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 Polish� ...

. 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 {{Lithuania-hist-stub