Seth Sligar

EURO/SCAND 344

23 February 2006

Equality in the Empire

            At the height of the Polish Empire, prior to the rise of Russia as the power in Eastern Europe, they had extended their control from the Duchy of Prussia in the west to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the East, and from the Livonia in the North to the Baltic Sea in the South, this can be witnessed in his titles; the "King of Poland, Great Duke of Lithuania, Duke of Russia, Masovia, Samogitia, Kiovia, Volhynia, Podoia, Podlachia, Livonia, Smolensko, Severia, and Czernikovia.” (Connor 15 ) Poland differed from other empires that ruled the same territory as them in that they did not posses a powerful centralized monarchy; instead their monarchy was controlled by the Gentry. “The Gentry of Poland make and defend their own laws and liberties, elect their king with all manner of freedom, give him the crown and scepter, appoint ministers and council to instruct him, and their number far exceeding the senate, easily keep the king and senate in their duty, and threaten both very often.” (Connor175) The Polish Empire displayed equality and allowed autonomy to be practiced in their Duchies amongst the Gentry, this autonomy allowed them to rule their tenants, or slaves as Connor refers to them, in whatever style they wished often similar through out the empire.  A confederacy of Gentry states and equality amongst them allowed for the Empire to exist, expand, and rule the surrounding Duchies, but the absence of loyalty to the King led to their demise and ultimately their partition between Prussia, Austro-Hungary, and Russia.

            Dr. Bernard Connor went to Poland to be the physician of King Sobieski for a year.  Connor wrote many books on the new science of a practicing physician and diagnosis, but chose to write down his account of Poland for entertainment for people to read.  While in Poland he took many notes of the current situation of the state, people, and Duchies of Poland, as well as wrote down the history of Poland acquired from the Polish court’s view.  Connor did not attempt to be a historian as he said he was not qualified, but instead recounted his experiences in letters to high society members of England.  The theme that can be drawn from his letters is the equality that the Duchies were allowed to exist under, and the power that the Gentry held over the King. 

            When the king was coroneted, a list of rules was read aloud before the audience that listed the strict lifestyle that the Gentry had set out for him to adhere to.  The list was more a system to check the King’s power and prevent him from intruding into their personal autonomy that they were able to practice on their own lands.  While the Gentry of Poland and Lithuania wished to control the King’s power, they were ruthless in their own practices over their subjects.  “The Nobles are sovereign in their lands and hold the power of life and death over their tenants.  No peasant can leave the land without the permission of his lord.” (Connor 168)  The confederacy amongst the Gentry and the power they held over the king placed them above the law.  “The Gentry war amongst themselves, because they think they are too great to submit each others problems to a company of judges.” (Connor 179)

            The peasantry often lived a miserable life, and lived their lives in hopes of someday being free, given what they had and having taken what they couldn’t afford to loose by the Gentry. “The country people in Lithuania are rather more miserable than in Poland, for a gentleman there, attended by a troop of servants, will go into the countryman’s house and take all he has from him.” (Connor 226) The system that developed over the previous centuries only served to confuse the peasants more of the horrible situation they were in, and the thanks they gave to the Gentry for keeping them there.

In Curland they are subjects to their landlords as in Poland, and in both countries, Masters are paid almost adoration.  Their slaves love them, and fight willingly for them; and all they have is absolutely at their devotion.  Nay, though they debauch their wives and daughters, yet they only care to obtain liberty by it; this is a common thing among these poor wretches that they never value their women the less for it, nor think themselves a whit injured or dishonored by it. (Connor 183)

The peasantry also worked long days for their landlords to pay the rent they owed.  Equality existed for the Gentry and all freeborn people of the Polish Empire, there were no laws governing work days the slaves who worked their farms.  “The poor slaves, or subjects as they call them, most commonly work three days in a week for their Lords, to one for themselves, and sometimes four,” (Connor 185) compared to, “the poor wretches work three or four days a week for their Lords in Poland, in Lithuania they commonly work five or six.” (Connor 226)  They greed of the nobility did not stop with not only taking what slaves could not afford to give to them, slaves were forced to give to other peasants. “When the lord acquires a new piece of land he orders the other slaves to furnish him the things he needs for a year so it does not cost him anything of his own.” (Connor 185)  For some lucky peasants who were able to escape the tyranny of the Gentry and save enough money to buy land of their own, they were able to produce a life more desirable for them and their families.  Only in a few places in the Empire were the slaves able to own land.  “No peasants can own land in Poland, in the duchies they can Vilna and Prussia.” (160)  The Gentry’s autonomy served to make their lives better at the cost of others being miserable.  This power they wielded was something they were unwilling to allow to be wielded over themselves.

