Castellans of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were the lowest rank of territorial

official An official is someone who holds an office (function or Mandate (politics), mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual Office, working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (eithe ...

who could sit in the

Senate of Poland The Senate () is the upper house of the Parliament of Poland, Polish parliament, the lower house being the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, Sejm. The history of the Polish Senate stretches back over 500 years; it was one of the first constituent ...

. Their numbers varied over time and with the shifting borders of the Commonwealth. In the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

and later in the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

, Castellans () usually deferred to the higher ranking

Voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

s (Polish: ''Wojewoda''), excepting three Distinguished Castellans of the cities of Trakai, Vilnius, and of

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

- who ranked higher than the Voivodes.

Competences

With the exception of the Castellan of Kraków, whose seat was representative of the Commonwealth's capital until 1596, Castellans were usually considered subordinate to Voivodes. Two castellans in the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

- those of

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

and Trakai - were also considered privileged, and had a status equal to a voivode. Castellans were in charge of a subdivision of a

Voivodship A voivodeship ( ) or voivodate is the area administered by a voivode (governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in ...

called a

Castellany A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

(Polish: ''Kasztelania'') until the late 15th century when domains were administratively divided into

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

s in the case of larger castellanies and

powiat A ''powiat'' (; ) is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture (Local administrative unit, LAU-1 ormerly Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, NUTS-4 ...

s for smaller castellanies. From 1565, the principle of "'' incompatibilitas''" - "incompatibility" - precluded Voivodes and Castellans from holding a second ministerial role, except for the post of Hetman.

List

The list below is based on data from 1569. The number of castellans changed in later centuries. * Distinguished Castellans ''Kasztelanowie Wyróżnieni'' — of

and Trakai were seated alongside the Voivodes: # Castellan of Kraków (kasztelan krakowski). Seat:

. Seated in the Senate, above the

Voivode of Kraków Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

. #Castellan of Vilnius (kasztelan wileński). Seat:

. Seated 6th in the Senate after the

Voivode of Sandomierz Sandomierz Voivodeship (, ) was a unit of administration and local government in Poland from the 14th century to the partitions of Poland in 1772–1795. It was part of the Lesser Poland region and the Lesser Poland Province. Originally Sandomie ...

and before the Voivode of Kalisz. #Castellan of Trakai (kasztelan trocki). Seat: Trakai. Seated 10th in the Senate after the Voivode of Sieradz and before the Voivode of Łęczyca * ''Kasztelanowie Więksi (Krzesłowi)'' — 31 Major Castellans: #Greater Castellan of Poznań, Seat:

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

#Greater Castellan of Sandomierz, Seat: Sandomierz #Greater Castellan of Kalisz, Seat: Kalisz #Greater Castellan of Wojnicz, Seat: Wojnicz #Greater Castellan of Gniezno, Seat: Gniezno #Greater Castellan of Sieradz, Seat: Sieradz #Greater Castellan of Łęczyca, Seat:

Łęczyca Łęczyca (; in full the Royal Town of Łęczyca, ; ; ) is a town of inhabitants in central Poland. Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the county seat of the Łęczyca County. Łęczyca is a capital of the historical Łęczyca Land. Or ...

#Greater Castellan of Samogitia, Seat: Samogitia #Greater Castellan of Brześć Kujawski, Seat: Brześć Kujawski #Greater Castellan of Kijów, Seat: Kijów (

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, also Kiev) #Greater Castellan of Inowrocław, Seat: Inowrocław #Greater Castellan of Lwów, Seat: Lwów (

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

) #Greater Castellan of Wołyń, Seat: Wołyń (

Volhynia Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...

) #Greater Castellan of Kamieniec, Seat: Kamieniec Podolski (

Kamianets-Podilskyi Kamianets-Podilskyi (, ; ) is a city on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi. Formerly the administrative center of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, the city is now the administrative center of Kamianets ...

) #Greater Castellan of Smoleńsk, Seat: Smoleńsk (

Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...

) #Greater Castellan of Lublin, Seat:

Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...

#Greater Castellan of Połock, Seat: Połock ( Polotsk) #Greater Castellan of Bełsk, Seat: Bełsk (Belz) #Greater Castellan of Nowogródek, Seat: Nowogródek ( Novogrudok) #Greater Castellan of Płock, Seat:

Płock Płock (pronounced ), officially the Ducal Capital City of Płock, is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by Central Statistical Office (Poland), GUS on 31 December 2021, the ...

#Greater Castellan of Witebsk, Seat: Witebsk ( Vitebsk) #Greater Castellan of Czersk, Seat: Czersk #Greater Castellan of Podlasie, Seat: Podlasie #Greater Castellan of Rawa, Seat: Rawa Mazowiecka #Greater Castellan of Brześć Litewski, Seat: Brześć Litewski ( Brest) #Greater Castellan of Chełmno, Seat: Chełmno #Greater Castellan of Mścisław, Seat: Mścisław (

Mstsislaw Mstislaw or Mstislavl is a town in Mogilev Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Mstsislaw District. In 2009, its population was 10,804. As of 2024, it has a population of 10,019. History Mstislavl was first mentioned in the ...

) #Greater Castellan of Elbląg, Seat: Elbląg #Greater Castellan of Bracław, Seat: Bracław ( Bratslav) #Greater Castellan of Gdańsk, Seat:

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

(Danzig) #Greater Castellan of Mińsk, Seat: Mińsk #Greater Castellan of Wenden, Seat: Wenden (

Cēsis Cēsis (; (, , , ) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges above the river, overlooking the woods below. Cēsis was selected to b ...

