Namestnik of the Kingdom of Poland (or
Viceroy of the Kingdom of Poland; ) was the
titleA title is a prefix or suffix added to a person's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name...
of the deputy of the King of Poland—i.e., of the deputy of the Tsar of Russia, who styled himself "King of Poland" under
Congress PolandCongress Poland , officially and formally Kingdom of Poland and informally known as Russian Poland was a constitutional personal union of the Russian Empire created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, replaced by the Central Powers in 1915 with the Kingdom of Poland...
(1815–74). Between 1874 and 1914, when the former
Congress PolandCongress Poland , officially and formally Kingdom of Poland and informally known as Russian Poland was a constitutional personal union of the Russian Empire created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, replaced by the Central Powers in 1915 with the Kingdom of Poland...
was known as the
Vistulan CountryVistula Land or Vistula Country was the name applied to the lands of Congress Poland following the defeat of the November Uprising as it was increasingly stripped of autonomy and incorporated into Imperial Russia...
, the title
NamestnikNamestnik was an office position in the history of Russia. Its literal translation would be "deputy", "lieutenant" or literarly in place appointee...
was replaced by
Governor-General of Warsaw .
The office was introduced by the Constitution of Congress Poland in 1815 and described in Chapter 3 (On the Namestnik and Council of State).
Namestnik of the Kingdom of Poland (or
Viceroy of the Kingdom of Poland; ) was the
titleA title is a prefix or suffix added to a person's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name...
of the deputy of the King of Poland—i.e., of the deputy of the Tsar of Russia, who styled himself "King of Poland" under
Congress PolandCongress Poland , officially and formally Kingdom of Poland and informally known as Russian Poland was a constitutional personal union of the Russian Empire created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, replaced by the Central Powers in 1915 with the Kingdom of Poland...
(1815–74). Between 1874 and 1914, when the former
Congress PolandCongress Poland , officially and formally Kingdom of Poland and informally known as Russian Poland was a constitutional personal union of the Russian Empire created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, replaced by the Central Powers in 1915 with the Kingdom of Poland...
was known as the
Vistulan CountryVistula Land or Vistula Country was the name applied to the lands of Congress Poland following the defeat of the November Uprising as it was increasingly stripped of autonomy and incorporated into Imperial Russia...
, the title
NamestnikNamestnik was an office position in the history of Russia. Its literal translation would be "deputy", "lieutenant" or literarly in place appointee...
was replaced by
Governor-General of Warsaw .
History
The office was introduced by the Constitution of Congress Poland in 1815 and described in Chapter 3 (On the Namestnik and Council of State). The namestnik was chosen by the Tsar from among the noble citizens of the Russian Empire or the Kingdom of Poland, excluding
naturalizedNaturalization is the acquisition of citizenship or nationality by somebody who was not a citizen or national of that country when he or she was born....
citizens. The namestnik supervised the entire
public administrationPublic administration can be broadly described as the development, implementation and study of branches of government policy. The pursuit of the public good by enhancing civil society, ensuring a well-run, fair, and effective public service are some of the goals of the field.Public administration...
, and in the absence of the monarch, chaired the Council of State, as well as the Administrative Council. He had the right to
vetoA veto, Latin for "I forbid", is used to denote that a certain party has the right to stop unilaterally a piece of legislation. In practice, the veto can be absolute A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is used to denote that a certain party has the right to stop unilaterally a piece of legislation....
the council's decisions; other than that his decisions had to be
countersignIn military terminology, a countersign is a sign, word, or any other signal previously agreed upon and required to be exchanged between a sentry or guard and anybody approaching his or her post. The term usually encompasses both the sign given by the approaching party as well as the sentry's reply...
ed by the appropriate
ministerA minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet.-Origin:...
. He had wide legislative rights: he could propose candidates for most senior official positions (ministers, senators, judges of the High Tribunal, councilors of the state,
referendariesReferendary is the English form or rendering of a number of administrative positions, of various rank, in chanceries and other official organisations.-Secular referendaries:...
, as well as
bishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s and
archbishopIn Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. In many Christian Churches, this means that they lead a diocese of particular importance called an archdiocese, or in the Anglican Communion an Ecclesiastical Province, but this is not always the case. An archbishop is equivalent to a bishop in...
s).
The namestnik had no competences in the realm of finances and foreign policy; his military competences varied. In case the namestnik was unable to hold his office due to resignation or death, his function was temporarily held by the president of the Council of State.
