Stanisław Michał Ernest Denhoff (; ; c. 1673 – 2 August 1728) was a

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 ...

aristocrat, Grand Master of the Hunt of Lithuania (from 1697), Grand Chorąży of the Crown (1704–1721),

voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the ...

of Połock (1721–1728), politician and a military commander ( Field Hetman of Lithuania, 1709–1728). He was a

Starost The starosta or starost ( Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', german: link=no, Starost, Hauptmann) is a term of Slavic origin denoting a community elder whose role was to administer the assets of a clan or family estates. T ...

of numerous territories (nowokorczyński, kałuski, kościerski, lubocheński, mozyrski, latowicki, lucyński, zydekański).

Biography

He was born a member of the Denhoff family, a

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

of the

Baltic German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...

origin (the German family name was Dönhoff). His place of birth was

Kościerzyna Kościerzyna (Kashubian and Pomeranian: ''Kòscérzëna''; formerly german: Berent, ) is a town in Kashubia in Gdańsk Pomerania region, northern Poland, with some 24,000 inhabitants. It has been the capital of Kościerzyna County in Pomeranian ...

(Berent),

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

, in the region of

Royal Prussia Royal Prussia ( pl, Prusy Królewskie; german: Königlich-Preußen or , csb, Królewsczé Prësë) or Polish PrussiaAnton Friedrich Büsching, Patrick Murdoch. ''A New System of Geography'', London 1762p. 588/ref> (Polish: ; German: ) was a ...

. He was Grand Master of the Hunt of Lithuania since 1697. He was one of the organizers and a marshal of the

Sandomierz Confederation The Sandomierz Confederation was an anti-Swedish confederation, formed on 20 May 1704 in defense of the King of Poland, August II the Strong. It was formed in reaction to the Warsaw Confederation, and its marshal was Stanisław Ernest Denhoff. ...

in 1704, which supported the election of

Augustus II the Strong Augustus II; german: August der Starke; lt, Augustas II; in Saxony also known as Frederick Augustus I – Friedrich August I (12 May 16701 February 1733), most commonly known as Augustus the Strong, was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as Ki ...

(Augustus II of Poland) to the Polish throne. In recognition of his support he became a Grand Chorąży of the Crown in 1704, and a knight of the Order of the White Eagle, that honor awarded to him in 1705 by Augustus II. He remained an Augustus' supporter even during his short

abdication Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other societ ...

, and after his return, he received further royal favors. In 1709 he received the office of the Field Hetman of Lithuania. That year, he was also one of the participants of the

Battle of Poltava The Battle of Poltava; russian: Полта́вская би́тва; uk, Полта́вська би́тва (8 July 1709) was the decisive and largest battle of the Great Northern War. A Russian army under the command of Tsar Peter I defeat ...

. In 1710 he served as the

Sejm Marshal The Marshal of the Sejm , also known as Sejm Marshal, Chairman of the Sejm or Speaker of the Sejm ( pl, Marszałek Sejmu, ) is the speaker (chair) of the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish Parliament. The office traces its origins to the 15th ...

and presided over the General Council of Warsaw that confirmed

Augustus II Augustus II; german: August der Starke; lt, Augustas II; in Saxony also known as Frederick Augustus I – Friedrich August I (12 May 16701 February 1733), most commonly known as Augustus the Strong, was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as Ki ...

as the king. He also served as the Marshal of the Sejms on 5–19 April 1712 and 31 December 1712 – 21 February 1713 in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...

. In 1717 however he joined the opposition against Augustus, dissatisfied with the resolutions of the

Sejm Niemy Silent Sejm ( pl, Sejm Niemy; lt, Nebylusis seimas), also known as the Mute Sejm, is the name given to the session of the Sejm parliament of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth of 1 February 1717 held in Warsaw. A civil war in the Commonwealth wa ...

which reduced the power of the hetmans. He was the

of the Połock Voivodship since 1721. He died on 2 August 1728, and was buried in

Częstochowa Częstochowa ( , ; german: Tschenstochau, Czenstochau; la, Czanstochova) is a city in southern Poland on the Warta River with 214,342 inhabitants, making it the thirteenth-largest city in Poland. It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship (admi ...

Marriage and issue

Stanisław Michał married Joanna Denhoffówna h. Denhof in 1709 and Countess Maria Zofia Sieniawska h.

Leliwa Leliwa is a Polish coat of arms. It was used by several hundred szlachta families during the existence of the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and remains in use today by many of the descendants of these families. The ...

in 1724 and had one daughter: * Konstancja Denhoff (died 1791), married Józef Rogaliński h. Łodzia and Prince Janusz Aleksander Sanguszko h. Lis in 1731

Bibliography

* Opis historyczny parafii i miasta Staszów do 1918 r.. Staszów: Parafia Rzymsko-Katolicka, 1990. * Polski Słownik Biograficzny t. 5 s. 115

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denhoff, Stanislaw Ernest Secular senators of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1673 births 1729 deaths People from Royal Prussia Polish nobility Baltic-German people Polish people of German descent Sandomierz confederates (1704) Field Hetmans of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania People from Kościerzyna Stanisław Ernest Denhoff