Antoni Tyzenhauz (1733 – March 31, 1785) was a noble from the
Tyzenhaus
Tyzenhaus (, , , ) was a noble family of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth of Baltic Germans, German extraction. It was active in the Duchy of Livonia, Duchy of Courland and the northern Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Among the best-known members of ...
family, son of Benedykt Tyzenhauz. As a personal friend of
Stanisław August Poniatowski
Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1764 to 1795, and the last monarch ...
, the
King of Poland
Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16t ...
and
Grand Duke of Lithuania
The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Lithuania, which was established as an absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three ducal dynasties that managed to stay in power—House ...
, Tyzenhaus became
Treasurer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and administrator of royal estates. He began to implement various agricultural reforms and pioneered industrialization in an effort to increase productivity and economic power of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
. At first, he was successful and managed to gain considerable political influence; he was considered to be the second man after the King.
[ However, the efforts were based on the old system of ]serfdom
Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which develop ...
(forced labor) and failed. Eventually, amidst increasing political rivalry with other nobles and mounting debts, Tyzenhauz was accused of fraud and removed from public offices in 1780.
Biography
Tyzenhauz studied at the Jesuit College of Vilnius. As a young man, he served for the powerful Czartoryski
The House of Czartoryski (feminine form: Czartoryska, plural: Czartoryscy; lt, Čartoriskiai) is a Polish princely family of Lithuanian- Ruthenian origin, also known as the Familia. The family, which derived their kin from the Gediminids dyna ...
family in their court at Wołczyn
Wołczyn (german: Konstadt) is a town in Kluczbork County, Opole Voivodeship, southern Poland, with 5,907 inhabitants . According to 2011 data, it covers , and is the seat of Gmina Wołczyn. It is located within the historic region of Lower Siles ...
. At that time, Tyzenhauz befriended Stanisław August Poniatowski
Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1764 to 1795, and the last monarch ...
, who was born and educated at Wołczyn, as Czartoryskis were his uncles. After the election of Poniatowski to the throne of Poland–Lithuania (1764), Tyzenhauz became Court Treasurer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Starosta
The starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', german: link=no, Starost, Hauptmann) is a term of Slavic origin denoting a community elder whose role was to administer the assets of a clan or family estates. Th ...
of Hrodna
Grodno (russian: Гродно, pl, Grodno; lt, Gardinas) or Hrodna ( be, Гродна ), is a city in western Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, 300 km (186 mi) from Minsk, about 15 km (9 mi) from the Polish b ...
, and administrator of royal estates. He was elected to the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1766.
Tyzenhauz was in charge of all matters related to the land possessions of the King of Poland and exercised considerable freedom in their management. This freedom was further strengthened when he became lessee
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...
of the estates in 1777.[ Tyzenhaus energetically but somewhat hastily began numerous endeavours in agriculture, industry, and culture, mostly situated around Hrodna. In ]Šiauliai
Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Names
Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different l ...
he attempted to create royal folwark
''Folwark''; german: Vorwerk; uk, Фільварок; ''Filwarok''; be, Фальварак; ''Falwarak''; lt, Palivarkas is a Polish word for a primarily serfdom-based farm and agricultural enterprise (a type of ''latifundium''), often very ...
s by taking land from serfs
Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...
, demanding two days of corvée
Corvée () is a form of unpaid, forced labour, that is intermittent in nature lasting for limited periods of time: typically for only a certain number of days' work each year.
Statute labour is a corvée imposed by a state for the purposes of ...
, increasing rent payment in cash, and adding additional duties (such as road building).[ Such reforms tripled Tyzenhaus' income but caused a violent peasant revolt in 1769.][ The rebellion was quickly suppressed; the reforms were only slightly modified. Using the additional income, Tyzenhaus rebuilt Šiauliai according to the principles of ]Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aestheti ...
. Similar reconstruction was planned in Joniškis
Joniškis (; Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Juonėškis'') is a town in northern Lithuania with a population of about 9,900. It is located 39 kilometers north of Šiauliai and 14 kilometers south of the Lithuania–Latvia border. Joniškis i ...
