Chancellor (Poland)
Chancellor of Poland | |
---|---|
Goswin | |
Final holder | Antoni Sułkowski |
Abolished | 1795 |
Chancellor of Poland (
The Chancellors' powers rose together with the increasing importance of written documents. In the 14th century the office of Chancellor of
From 15th century onward there were two separate Chancellor offices, neither of them subordinate to the other: Great Chancellor (Polish: Kanclerz wielki) and Vice-Chancellor (Polish: Podkanclerzy). In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, there were four Chancellors: Great Chancellor of the Crown (Polish: Kanclerz wielki koronny), Great Chancellor of Lithuania (Polish: Kanclerz wielki litewski), Vice-Chancellor of the Crown (Polish: Podkanclerzy koronny), and Vice-Chancellor of Lithuania (Polish: Podkanclerzy litewski).
History
During the
After the Union of Lublin in 1569 there were four Chancellors (one Grand Chancellor and one Vice-Chancellor for Crown, and another pair for Lithuania).
At first, the Chancellor's office was always given to an
Power and responsibilities
Chancellors, as most of the other offices in Poland and later, the Commonwealth, were nominated to the office for life by the King during the
By custom, the Greater Chancellor of the Crown directed the Commonwealth foreign policies towards the west – Western Europe and south – Ottoman Empire, while the Greater Chancellor of Lithuania the policies towards the east – Muscovy (later, the Russian Empire).
The Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor (who was not a direct subordinate of the chancellor) were responsible for the work of their chancelleries, respectively Greater and Minor. They were supposed to be in constant contact and develop common policies, since their powers were equal. They were specifically forbidden from issuing illegal and contradictory documents, and could judge any documents contrary to the existing law 'irrelevant and without power'. In theory, the power of the Chancellors were equal. In practice, much depended on their personalities and political influence. Conflicts between Chancellors, while rare, when it occurred, could paralyse the entire country. This was the case during the conflict between Krzesław z Kurozwęk and Maciej Drzewicki between 1501 and 1503.
Among their other responsibilities were the matters of
The Chancellors' offices were the
Besides their official functions, the royal chancelleries functioned as a kind of semi-official, very prestigious schools. The officials of the chancelleries, who often started their work after their studies, after several years of work, often went forward in the administrative hierarchy, often reaching important posts of bishops or other ecclesiastic or secular offices. Many enlightened chancellors did not restrict the positions in their staff to nobility (
The Chancellor often gave speeches representing the royal will. The symbol of their office was the
The chancellor's powers combined with the fact that wars required funds which were given by the
Other chancellors
There were many less important chancellors in the country. There was the Chancellor of the Queen. He had much less power than other (King's) Chancellors, he guarded the queen's
List of chancellors
- Kanclerz – Chancellor – various local chancellors, until late 14/early 15th century
- Kanclerz krakowski – Chancellor of Kraków – until the 14th century, when he superseded all other Polish local chancellors and transformed into
- Kanclerz koronny – Chancellor of the Crown – from the 14th century until 1569. Sometimes also called Kanclerz Królestwa Polskiego – Chancellor of the Polish Kingdom'
- Kanclerz wielki koronny – Great Chancellor of the Crown – from 1659 until 1795 (end of Commonwealth)
- Kanclerz wielki litewski – Great Chancellor of Lithuania – as above
- Podkanclerzy koronny – Vice-Chancellor of the Crown – as above
- Podkanclerzy litewski – Vice-Chancellor of Lithuania – as above
Great Chancellors of Poland
Portrait | Name | Lifespan | Term began | Term ended |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jan | ? | 1107 | 1112 | |
Michał Awdaniec | ? | 1112 | 1113 | |
Goswin |
? | 1113 | 1138 | |
Lupus | ? | 1138 | 1145 | |
Pean |
died in 1152 | 1145 | 1152 | |
Cherubin | died in 1180 | 1152 | 1172 | |
Klemens | ? | 1172 | 1173 | |
