Michał Kazimierz Ogiński ( – ) was a Polish nobleman, politician, musician, composer and military officer.
Biography
He began his political career at the age of 18, when he became the
Field Writer of Lithuania, a mid-level position in the administration of the State. In 1764 he became one of Russia's candidates for the Polish-Lithuanian throne. When
Stanisław August Poniatowski
Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1764 to 1795, and the last monarch ...
was chosen instead, he was made
Palatine
A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times. 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 u ...
. He later joined the anti-Russian
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 Polis ...
. Defeated by the Russian forces under
Alexander Suvorov
Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Суво́ров, Aleksándr Vasíl'yevich Suvórov; or 1730) was a Russian general in service of the Russian Empire. He was Count of Rymnik, Count of the Holy ...
in the
Battle of Stołowicze
The Battle of Stołowicze was a battle of the War of the Bar Confederation. It took place on the 23 September 1771 and ended with the defeat of Bar rebels by Russian general Alexander Suvorov. Michał Kazimierz Ogiński
Michał Kazimierz Ogi ...
, he was forced into exile. However, in 1768 he was allowed to return and was nominated to the rank of the
Grand Hetman of Lithuania, thus becoming one of two highest-ranking military commanders in the Polish–Lithuanian state. During the
Great Sejm
The Great Sejm, also known as the Four-Year Sejm ( Polish: ''Sejm Wielki'' or ''Sejm Czteroletni''; Lithuanian: ''Didysis seimas'' or ''Ketverių metų seimas'') was a Sejm (parliament) of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that was held in Wars ...
of 1788–1791, Ogiński was a member of the
Patriotic Party
, colorcode = #E4433E
, leader1_title = Leaders
, leader1_name = Ignacy Potocki Adam Kazimierz CzartoryskiStanisław Małachowski
, foundation =
, dissolution =
, headquarters = Kraków
, ideology = Pro-ReformConstitutio ...
. However, following the defeat of his faction in the
Polish–Russian War of 1792
The Polish–Russian War of 1792 (also, War of the Second Partition, and in Polish sources, War in Defence of the Constitution ) was fought between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth on one side, and the Targowica Confederation (conserva ...
, he resigned his post and retired to his family manor in
Słonim.
Apart from his political and military career, he was a noted engineer and musician. He helped to establish the
Pińsk–
Volhynia
Volhynia (also spelled Volynia) ( ; uk, Воли́нь, Volyn' pl, Wołyń, russian: Волы́нь, Volýnʹ, ), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between south-eastern Poland, south-western Belarus, and western Ukraine. The ...
road, the
arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in Vilnius, and the
Oginski Canal, which joined the
watersheds of the
Neman
The Neman, Nioman, Nemunas or MemelTo bankside nations of the present: Lithuanian: be, Нёман, , ; russian: Неман, ''Neman''; past: ger, Memel (where touching Prussia only, otherwise Nieman); lv, Nemuna; et, Neemen; pl, Niemen; ; ...
and
Dnieper
}
The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine ...
rivers (1765-1784). He also founded numerous factories and foundries in the lands belonging to
his family
''His Family'' is a novel by Ernest Poole published in 1917 about the life of a New York widower and his three daughters in the 1910s. It received the first Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1918.
Plot introduction
''His Family'' tells the story of ...
. He was also a noted musician and composer, as well as a benefactor of artists. At his court in Słonim he held two theater groups (Italian and Polish), a printing house and orchestra. He also modified the design of the
harp and wrote several musical compositions. He was among two Polish scholars (alongside
Jan Szczepan Kurdwanowski
Jan Stefan Ligenza Kurdwanowski (also Jan Szczepan Kurdwanowski; 1680–1780) was a Polish physicist, member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences and military officer. A contributor to '' Encyclopédie'', he served as a courtier to king Stanisław ...
) who contributed to the French ''
Encyclopédie
''Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers'' (English: ''Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Crafts''), better known as ''Encyclopédie'', was a general encyclopedia publis ...
''. He was a cousin of Andrzej Ignacy, the father of composer
Michał Kleofas Ogiński, and it is possible that many of the
polonaise
The polonaise (, ; pl, polonez ) is a dance of Polish origin, one of the five Polish national dances in time. Its name is French for "Polish" adjective feminine/"Polish woman"/"girl". The original Polish name of the dance is Chodzony, mean ...
s composed by him can be attributed to Michał Kazimierz, including the famous ''Farewell to My Homeland''.
Michał Kazimierz Ogiński was the first owner of
Rembrandt's painting ''
The Polish Rider
'' The Polish Rider '' is a seventeenth-century painting, usually dated to the 1650s, of a young man traveling on horseback through a murky landscape, now in The Frick Collection in New York. When the painting was sold by to Henry Frick in 1910 ...
''.
Honours
*
Order of the White Eagle, Poland
*
Order of Saint Stanislaus
The Order of Saint Stanislaus ( pl, Order Św. Stanisława Biskupa Męczennika, russian: Орден Святого Станислава), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Ponia ...
, Poland
*
Order of St. Andrew
The Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called (russian: Орден Святого апостола Андрея Первозванного, translit=Orden Svyatogo apostola Andreya Pervozvannogo) is the highest order conferred by both the ...
, Russian Empire
*
Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky
The Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky was an order of chivalry of the Russian Empire first awarded on by Empress Catherine I of Russia.
History
The introduction of the Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky was envisioned by Empero ...
, Russian Empire
*
Order of the Black Eagle
The Order of the Black Eagle (german: Hoher Orden vom Schwarzen Adler) was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg (who became Friedrich I, King ...
, Prussia
Works

He was the author of literary works published under the pseudonym ''Słonimski''.
*''Żarty dowcipne dla czytelnika z różnych autorów zebrane'' (1780)
*''Xiążka in Octavo majori'' (1781)
*''Powieści historyczne i moralne'' (1782)
*''Bayki i niebayki'' (1788)
*''Noc Jungia'' – poem (1788)
Comedies:
*fr.: ''La fête du jour de nom'' (pol.: ''"Uczta imieninowa"'') - 1784
Operas:
*''Opuszczone dzieci'' – 1771, Słonim
*''Filozof zmieniony'' – 1771, Słonim
*''Telemak'' – 1780
*''Kondycje stanów'' – 1781, Słonim
*''Pola Elizejskie'' – drama with composed music – 1781, Słonim
*''Cyganie'' – 1786, Siedlce
*''Mocy Świata'' – before 1788, Słonim
Songs:
*''Do Temiry'' – 1788
See also
*
Enlightenment in Poland
The ideas of the Age of Enlightenment in Poland were developed later than in Western Europe, as the Polish bourgeoisie was weaker, and szlachta (nobility) culture (Sarmatism) together with the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth political system (Gol ...
*
Michał Kleofas Ogiński
*
Marcjan Aleksander Ogiński
References
External links
Works by Michał Kazimierz Ogińskiin digital library
Polona
Polona is a Polish digital library, which provides digitized books, magazines, graphics, maps, music, fliers and manuscripts from collections of the National Library of Poland and co-operating institutions. It began its operation in 2006.
Colle ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oginski, Michal Kazimierz
Candidates for the Polish elective throne
Generals of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Nobility from Warsaw
1730 births
1800 deaths
Great Hetmans of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Bar confederates
Michal Kazimierz
Polish composers
Contributors to the Encyclopédie (1751–1772)
18th-century composers
18th-century male musicians
Voivode of Vilnius
Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)