Władysław Wiktoryn Siciński ( lt, Čičinskas; –1672) was a member of the Polish–Lithuanian nobility and dignitary 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 Poland and Lithuania ru ...

. Lord Master-of-the-Table (since 1655) and Lord Vice-Justice (since 1666) of

Upytė Upytė is a small village in Panevėžys district municipality in northern Lithuania. It is situated some 12 km southwest of Panevėžys on the banks of Vešeta Creek. It is now the capital of an elderate. In 1987 it had 580 residents. In ...

, he was among the deputies of the

Trakai Voivodeship lt, Trakų vaivadija pl, Województwo trockie , conventional_long_name = Trakai Voivodeship , common_name = Trakai , subdivision = Voivodeship , nation = Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1413–1569) Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1795) , year_ ...

nobility to the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth of 1652 which took place during the Khmelnytsky Uprising. He is credited with using the '' liberum veto'' for the first time in Polish history during the Sejm. Some historians have speculated that he might have acted on orders from Janusz Radziwiłł, though Wisner observed there is no evidence to support this theory. After the

partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for ...

, writers searched for causes of the collapse of the state. They blamed

Golden Liberty Golden Liberty ( la, Aurea Libertas; pl, Złota Wolność, lt, Auksinė laisvė), sometimes referred to as Golden Freedoms, Nobles' Democracy or Nobles' Commonwealth ( pl, Rzeczpospolita Szlachecka or ''Złota wolność szlachecka'') was a pol ...

and '' liberum veto'' for creating anarchy and disorder that led to the downfall and Siciński, a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

and a provincial man, became the villain of history who sacrificed the greater good for his narrow self interests. In 1850s, local residents of Upytė claimed that a certain mummy was the body of Siciński. It was placed in a special cabinet in the local church. After the

Uprising of 1863 The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...

, Governor General of Vilna

Mikhail Muravyov-Vilensky Count Mikhail Nikolayevich Muravyov (russian: Граф Михаи́л Никола́евич Муравьёв; 12 October 1796 in Moscow – 12 September 1866 in Saint Petersburg) was a Russian imperial statesman of the 19th century, most known fo ...

ordered the mummy to be secretly buried to quell local superstitions. The order was carried out in August 1865.

Legend in literature

Siciński became legendary as an incredibly cruel landlord in Lithuanian

folk legends Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging fro ...

and is a popular character in Lithuanian and Polish literature. Appearances in fictional works include: *

Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (; 24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. A principal figure in Polish Ro ...

, a ballad ''Popas w Upicie'' (1825) * Juljan Mickevicz, ''Sycynski Poseł Upitski'' (1828) * Adam Krechoviecki, ''Veto'' (1889) * Jan Kupiec, a poem ''Seimelis Jasuose'' (1904) *

Maironis Maironis (born Jonas Mačiulis, ; – 28 June 1932) was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and the greatest and most-known Lithuanian poet, especially of the period of the Lithuanian press ban. He was called the Bard of Lithuanian National Revi ...

, a ballad ''Čičinskas'' (1919) * Teofilis Tilvytis, a poem ''Prasmegęs dvaras'' (1949) * Vytautas Misevičius, ''Čičinskas'' (1959) * Juozas Marcinkevičius, a dramatic poem ''Čičinskas'' * Kostas Astrauskas, a drama ''Čičinskas'' (1974–1975)

References

Members of the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1615 births 1672 deaths 17th-century Lithuanian nobility 17th-century Polish landowners Polish landlords {{lithuania-noble-stub