Stefan | ? | 1173 | 1206 | |
Iwo Odrowąż | died 21 August 1229 | 1206 | 1208 | |
Wincenty z Niałka | died in 1232 | 1208 | 1211 | |
Jarost | ? | 1211 | 1212 | |
Marcin | ? | 1212 | 1213 | |
Nanker | died in 1250 | 1213 | 1241 | |
Wawrzęta Gutowski | ? | 1241 | 1243 | |
Rambold | ? | 1243 | 1262 | |
Paweł z Przemankowa | died on 29 November 1292 | 1262 | 1266 | |
Stanisław z Krakowa | ? | 1266 | 1270 | |
Prokop | died in 1295 | 1270 | 1280 | |
Andrzej Zaremba | died in 1318 | 1280 | 1290 | |
Wincenty | ? | 1290 | 1296 | |
Jan | died on 26 August 1296 | 1296 | 1296 | |
Piotr Angeli | ? | 1296 | 1306 | |
Franciszek z Krakowa | ? | 1306 | 1320 | |
Zbigniew z Szczyrzyca | ? | 1320 | 1356 | |
Janusz Suchywilk | 1310-5 April 1382 | 1357 | 1373 | |
Zawisza Kurozwęcki | died on 12 January 1382 | 1373 | 1379 | |
Jan Radlica | died on 12 January 1392 | 1380 | 1386 | |
Mikołaj Zaklika | died in 1408 | 1386 | 1404 | |
Mikołaj Kurowski | 1355-1411 | 1404 | 1411 | |
Wojciech Jastrzębiec | 1362-1436 | 1411 | 1423 | |
Jan Szafraniec | 1363-28 July 1433 | 1423 | 1433 | |
Jan Taszka Koniecpolski | died on 26 March 1455 | 1433 or 1434 | 1454 | |
Jan Gruszczyński | 1405-8 October 1473 | 1454 | 1469 | |
Jakub Dembiński | 1427-15 January 1490 | 1469 | 1473 | |
Uriel Górka | 1435-21 January 1498 | 1473 | 1479 | |
Stanisław Kurozwęcki | 1440-1482 | 1479 | 1482 | |
Krzesław Kurozwęcki | 1440-1503 | 1483 | 1503 | |
Jan Łaski | 1456-19 May 1531 | 1503 | 1510 | |
Maciej Drzewicki | 22 February 1467 – 22 August 1535 | 1510 | 1513 | |
Krzysztof Szydłowiecki | 1467-1532 | 1513 or 1515 | 1532 | |
Jan Chojeński | 17 March 1486 – 11 March 1538 | 1532 | 1538 | |
Paweł Dunin-Wolski | 1487-1546 | 1539 | 1540 | |
Tomasz Sobocki | 1508-1547 | 1540 | 1541 | |
Samuel Maciejowski | 15 January 1499 – 26 October 1550 | 1541 | 1550 | |
Jan Ocieski | 1501-12 May 1563 | 1550 or 1552 | 1563 | |
Walenty Dembiński | died in 1585 | 1564 | 1576 | |
Piotr Dunin-Wolski | 1531-1590 | 1576 | 1578 | |
Jan Zamoyski | 19 March 1542 – 3 June 1605 | 1578 | 1605 | |
Maciej Pstrokoński | 1553-1609 | 1606 | 1609 | |
Wawrzyniec Gembicki | 5 August 1559 – 10 February 1624 | 1609 | 1613 | |
Feliks Kryski | 1562-1618 | 1613 | 1618 | |
Stanisław Żółkiewski | 1547-7 October 1620 | 1618 | 1620 | |
Andrzej Lipski | 1572-4 September 1631 | 1620 | 1623 | |
Wacław Leszczyński | 1576-17 May 1628 | 1625 | 1628 | |
Jakub Zadzik | 1582 – 17 March 1642 | 1628 | 1635 | |
Tomasz Zamoyski | 1594–7 January 1638 | 1635 | 1635 | |
Piotr Gembicki | 10 October 1585 – 14 July 1657 | 1635 | 1643 | |
Jerzy Ossoliński | 15 December 1595 – 9 August 1650 | 1643 | 1650 | |
Andrzej Leszczyński | 1608-1658 | 1650 | 1652 | |
Stefan Koryciński | 1617-4 July 1658 | 1652 | 1658 | |
Mikołaj Prażmowski | 1617-15 April 1673 | 1658 | 1666 | |
Jan Leszczyński | 1603-1678 | 1666 | 1678 | |
Jan Stefan Wydżga | 1610-6 September 1685 | 1678 | 1678 | |
Jan Wielopolski | 1630-15 February 1688 | 1678 | 1688 | |
Jerzy Albrecht Denhoff | 1640-1702 | 1688 | 1702 | |
Karol Tarło | 1639-1702 | 1702 | 1702 | |
Andrzej Chryzostom Załuski | 1650-12 May 1711 | 1702 | 1706 | |
Jan Stanisław Jabłonowski | 1669-28 April 1731 | 1706 | 1709 | |
Jan Szembek | died on 9 April 1731 | 1712 | 1731 | |
Andrzej Stanisław Załuski | 2 December 1695 – 16 December 1758 | 1735 | 1746 | |
Jan Małachowski | 26 January 1698 – 25 June 1762 | 1746 | 1762 | |
Andrzej Zamoyski |
12 February 1716 – 10 February 1792 | 1764 | 1767 | |
Andrzej Młodziejowski | 1717-1780 | 1767 | 1780 | |
Jan Andrzej Borch | 1715-1780 | 1780 | 1780 | |
Antoni Onufry Okęcki | 13 June 1729 – 15 June 1793 | 1780 | 1786 | |
Jacek Małachowski | 25 August 1737 – 27 March 1821 | 1786 | 1793 | |
Antoni Sułkowski | 11 June 1735 – 16 April 1796 | 1793 | 1795 |
See also
- Offices in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
- Hetman (Hetmans of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth)
- Chancellor
Notes
- Secretaries in Crown and writers in Lithuania were often just an honorary title given to people for their service to the state in the areas of administration and such. The normal secretaries should not be confused with the Great Secretaries, who served as Chancellors when the Chancellors were absent, but had no right to vote in the Senat.
References
- Bielewcz Przemysław, Urzędy Staropolskie last accessed on 21 April 2005