Eustachy Kajetan Sapieha (2 August 1881 – 20 February 1963) was a
Polish nobleman,
prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
of the
Sapieha
The House of Sapieha (; be, Сапега, ''Sapieha''; lt, Sapiega) is a Polish-Lithuanian noble and magnate family of Lithuanian and Ruthenian origin,Энцыклапедыя ВКЛ. Т.2, арт. "Сапегі" descending from the med ...
family, politician,
Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (''Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych'', MSZ) is the Polish government department tasked with maintaining Poland's international relations and coordinating its participation in international and regional supra-natio ...
, and deputy to the Polish parliament (
Sejm
The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of t ...
).
Politics
In 1900–04, he studied forestry in
Zurich and afterwards earned a degree as an engineer. He was a conservative activist from
Kresy
Eastern Borderlands ( pl, Kresy Wschodnie) or simply Borderlands ( pl, Kresy, ) was a term coined for the eastern part of the Second Polish Republic during the interwar period (1918–1939). Largely agricultural and extensively multi-ethnic, it ...
, and worked with the German installed
Regency Council
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...
and
Józef Piłsudski
), Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire (now Lithuania)
, death_date =
, death_place = Warsaw, Poland
, constituency =
, party = None (formerly PPS)
, spouse =
, children = Wan ...
during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. In 1917 he unsuccessfully negotiated with the
Polish National Committee. Afterwards, disappointed with Piłsudski's leftist policies, he was an organizer of
the failed 1919 ''coup d'état''; despite that, he subsequently worked with Piłsudski and supported him. During the
Polish-Soviet War, he served in the cavalry.
Diplomatic career
On 16 June 1919, Sapieha was delegated as the ambassador of Poland to the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. On 4 June 1920 he and Erazm Piltz, representing the Polish government, signed the
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon (french: Traité de Trianon, hu, Trianoni békeszerződés, it, Trattato del Trianon) was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in ...
in Paris.
In 1920, he was chosen by
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Władysław Grabski
Władysław Dominik Grabski (; 7 July 1874 – 1 March 1938) was a Polish National Democratic politician, economist and historian. He was the main author of the currency reform in the Second Polish Republic and served as Prime Minister of Poland ...
to be Minister of Foreign Affairs. Although he successfully negotiated several agreements with Western powers, he was faced with the delicate situation over the plebiscites in
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located ...
. On 24 March 1921 the British Embassy at
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
wrote to Earl Curzon in London to say that he had just called upon Prince Sapieha whom he found "very depressed at the result of voting in Upper Silesia, which has on the whole turned out far worse than the Polish Government had anticipated...He agreed with me that the victory reports in the newspapers were foolish and any public rejoicing regrettable."
[Medlicott, Prof.W.N., Dakin, Douglas, M.A., Lambert, M.E., M.A., editors, ''Documents on British Foreign Policy 1919-1939, First series, vol.xvi, HMSO, London, 1968, p.2.] His negotiations over federation with
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
also failed and, faced with criticism from the
National Democrats, he resigned his post later in the year.
Parliament and WWII
In 1928–29 he was a Sejm deputy from the
Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government
The Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government ( pl, Bezpartyjny Blok Współpracy z Rządem, ; abbreviated ''BBWR'') was a "non-political" organization in the interwar Second Polish Republic, in 1928–35. It was closely affiliated with ...
. After the
Soviet invasion of Poland
The Soviet invasion of Poland was a military operation by the Soviet Union without a formal declaration of war. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west. Subse ...
in 1939 he was arrested by the Soviets and imprisoned in the
Lubyanka prison
The Lubyanka ( rus, Лубянка, p=lʊˈbʲankə) is the popular name for the building which contains the headquarters of the FSB, and its affiliated prison, on Lubyanka Square in the Meshchansky District of Moscow, Russia. It is a large Ne ...
. After the
Sikorski-Mayski Agreement, he joined
Anders' Army
Anders' Army was the informal yet common name of the Polish Armed Forces in the East in the 1941–42 period, in recognition of its commander Władysław Anders. The army was created in the Soviet Union but, in March 1942, based on an understand ...
. In 1941 he travelled to Kenya. He did not return to post-war communist Poland, and remained in
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
.
In 1956 he was awarded the
Order of the White Eagle by the
Polish government in exile.
References
1881 births
1963 deaths
People from Lviv Oblast
People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
Polish Austro-Hungarians
Eustachy Sapieha
Eustachy Kajetan Sapieha (2 August 1881 – 20 February 1963) was a Polish nobleman, prince of the Sapieha family, politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, and deputy to the Polish parliament ( Sejm).
Politics
In 1900–04, he studi ...
Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government politicians
Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Poland
Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1928–1930)
Ambassadors of Poland to the United Kingdom
People educated at Eton College
Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War
Polish people detained by the NKVD
Polish deportees to Soviet Union
Foreign Gulag detainees
Polish exiles
Recipients of the Order of the Star of Romania
{{Poland-politician-stub