The Provisional Government Commission of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania; also, the Lithuanian Provisional Governing Commission (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

: ''Komisja Rządu Tymczasowego Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego''; also ''Komisja Rządząca Tymczasowa Litewska''; French: ''le Gouvernement provisoire de Lituanie''; also ''Gouvernement général de la Lituanie'', Lithuanian ''Lietuvos laikinosios vyriausybės komisija'') was a provisional administrative body for the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...

, which had been overtaken by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

Grand Army 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 ...

during the 1812 French invasion of Russia. On 14 July 1812 the Commission formally joined the

General Confederation of the Kingdom of Poland The General Confederation of the Kingdom of Poland (28 June 1812 – 30 April 1813, Polish ''Konfederacja Generalna Królestwa Polskiego'') was a Polish confederation established by emperor Napoleon Bonaparte on the eve of his campaign in Russi ...

, creating the united Kingdom of Poland.

History

The Commission was established on 1 July 1812 by order of French Emperor

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

. Its chief tasks included the creation of Lithuanian armed forces, and the provisioning of Napoleon's troops. The provinces of

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 ...

, Grodno,

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

and Białystok were attached to the jurisdiction of the government of Lithuania. The Provisional Government of Lithuania had no connections to Poland. Supervision of the Commission was entrusted to the former French Resident in the

Duchy of Warsaw The Duchy of Warsaw ( pl, Księstwo Warszawskie, french: Duché de Varsovie, german: Herzogtum Warschau), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during ...

, Commissioner Louis Pierre Édouard Bignon. Actual power, however, was exercised by Dutch General Dirk van Hogendorp, former governor of

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...

, who was appointed governor of

. Napoleon, contrary to the hopes reposed in him by the

, had not restored Polish statehood to the former Polish–Lithuanian lands. He had merely established, in the conquered territories, a provisional administration, thereby sidestepping final dispositions pending his further conquest of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

Józef Wybicki Józef Rufin Wybicki (; 29 September 1747 – 10 March 1822) was a Polish szlachta, nobleman, jurist, Polish poet, poet, political and military activist of Kashubians, Kashubian descent. He is best remembered as the author of "Mazurek Dabrowskieg ...

, sent on 11 July 1812 to Vilnius with a deputation from the Council of the General Confederation, unsuccessfully attempted to get the Emperor to declare the restoration of the Kingdom of Poland, including the territories that had been annexed in the Partitions of Poland. Napoleon also refused to attach the military units consisting of Lithuanians to the Polish ones. Only on 14 July 1812 the Commission formally joined the

, creating the united Kingdom of Poland. After Russian troops invaded Lithuanian territory at the end of 1812, the Commission acted outside Lithuania.

Presidents

* Józef Sierakowski (to July 18, 1812) * Stanisław Sołtan (to August 24, 1812) * Dirk van Hogendorp (to September 1812) * Stanisław Sołtan (to September 1813) Secretary General: Józef Ignacy Kossakowski

Members

Louis Pierre Édouard, Baron Bignon Louis Pierre Édouard, Baron Bignon (3 January 1771 in La Mailleraye-sur-Seine – 6 January 1841) was a French diplomat and historian. Biography Louis de Bignon was born at La Mailleraye-sur-Seine, Seine-Maritime, the son of a dyer. Although ...

* * Aleksander Stanisław Potocki * * Aleksander Antoni Sapieha *

Jan Śniadecki Jan Śniadecki (29 August 1756 – 9 November 1830) was a Polish mathematician, philosopher, and astronomer at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Life Born in Żnin, Śniadecki studied at Kraków Jagellonian University and in Paris. He ...

* *

References

{{Reflist

Sources

* Janusz Iwaszkiewicz, ''Litwa w roku 1812'' (Lithuania in 1812), Warsaw, 1912. *

Marian Kukiel Marian Włodzimierz Kukiel (pseudonyms: ''Marek Kąkol'', ''Stach Zawierucha''; 15 May 1885 in Dąbrowa Tarnowska – 15 August 1973 in London) was a Polish major general, historian, social and political activist. One of the founders of Zwi� ...

, ''Wojna 1812 roku'' (The 1812 War),

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, 1937. * A. Rembowski, ''"Konfederacja Generalna i pospolite ruszenie w roku 1812"'' ("The General Confederation and

Levee en Masse A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually earthen and that often runs parallel to the course of a river in its floodplain or along low-lying coastlin ...

in 1812"), ''Biblioteka Warszawska'' (The Warsaw Library), vol. 1, 1896, fascicle 3, pp. 478–514; vol. 2, 1896, fascicle 1, pp. 67–86. *

Władysław Zajewski Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to: Famous people Mononym * W ...

, ''

'', Warsaw, 1983. Duchy of Warsaw History of Lithuania (1795–1918) 1812 in Belarus French invasion of Russia Provisional governments 1812 in Europe