.[
He set up at least 23 factories, that employed around 3000 workers][ and produced textile, paper, jewellery, tools, furniture, carriages.][ They used ]forced labor
Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...
of the local peasant population. Inspired by the Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment; german: Aufklärung, "Enlightenment"; it, L'Illuminismo, "Enlightenment"; pl, Oświecenie, "Enlightenment"; pt, Iluminismo, "Enlightenment"; es, La Ilustración, "Enlightenment" was an intel ...
he also opened schools for midwives, physicians, veterinarians, accountants, engineers, even ballet dancers. He also established a botanical garden,[ theatre, ballet, orchestra and a publishing house. He published the weekly ''Gazeta Grodzieńska'' from 1775 to 1783.][ In Hrodna, his main residence and centre of his economic initiatives, Tyzenhaus built 85 structures and planned an entire borough, named Horodnica (derived from ''craftsmanship'').][
In order to finance all the different enterprises, which were often poorly supervised, Tyzenhaus needed to borrow vast amounts of money. He relied on the expensive expertise of educated foreign industrialists; efforts to build a local class of workmen were hampered by the poor education system and ]serfdom
Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which develop ...
.[ Tyzenhaus ' influence on the King and attempts to manipulate the lesser nobility raised political opposition among other nobles. After a few failures of his factories, in 1780 nobles brought charges that Tyzenhaus used treasury money for his private affairs.][ The case against Tyzenhaus was arranged by ]Otto Magnus von Stackelberg Otto Magnus von Stackelberg may refer to:
* Otto Magnus von Stackelberg (ambassador) (1736–1800), Russian diplomat
* Otto Magnus von Stackelberg (archaeologist) (1786–1837), Estonian archeologist
{{hndis, Stackelberg, Otto Magnus von ...
, the Russian ambassador in Warsaw. Tyzenhaus was relieved of his duties by Poniatowski; his privileges were revoked and his property was confiscated. Disgraced, Tyzenhaus died in 1785 in Warsaw.
Legacy
Tyzenhauz built the Tyzenhaus Palace
Tyzenhaus Palace ( Lithuanian ''Tyzenhauzų rūmai'') is an 18th-century mansion located in the city of Vilnius, Lithuania.
History
The historical sources of 1579 mention an International Gothic building in the same place. However, it later fell ...
in Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
(converted into an apartment building by the Soviet authorities) and another residence in Hrodna
Grodno (russian: Гродно, pl, Grodno; lt, Gardinas) or Hrodna ( be, Гродна ), is a city in western Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, 300 km (186 mi) from Minsk, about 15 km (9 mi) from the Polish b ...
. Built by an Italian architect Giuseppe di Sacco, the two palaces remain important historical monuments. Balys Sruoga
Balys Sruoga (February 2, 1896, in , Kovno Governorate – October 16, 1947, Vilnius) was a Lithuanian poet, playwright, critic, and literary theorist.
Early life
He contributed to cultural journals from his early youth. His works were publis ...
wrote the drama ''Apyaušrio dalia'' about his ballet school and the peasant revolt in 1769.[ In 1970–1971, Stanisław Kościałkowski published a two-volume study on his life ''Antoni Tyzenhauz, podskarbi nadworny litewski''.
]
Literature
* Tadeusz Zajączkowski, Rüdiger Döhler
Rüdiger Döhler FRCSEd (24 August 1948 – 28 September 2022) was a German professor of orthopedic surgery.
Life
Döhler grew up in Rochlitz and East Berlin. In 1958, his family fled from the GDR to Bremerhaven (then Port of Embarkation f ...
: ''Antoni Tyzenhauz (1733–1785) – inicjator rozwoju przemysłu, nauki, kultury i sztuki w Wielkim Księstwie Litewskim, założyciel Szkoły Położnych i Szkoły Lekarskiej w Grodnie''. Przegląd Urologiczny 2022/2, S. 82–86'' ntoni Tyzenhauz (1733–1785) – initiator of development of industry, science, culture and art, founder of midwifery school and medical school in Grodno Przegląd Urologiczny 2022/2, S. 82–86.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyzenhaus, Antoni
Members of the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
18th-century Polish–Lithuanian businesspeople
1733 births
1785 deaths
18th-century Lithuanian nobility
Vilnius University alumni
Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)