Szymon Marcin Kossakowski ( lt, Simonas Martynas Kosakovskis; 1741 in
Šilai, Jonava – 1794) was a
Polish–Lithuanian nobleman (
szlachcic
The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in th ...
), and one of the leaders of the
Targowica Confederation
The Targowica Confederation ( pl, konfederacja targowicka, , lt, Targovicos konfederacija) was a Confederation (Poland), confederation established by Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Polish and Lithuanian magnates on 27 April 1792, in Saint Pe ...
. In 1793, he became the last
Grand Hetman of Lithuania
Grand may refer to:
People with the name
* Grand (surname)
* Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor
* Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist
* Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper
Places
* Grand, Oklahoma
* Grand, Vosges, village and c ...
.
Biography
He participated in the
Radom Confederation Radom Confederation ( pl, Konfederacja radomska, lt, Radomo konfederacija) was a konfederacja of nobility (''szlachta'') in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth formed in Radom on 23 June 1767 to prevent reforms and defend the ''Golden Liberties'' ...
and the
Bar Confederation
The Bar Confederation ( pl, Konfederacja barska; 1768–1772) was an association of Polish nobles (szlachta) formed at the fortress of Bar in Podolia (now part of Ukraine) in 1768 to defend the internal and external independence of the Polishâ ...
. A supporter of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
during the
Kościuszko Uprising
The Kościuszko Uprising, also known as the Polish Uprising of 1794 and the Second Polish War, was an uprising against the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Pr ...
and earlier, he was deemed a
traitor
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
. In the aftermath of the
Vilnius Uprising he tried to escape by boat, but was captured and
hanged
Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging in ...
in the
town hall square of Vilnius with the inscription of ''He who swings will not drown'' and was buried in the cellars of the church in
Jonava
Jonava ( ; pl, Janów; german: Janau) is the ninth largest city in Lithuania with a population of .
It is located in Kaunas County in central Lithuania, north east of Kaunas, the second-largest city in Lithuania. It is served by Kaunas Interna ...
.
References
1741 births
1794 deaths
People from Jonava District Municipality
People from Trakai Voivodeship
Szymon Szymon is a Polish version of the masculine given name Simon.
Academics
* Szymon Askenazy – a historian and diplomat who served as the first Polish representative at the League of Nations
* Szymon Datner – a Polish-Jewish historian and anti-Na ...
Field Hetmans of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Great Hetmans of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Polish generals in other armies
Bar confederates
Targowica confederates
People executed for treason against Poland
Russian people of the Polish–Russian War of 1792
Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)
People executed by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Executed Polish people
Executed Lithuanian people
People executed by Poland by hanging
19th-century executions
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