, added after 1569) #Greater Castellan of Dorpat, Seat: Dorpat (

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

, added after 1569) #Greater Castellan of Parnawa, Seat: Parnawa ( Pärnu, added after 1569) #Greater Castellan of Inflanty, Seat:

Livonia Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia. By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...

(replaced those of Wenden, Dorpat and Parnawa in 1677) #Greater Castellan of Czernihów, Seat: Czernihów * ''Kasztelanowie Mniejsi (Drążkowi)'' — 49 Minor Castellans: #Minor Castellan of Nowy Sącz, Seat:

Nowy Sącz Nowy Sącz (; ; ; ; ) is a city in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship of southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County as a separate administrative unit. With a population of 83,116 as of 2021, it is the largest city in the Beskid S ...

#Minor Castellan of Międzyrzecze, Seat: Miedzyrzecze, Silesian Voivodeship #Minor Castellan of Wiślica, Seat: Wiślica #Minor Castellan of Biecz, Seat: Biecz #Minor Castellan of Rogoźno, Seat: Rogoźno #Minor Castellan of Radom, Seat: Radom #Minor Castellan of Zawichost, Seat: Zawichost #Minor Castellan of Ląd, Seat: Ląd #Minor Castellan of Śrem, Seat:

Śrem Śrem () is a town on the Warta river in central Poland. It is the seat of Śrem County in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. As of 1995, the population of Śrem was 29,800. Śrem is to the south of Poznań, a local road junction on the road from ...

#Minor Castellan of Żary, Seat: Żary #Minor Castellan of Małogoszcz, Seat: Małogoszcz #Minor Castellan of Wieluń, Seat: Wieluń #Minor Castellan of Przemyśl, Seat:

Przemyśl Przemyśl () is a city in southeastern Poland with 56,466 inhabitants, as of December 2023. Data for territorial unit 1862000. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodeship. It was previously the capital of Prz ...

#Minor Castellan of Halicz, Seat: Halicz (

Halych Halych (, ; ; ; ; , ''Halitsch'' or ''Galitsch''; ) is a historic List of cities in Ukraine, city on the Dniester River in western Ukraine. The city gave its name to the Principality of Halych, the historic province of Galicia (Eastern Europe), ...

) #Minor Castellan of Sanok, Seat: Sanok #Minor Castellan of Chełm, Seat:

Chełm Chełm (; ; ) is a city in eastern Poland in the Lublin Voivodeship with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some from the border with Ukraine. The ...

#Minor Castellan of Dobrzyń, Seat: Dobrzyń #Minor Castellan of Połaniec, Seat: Połaniec #Minor Castellan of Przemęt, Seat: Przemęt #Minor Castellan of Krzywina, Seat: Krzywina #Minor Castellan of Czchów, Seat: Czchów #Minor Castellan of Nakło, Seat: Nakło #Minor Castellan of Rozprza, Seat: Rozprza #Minor Castellan of Biechów, Seat: Biechów #Minor Castellan of Bydgoszcz, Seat:

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz is a city in northern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Kuyavia. Straddling the confluence of the Vistula River and its bank (geography), left-bank tributary, the Brda (river), Brda, the strategic location of Byd ...

#Minor Castellan of Brzeziny, Seat: Brzeziny #Minor Castellan of Kruszwica, Seat: Kruszwica #Minor Castellan of Oświęcim, Seat: Oświęcim #Minor Castellan of Kamieńsk, Seat: Kamieńsk #Minor Castellan of Spycimierz, Seat: Spycimierz #Minor Castellan of Inowłódz, Seat: Inowłódz #Minor Castellan of Kowale, Seat: Kowal #Minor Castellan of Santok, Seat: Santok #Minor Castellan of Sochaczew, Seat:

Sochaczew Sochaczew () is a town in central Poland, with 33,456 inhabitants (as of 2023). In the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), formerly in Skierniewice Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Sochaczew County and is located approximately west ...

#Minor Castellan of Warsaw, Seat:

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

#Minor Castellan of Gostyniec, Seat: Gostyniec or Goślice #Minor Castellan of Wizna, Seat: Wizna #Minor Castellan of Raciąż, Seat: Raciąż #Minor Castellan of Sierpc, Seat: Sierpc #Minor Castellan of Wyszogród, Seat: Wyszogród #Minor Castellan of Rypin. Seat: Rypin #Minor Castellan of Zakroczym, Seat: Zakroczym #Minor Castellan of Ciechanowice, Seat: Ciechanowice #Minor Castellan of Liw, Seat: Liw #Minor Castellan of Słońsk, Seat: Słońsk (present Ciechocinek) #Minor Castellan of Lubaczów, Seat: Lubaczów * ''Kasztelanowie Konarscy (Koniuszy)'' — 3 Equerry Castellans: #Minor Konary Castellan of Sieradz, Seat: Sieradz #Minor Konary Castellan of Łęczyca, Seat:

#Minor Konary Castellan of Inowrocław, Seat: Inowrocław

References

Urzedy Staropolskie
Przemysław Bielewicz, in Polish
Urzędy główne i sejmowanie do połowy XVIII w. "Dzieje administracji w Polsce w zarysie"
Feliks Koneczny, in Polish {{DEFAULTSORT:Castellans of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Castellans Polish titles Senators of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth