed to the Governor-General
of Warsaw
—or, to be more specific, of the Warsaw Military District . However, in the internal correspondence of Russian Imperial offices this functionary was still called namiestnik.
The governor-general answered directly to the Tsar and exercised much broader powers than had the namiestnik. In particular, he controlled all the military forces in the region and oversaw the judicial systems (he could impose death sentence
s without trial). He could also issue "declaration
s with the force of law," which could alter existing laws.
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
(1815–74), styled himself "King of Poland." Between 1874 and 1914, when the former Congress Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
was known as the Vistula Country, the title Namiestnik was replaced by that of Governor-General of Warsaw .
History
The office of Namiestnik was introduced in Poland by the Constitution of Congress Poland (1815), in its Article 3 (On the Namiestnik and Council of State). The namiestnik was chosen by the Tsar from among the noble citizens of the Russian Empire or the Kingdom of Poland, excluding naturalizedNaturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
citizens. The namiestnik supervised the entire public administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
and, in the monarch's absence, chaired the Council of State of Congress Poland, as well as the Administrative Council of Congress Poland. He could veto
Veto
A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...
the councils' decisions; other than that, his decisions had to be countersign
Countersign (legal)
Countersigning means writing a second signature onto a document. For example, a contract or other official document signed by the representative of a company may be countersigned by his supervisor to verify the authority of the representative...
ed by the appropriate government minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
. The namiestnik exercised broad powers and could nominate candidates for most senior government posts (ministers, senators, judges of the High Tribunal, councilors of state, referendaries
Referendary
Referendary is the English form or rendering of a number of administrative positions, of various rank, in chanceries and other official organisations.-Secular:...
, as well as bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s and archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
s).
The namiestnik had no competence in the realms of finances and foreign policy; his military competence varied. In the event that the namiestnik were unable to exercise his office due to resignation or death, this function would be temporarily carried out by the president of the Council of State.
The office of namiestnik was never officially abolished; however, after the January 1863 Uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
it disappeared along with the Congress Kingdom. The last namiestnik was Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg
Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg
Count Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg was a Russian Field Marshal, and the Governor-General of Finland from 1855 to 1861....
, who served from 1863 to his death in 1874. No namiestnik was named to replace him; however, the role of namiestnik—viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
of the former Congress Kingdom, now called the Vistula Country—passed to the Governor-General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
—or, to be more specific, of the Warsaw Military District . However, in the internal correspondence of Russian Imperial offices this functionary was still called namiestnik.
The governor-general answered directly to the Tsar and exercised much broader powers than had the namiestnik. In particular, he controlled all the military forces in the region and oversaw the judicial systems (he could impose death sentence
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
s without trial). He could also issue "declaration
Declaration
Declaration may refer to:* Declaration , specifies the identifier, type, and other aspects of language elements* Declaration , when the captain of a cricket team declares its innings closed...
s with the force of law," which could alter existing laws.
Viceroys of the Kingdom of Poland
- Józef ZajączekJózef ZajaczekPrince Józef Zajączek , was a Polish general and politician.His first important military post was that of an aide-de-camp to hetman Franciszek Ksawery Branicki...
(1815–26) - Vacant, 1826–31 (power and responsibilities were exercised by the Administrative CouncilAdministrative CouncilAdministrative Council was a part of Council of State of the Congress Poland. Introduced by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland in 1815, it was composed of 5 ministers, special nominees of the King and the Namestnik of the Kingdom of Poland...
) - Ivan PaskevichIvan PaskevichIvan Fyodorovich Paskevich was a Ukrainian-born military leader. For his victories, he was made Count of Erivan in 1828 and Namestnik of the Kingdom of Poland in 1831...
(1831–55) - Mikhail Dmitrievich GorchakovMikhail Dmitrievich GorchakovPrince Mikhail Dmitrievich Gorchakov was a Russian General of the Artillery from the Gorchakov family, who commanded the Russian forces in the latter stages of the Crimean War and later served as a Namestnik of Kingdom of Poland from 1856 until his death....
(1855 – 3 May 1861) - Nikolai SukhozanetNikolai SukhozanetNikolai Onufrievich Sukhozanet was an Imperial Russian Army general and statesman.Nikolai Sukhozanet was born in a noble family of Vitebsk guberniya. During the Napoleon's invasion of Russia he bravely fought in numerous battles and finished the campaign in Paris in the rank of lieutenant of...
(16 May 1861 – 1 August 1861) - Karl LambertKarl LambertKarl Karlovich count Lambert – Russian General of Cavalry, Namestnik of the Kingdom of Poland from August to October 1861.From 1840 to 1844 he fought against Chechen highlanders during Caucasian War...
(1861) - Nikolai Sukhozanet (11–22 October 1861)
- Alexander von LüdersAlexander von LüdersCount Alexander Nikolajewitsch von Lüders was a Russian general and Namestnik of the Kingdom of Poland.Lüders was born to a German noble family that moved to Russia in the middle of the 18th century...
(November 1861 – June 1862) - Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of RussiaGrand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of RussiaGrand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia was the second son of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia.During the reign of his brother Alexander II, Konstantin was an admiral of the Russian fleet and reformed the Russian Navy. He was also an instrumental figure in the emancipation of the serfs...
(June 1862 – 31 October 1863) - Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von BergFriedrich Wilhelm Rembert von BergCount Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg was a Russian Field Marshal, and the Governor-General of Finland from 1855 to 1861....
(1863–74)
Governors-General of Warsaw
- Count Paul Demetrius KotzebuePaul Demetrius KotzebueCount Paul Demetrius von Kotzebue was a Baltic-German Russian officer, Governor-general of Warsaw , son of German dramatist August von Kotzebue....
(1874–80) - Pyotr Albedinsky (1880–83)
- Joseph Vladimirovich GourkoJoseph Vladimirovich GourkoCount Iosif Vladimirovich Romeyko-Gurko , also known as Joseph or Ossip Gourko, was a Russian Field Marshal prominent during the Russo-Turkish War ....
(1883–94) - Pavel Andreyevich ShuvalovPavel Andreyevich ShuvalovCount Paul Andreyevich Shuvalov was a Russian statesman and the brother of Count Peter Shuvalov. After completing his studies in the Page Corps, Paul served with distinction in the Crimean War. His military career was fairly successful and peaked with the high rank of Full General...
(1894–1896) - Alexander ImeretinskyAlexander ImeretinskyAlexander Konstantinovich Bagration-Imeretinsky was a Georgian-Russian prince, hero of Russo-Turkish War and governor-general of Warsaw....
(1896–1900) - Mikhail Chertkov (1900–05)
- Konstantin Maximovich (1905)
- Georgi SkalonGeorgi SkalonGeorgi Skalon was a Russian Empire Governor-general of Warsaw and the chief commander of Warsaw Military District from 1905-1914....
(1905–14) - Yakov ZhilinskiyYakov ZhilinskiyYakov Zhilinski was Chief of Staff of the Imperial Russian Army prior to World War I and thereafter as a field commander until he was relieved of command in 1914.- Biography :...
(1914) - Pavel YengalychevPavel YengalychevPavel Yengalychev or Engalytshev was a Russian Empire prince and general.He was a member of the noble Engalychev family. In 1894 to 1901 he was Russian military attaché in Germany. An observer at the German expeditionary corps during the Boxer Rebellion...
(1914–1915)
See also
- GuberniyaGuberniyaA guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of the Russian Empire usually translated as government, governorate, or province. Such administrative division was preserved for sometime upon the collapse of the empire in 1917. A guberniya was ruled by a governor , a word borrowed from Latin ,...
- Ambassadors and envoys from Russia to Poland (1763–1794)Ambassadors and envoys from Russia to Poland (1763–1794)Ambassadors and envoys from Russia to Poland-Lithuania in the years 1763-1794 were among the most important characters in the politics of Poland. Their powers went far beyond the those of most diplomats and can be compared to those of viceroys in the colonies of Spanish Empire, or Roman Republic's...
- Governor-General of FinlandGovernor-General of FinlandGovernor-General of Finland ; was the military commander and the highest administrator of Finland sporadically under Swedish rule in the 17th and 18th centuries and continuously in the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland between 1808 and 1917.-Swedish rule:...
- Governor-General of Lithuania/Governor-General of Vilnius/Governor-General of Wilno
- Namiestnik's PalacePresidential Palace, WarsawThe Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, is the elegant classicist latest version of a building that has stood on the Krakowskie Przedmieście site since 1643. Over the years, it has been rebuilt and remodeled many times...
(today, Presidential Palace, WarsawPresidential Palace, WarsawThe Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, is the elegant classicist latest version of a building that has stood on the Krakowskie Przedmieście site since 1643. Over the years, it has been rebuilt and remodeled many times...
)