The office of namestnik was never abolished; however, after the
January UprisingThe January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
it disappeared along with the Congress Kingdom. The last namestnik was Fyodor Berg, who served from 1863 to 1874. No namestnik was nominated to replace him after his death in 1874; however, the role of the namestniks -
viceroyA viceroy is a royal official who runs a country 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. His province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty. The relative...
s in the former Congress Kingdom, now the
Vistulan CountryVistula Land or Vistula Country was the name applied to the lands of Congress Poland following the defeat of the November Uprising as it was increasingly stripped of autonomy and incorporated into Imperial Russia...
- passed to the
Governors-GeneralA governor-general, also known as governor general, is a vice-regal representative of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription...
of
WarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River roughly from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of 2009 was estimated at 1,709,781, and the Warsaw metropolitan area at approximately 2,785,000...
– or to be more specific, of the Warsaw Military District . However in internal correspondence of offices` of Russian Empire he was still named as namestnik.
The governors-general were directly subordinate to the tsar and had much wider powers compared to the namestniks. In particular, they had control over all of the military forces in the region, and were the overseers of the juridical systems (they could pronounce
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....
s without trials). They could also issue "
declaration Declaration may refer to:*The United States Declaration of Independence*Declaration and forfeiture, when the captain of a cricket team declares their innings closed*A type of sentence and a type of speech act...
s with the force of
statuteA statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a country, state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law and the regulations issued by...
s", which could change existing laws.
Viceroys of the Kingdom of Poland
- Józef Zajączek
Prince Józef Zajączek , was a controversial Polish general and politician....
(1815–26)
- 1826-31 - vacant, power and responsibilities assumed by the Administrative Council
Administrative 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 Paskevich
Ivan Fyodorovich Paskevich was a Ukrainian-born military leader in the Russian service. For his victories, he was made Count of Erivan in 1828 and Namestnik of the Kingdom of Poland in 1831.-Biography:...
(1831–55)
- Mikhail Dmitrievich Gorchakov
Prince Mikhail Dmitrievich Gorchakov was a Russian General of Artillery from the Gorchakov family who served as a Namestnik of Kingdom of Poland from 1856 until his death....
(1855 to May 3 1861)
- Nikolai Sukhozanet
Nikolai Onufrievich Sukhozanet was a Russian 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 artillery. His...
(16 May 1861 to 1 August 1861)
- Karl Lambert
Karl 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 October 1861 to 22 October 1861)
- Alexander von Lüders
Count 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 to June 1862)
- Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia
Grand 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 to October 31 1863)
- Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg
Count Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg was a Russian Field Marshal and Governor-General of Finland from 1855 to 1861....
(1863–74)
Governors-General of Warsaw
- Count Paul Demetrius Kotzebue
Paul Demetrius von Kotzebue was a Baltic-German Russian officer, noble , Governor-General of Warsaw , son of German dramatist August von Kotzebue....
(1874–80)
- Pyotr Albedinsky (1880–83)
- Joseph Vladimirovich Gourko
Count Joseph Vladimirovich Romeyko-Gourko was a Russian Field Marshal prominent during the Russo-Turkish War ....
(1883–94)
- Pavel Andreyevich Shuvalov
Count 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 Imeretinsky
Alexander 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 Skalon
Georgi Skalon was a Russian Empire general-governor of Warsaw and the chief commander of Warsaw Military District from 1905-1914....
(1905–14)
- Yakov Zhilinskiy
Yakov Zhilinski served as Chief of Staff of the Russian army prior to World War I and thereafter as a field commander until he was relieved of command in 1914.- Biography :...
(1914)
- Pavel Yengalychev
Pavel Yengalychev was a Russian Empire prince and general.In 1894 to 1901 he was Russian military attaché in Germany. An observer at the German expeditionary corps during the Boxer Rebellion. Last commendant of Warsaw Military District and last Governor-General of Warsaw before the Russians were...
(1914–1915)
See also
- Guberniya
A guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of Imperial Russia, usually translated as government, governorate, or province. A guberniya was ruled by a governor , a word borrowed from Latin , in turn from Greek...
- Ambassadors and envoys from Russia to Poland (1763–1794)
Ambassadors and envoys from Russia to Poland 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 Finland
Governor-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....
- Governor-General of Lithuania/Governor-General of Vilnius/Governor-General of Wilno
- Namestnik's Palace
The 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, 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...
)