            The Duchies of Prussia, and Curland were able to live autonomous existences under Polish control.  Their autonomy allowed for them to practice their own religions, Southern Livonia and Prussia being Lutheran.  The Duchy of Curland was also able to observe their own trading treaties with other countries.  “Curland became an economic power and the Duke made a treaty with Charles II of Great Britain to establish trade and plantations in Tobago (Connor 111) The Duchy of Curland  “maintains autonomy; coins his own money, has its own laws.  Only in extreme cases will appeals be heard in Polish courts.” (112)  The most important thing the Duchies were required to do was demonstrate loyalty.  “The Duke of Curland is a vassal of Poland, and when a new king is elected, is required to send an envoy to declare allegiance.” (Connor 115)  The irony of the loyalty is that it existed only in theory, because the equality that existed for the Gentry in the Duchies required the king to live by the same rules that were set out before him at his coronation, specifically those regarding military affairs.  “No Officers of Soldiers of the Army can be quartered upon their land.” (Connor 170)

            While the acquired Duchies of Prussia and Curland were allowed to exist equally in the empire, certain privileges were reserved for the Gentry of Lithuanian and Poland for whom the equality existed as if they were of one people. The Polish Empire was “so well united that their king cannot be elected with out the consent of both.  They have the same king, parliament, laws, privileges, same religion that they cannot elect a king with out the consent of both.” (Connor 10)

In regards to the military,

the two great Generals of Poland and Lithuania have equal power in their respective states and have no dependence upon each other, unless that great General of Lithuania always gives place to him of Poland; yet he has control of his great Duchy’s army, and receives no manner of orders from the Crown-General, except where both are jointly engaged in battle. (Connor 74)

While both Lithuania and Poland were equal amongst each other they competed against each other. “The king has as many court officers in Lithuania as he does in Poland.  The Lithuanians being ambitious to keep up the ancient Grandeur of their great Duke, as the Pols to their king.” (Connor29)  It is apparent that equality and autonomy that existed amongst the Duchies of Poland and that Poland and Lithuania were more acting as one people than as separate people contributed to their cooperation amongst each other, but the decentralized government helped to bring an end to Polish domination and the partition.

            The decentralized government of the Kingdom of Poland began to break down for two main reasons; the Liberum Veto, and the growing power and interests of outside influences.  Part of the Gentry’s philosophy of dominating their subjects while maintaining firm control over the crowned derived the Liberum Veto.  “The Liberum Veto, which allowed any representative to dissolve the Sejm and even to annul its previous decisions, was applied with growing recklessness in the 17th and 18th century.” (Encyclopedia)

            As Russian power grew and they began to spread their influence, they were able to corner the weak centralized government of Poland into an agreement in which they would not interfere in the religious practices of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine and Belarus.  This only served the czar a mandate to interfere in Polish affairs when he saw fit. (WHKMLA)  This interference grew more when Russia was able to influence the election of the last king of Poland in 1764, eight years prior to the Polish Partition. This accompanied by the Western European power influences over the Gentry caused the Liberum veto to be used excessively and the ability of the government to act impossible. 

            The inability of the government to act came to a head when outside influences feared the expansion of the Russian Empire any further west and a treaty was drawn up partitioning off the first pieces of the once great Kingdom.  This partition was only the beginning of  the end for a kingdom that would be ruled by others for almost a century and a half. 

References Cited:

WHKMLA : History of Poland - Partitions, 1771-1795.

            http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/eceurope/partitions.html (accessed 19 February 2006)

Encyclopedia.com, Poland. http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/p/poland.asp  (accessed 20 February 2006).

Connor, Bernard. The History of Poland. London J.D. Brown., 1698.

Kaplan, Herbert H. The first partition of Poland. New York, Columbia University Press, 1962.