The Hetmans' Party (), also known as the Magnates' Party (''Stronnictwo magnackie''), the Muscovite Party (''Stronnictwo moskiewskie''), the Conservative Party (''Stronnictwo konserwatywne'') and the Old-Nobility Party (''Stronnictwo staroszlacheckie''), was a political party that opposed reforms advocated 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 ...

by the Patriotic Party. The Hetmans' Party was aligned with the Russian Empire and supported preservation of the

status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...

and the "

Golden Freedoms Golden Liberty (; , ), sometimes referred to as Golden Freedoms, Nobles' Democracy or Nobles' Commonwealth ( or ''Złota wolność szlachecka'') was a political system in the Kingdom of Poland and, after the Union of Lublin (1569), in the Polish ...

". Its various names come from the fact that it was headed by two hetmans (commanders of Commonwealth military forces), represented the interests of conservative nobles and magnates, and was aligned with the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

History

Background

By the early 17th century, the

magnate The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

s of Poland and Lithuania controlled the state—or rather, they managed to ensure that no reforms would be carried out that might weaken their privileged status (the "

"). The peculiar parliamentary institution of the ''

liberum veto The ''liberum veto'' (Latin for "free veto") was a parliamentary device in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was a form of unanimity voting rule that allowed any member of the Sejm (legislature) to force an immediate end to the current s ...

'' ("free veto") since 1652 had in principle permitted any

Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

deputy to nullify all the legislation that had been adopted by that Sejm. Thanks to this device, deputies bribed by magnates or foreign powers, or simply content to believe they were living in some kind of "Golden Age", for over a century paralyzed the Commonwealth's government. The government was near collapse, giving rise to the term "Polish anarchy". A major opportunity for reform seemed to present itself during the "Great" or " Four-Year Sejm" of 1788–92, which opened on October 6, 1788. Events in the world now played into the reformers' hands. Poland's neighbors were too occupied with wars — Prussia with France, Russia and Austria with the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

— and with their own internal troubles to intervene forcibly in Poland. The Russian Empire had, since the beginning of the century, been increasingly involved in the Commonwealth politics, and the current situation meant it was paying significantly less attention to the Commonwealth politics. The Patriotic Party was established during the Four-Year Sejm (Great Sejm) of 1788-92 by individuals who sought reforms aimed at strengthening the

and assuring its independence from the

. The reforms, however, did not enjoy a unanimous support.

The party

The Hetmans' Party was formed to oppose the reformers. The Party's most notable members included prominent magnates such as Hetmans Franciszek Ksawery Branicki and Seweryn Rzewuski, as well as Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki and Kazimierz Nestor Sapieha. They wished to preserve the

, as the inefficient state machinery meant that the magnates had little, if any, responsibility to the state and were the major power wielders on their lands. They hid their desire for power from the public, and sought support among the lesser, poorer nobility, portraying themselves as defenders of the traditional privileges and freedoms of the

Polish nobility The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the nobility, noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social ...

(the Golden Liberties) and of the Cardinal Laws. The magnates were not always united, and occasionally fought one another and criticized the Russian influence, though this may have been partly a smokescreen designed to increase their support among the public. The Magnates were aligned with the Russian Empire and formed two groups, one aided by Russian Ambassador Otto Magnus von Stackelberg, and the other by

Grigory Potemkin Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski (A number of dates as late as 1742 have been found on record; the veracity of any one is unlikely to be proved. This is his "official" birth-date as given on his tombstone.) was a Russian mi ...

. Many of them had received financial assistance from the Russians. The Russians wielded substantial influence in the Commonwealth, often by bribing

(parliament) deputies, ensuring that the Commonwealth was unable to threaten Russian state interests. Russia's Empress

Catherine II Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III ...

saw the Patriotic Party's reform attempts as a threat to Russian influence in the Commonwealth, and possibly as a long-term danger to absolute monarchy in Russia itself.

Aftermath

After the Patriotic Party succeeded in passing the Constitution of 3 May, the hetmans and their supporters created the

Targowica Confederation The Targowica Confederation (, , ) was a confederation established by Polish and Lithuanian magnates on 27 April 1792, in Saint Petersburg, with the backing of the Russian Empress Catherine II. The confederation opposed the Constitution of 3 May ...

in defense of the traditional Golden Liberties and the cardinal laws, and called for the Russian Empire for assistance. After the War in Defense of the Constitution, which was won by the Confederates and their Russian allies, the Hetman Party was briefly victorious, but events escalated beyond their imagining, with the

Second Partition of Poland The 1793 Second Partition of Poland was the second of partitions of Poland, three partitions (or partial annexations) that ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition (politics), partition occurred i ...

followed by the Kościuszko Uprising and the final Third Partition of Poland, ending the independent existence of the Commonwealth.

Main members

File:Franciszek Ksawery Branicki.jpg, '' Hetman'' Franciszek Ksawery Branicki File:Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki.jpg, Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki File:Seweryn Rzewuski 1.PNG, '' Hetman'' Seweryn Rzewuski File:Kazimierz Nestor Sapieha (1754 - 1798).jpg, Kazimierz Nestor Sapieha

References

{{Authority control 1788 establishments in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1792 disestablishments Defunct political parties in Poland Great Sejm