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The Permanent Council was the highest administrative authority in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries in 16th and 17th-century Europe, formed by a Union of Lublin of Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569....
 between 1775 and 1789 and the first modern government
Government

Government is the body within any organization that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws, regulations, or rules. Typically, the government refers to a civil government -- local, provincial, or national -- but commercial, academic, religious, or other formal organizations are also administered by governing bodies....
 in Europe. In Polish was renamed as Zdrada Nieustajaca - Permanent Betrayal.

Permanent Council was created on the insistence of Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II of Russia

Catherine II, called Catherine the Great .The Russian empress Catherine II, known as Catherine the Great, reigned from 1762 to 1796. Under her direct auspices the Russian Empire expanded, improved in its administration, and underwent a dramatic policy of Westernization....
, who saw it as a way to secure her influence over the internal politics of Poland. Contrary to the Sejm
Sejm

The Sejm is the lower house of the Poland parliament.Before the 20th century, the term "Sejm" referred to the entire three-Chambers of parliament Polish parliament, comprising the lower house , the upper house and the monarch....
, which previously had the same prerogatives, the Council could not be veto
Veto

A 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 or limited ...
ed nor disbanded.






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The Permanent Council was the highest administrative authority in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries in 16th and 17th-century Europe, formed by a Union of Lublin of Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569....
 between 1775 and 1789 and the first modern government
Government

Government is the body within any organization that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws, regulations, or rules. Typically, the government refers to a civil government -- local, provincial, or national -- but commercial, academic, religious, or other formal organizations are also administered by governing bodies....
 in Europe. In Polish was renamed as Zdrada Nieustajaca - Permanent Betrayal.

History

The Permanent Council was created on the insistence of Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II of Russia

Catherine II, called Catherine the Great .The Russian empress Catherine II, known as Catherine the Great, reigned from 1762 to 1796. Under her direct auspices the Russian Empire expanded, improved in its administration, and underwent a dramatic policy of Westernization....
, who saw it as a way to secure her influence over the internal politics of Poland. Contrary to the Sejm
Sejm

The Sejm is the lower house of the Poland parliament.Before the 20th century, the term "Sejm" referred to the entire three-Chambers of parliament Polish parliament, comprising the lower house , the upper house and the monarch....
, which previously had the same prerogatives, the Council could not be veto
Veto

A 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 or limited ...
ed nor disbanded. Also, it was much less prone to influence of the minor gentry
Szlachta

Szlachta refers to the nobility social class in the Kingdom of Poland , the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the increasingly polonized territories under their control ....
. Finally, both Catherine and her ambassador to Poland, Otto Magnus von Stackelberg
Otto Magnus von Stackelberg (ambassador)

Graf Otto Magnus von Stackelberg was a diplomat of the Russian Empire, Russian envoy in Madrid from 1767 to 1771, ambassador in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1772 to 1790 and in Sweden from 1791 to 1793....
, believed that the Council would be dominated by anti-royal magnates and that it would put an end to his push towards the reforms.

The Council was composed of the King Stanislaw August Poniatowski (who acted as a modern prime minister
Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of Cabinet in the Executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician....
 and had two votes instead of one), 18 members of the Senat
Senate of Poland

The Senate is the upper house of the Poland parliament. It consists of 100 senators elected by universal ballot and is headed by the Marshal of the Senate ....
 and 18 members of the Diet
Diet (assembly)

In politics, a diet is a formal deliberative assembly. The term is derived from Medieval Latin dietas, and ultimately comes from the Latin dies, "day"....
. The meetings were supervised by marshal
Marszalek

Marszalek was one of the highest officials in the Crown of Poland royal court since the 13th century and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since the 15th century....
 Roman Ignacy Potocki
Roman Ignacy Potocki

Count Roman Ignacy Franciszek Potocki , brother of Stanislaw Kostka Potocki, was a szlachta, owner of Klementowice and Olesin , Marshal of the Permanent Council in 1778-1782, Grand Clerk of Lithuania from 1773, Court Marshal of Lithuania from 1783, Grand Marshal of Lithuania from 16 April 1791 to 1794, and a politician and writer....
.

In reality all Council's staff was nominated in accordance with Russian ambassador Otto Magnus von Stackelberg, who acted as a representative of Empress Catherine II, protectress of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth since 1768. Soon after its creation, Council became an instrument of Russian surveillance over Poland.

The council was divided onto 5 separate ministries called Departments:
  1. Foreign interests
  2. Military
  3. Police that is Good Order
  4. Treasury
  5. Justice


Among the prerogatives of the Council was heading the state administration, preparation of projects of laws and Sejm acts, which were later accepted by the parliament, control over law obedience and interpretation of the law. Although heavily-criticized, most notably by the so-called Patriotic Party
Patriotic Party

Patriotic Party was a Poland political movement during the Four-Year Sejm of 1788-1792 that sought reforms aimed at bolstering Poland's independence from Russia....
 and the Familia
Familia

Familia was the name of a Poland political party led by the Czartoryski magnates and families allied with them, and formed toward the end of the reign of King August II ....
, the Council managed to start a period of economical prosperity in Poland and significantly strengthened the power of the monarch in Poland. It was liquidated in 1789 by the Four-Year Sejm and briefly reinstituted in 1793 by the Sejm of Grodno. However, this time it was directly headed by the Russian ambassador. Majority of her members was bribed by Russian embassy in Warsaw.

Notable members

  • King Stanislaw August Poniatowski
  • marshal
    Marszalek

    Marszalek was one of the highest officials in the Crown of Poland royal court since the 13th century and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since the 15th century....
     Roman Ignacy Potocki
    Roman Ignacy Potocki

    Count Roman Ignacy Franciszek Potocki , brother of Stanislaw Kostka Potocki, was a szlachta, owner of Klementowice and Olesin , Marshal of the Permanent Council in 1778-1782, Grand Clerk of Lithuania from 1773, Court Marshal of Lithuania from 1783, Grand Marshal of Lithuania from 16 April 1791 to 1794, and a politician and writer....
  • Stanislaw Malachowski
    Stanislaw Malachowski

    Stanislaw Malachowski was a member of the Poland government's Permanent Council , Marshal of the Crown Courts of Justice from 1774, Crown Grand Referendary and Marshal of the Four-Year Sejm ....
  • Tomasz Adam Ostrowski
    Tomasz Adam Ostrowski

    Tomasz Adam Ostrowski was a Poland nobleman , Count since 1798Tomasz became Colonel of the Crown Army in 1765, Chamberlain of King Stanislaw August Poniatowski in 1767, castellan of Czersk since 1777, Court Treasurer since 1791, Sejm Marshal of the Sejm of the Duchy of Warsaw in 1809 and later President of the Senate of the Duchy of...
  • Ludwik Szymon Gutakowski
  • Stanislaw Poniatowski
    Stanislaw Poniatowski (1754-1833)

    Prince Stanislaw Poniatowski was a Poland szlachcic .A Polish prince, member of the Poniatowski family. Commander of the Foot Guard of the Crown , Grand Treasurer of Lithuania 1784–1791, Starost of Stryj ....
     (kings' relative)
  • Józef Ankwicz
    Józef Ankwicz

    J?zef Ankwicz of Abdank coat of arms was a politician and noble in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He held the office of castellan of Nowy Sacz from 1782....
  • Michal Jerzy Poniatowski
    Michal Jerzy Poniatowski

    Prince Michal Jerzy Poniatowski, born Michal Jerzy Poniatowski was a Poland szlachcic, opat tyniecki i czerwinski, Bishop of Plock and Coadjutor Bishop of Krak?w from 1773, Archbishop of Gniezno and Primate of Poland from 1784....
     (primate of Poland)


See also


  • 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 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 colony of Spanish Empire, or Roman Republic's proconsuls in Roman provinces....