Vincent Hadleŭski ( be, Вінцэнт Гадлеўскі, pl, Wincenty Godlewski; November 16, 1888 – December 24, 1942) was a

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

ian

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

priest, publicist and politician. During World War II he was arrested by the German police on December 24, 1942 and executed in

Maly Trostenets extermination camp Maly Trostenets (Maly Trascianiec, , "Little Trostenets") is a village near Minsk in Belarus, formerly the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. During Nazi Germany's occupation of the area during World War II (when the Germans referred to it as ...

Life

Born in the village of Porozowo, (now Šuryčy in the

Grodno Region Grodno Region ( pl, Grodzieńszczyzna) or Grodno Oblast or Hrodna Voblasts ( be, Гродзенская вобласць, ''Hrodzienskaja vobłasć'', , ''Haradzienščyna''; russian: Гродненская область, ''Grodnenskaya oblast' ...

near

Vaŭkavysk Vawkavysk ( be, Ваўкавы́ск, ; russian: Волковы́ск; pl, Wołkowysk; lt, Valkaviskas; yi, וואלקאוויסק; Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#V, names in other languages) is one of the oldest towns in ...

), he graduated from a Catholic seminary in

Vilna Vilnius ( , ; see also #Etymology and other names, other names) is the capital and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the munic ...

and the Catholic academy in St.Petersburg. He was one of the first priests to introduce Catholic liturgy in the

Belarusian language Belarusian ( be, беларуская мова, biełaruskaja mova, link=no, ) is an East Slavic language. It is the native language of many Belarusians and one of the two official state languages in Belarus. Additionally, it is spoken in some p ...

. After the short-lived declaration of independence by Belarus, he became member of the founding government (''

Rada The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Se ...

'') of the Belarusian Democratic Republic for several months in 1918. Hadleŭski was one of the participants in the First Belarusian Congress of December 1917, and served as editor of the magazine ''Krynica''. Čatyry Ewanelii

Second Polish Republic

Following the

Peace of Riga The Peace of Riga, also known as the Treaty of Riga ( pl, Traktat Ryski), was signed in Riga on 18 March 1921, among Poland, Soviet Russia (acting also on behalf of Soviet Belarus) and Soviet Ukraine. The treaty ended the Polish–Soviet Wa ...

, signed in 1921 between newly reborn Poland and Soviet Russia, Hadleŭski settled in what became

eastern Poland Eastern Poland is a macroregion in Poland comprising the Lublin, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie, and Warmian-Masurian voivodeships. The make-up of the distinct macroregion is based not only of geographical criteria, but also econo ...

. He became professor in the Belarusian seminary of

Nieśwież Nesvizh, Niasviž ( be, Нясві́ж ; lt, Nesvyžius; pl, Nieśwież; russian: Не́свиж; yi, ניעסוויז; la, Nesvisium) is a city in Belarus. It is the administrative centre of the Nyasvizh District (''rajon'') of Minsk Region ...

(now Niaśviž, Belarus) and a priest for the

powiat A ''powiat'' (pronounced ; Polish plural: ''powiaty'') is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture ( LAU-1, formerly NUTS-4) in other countries. The term "''powiat ...

of Święciany (now Švenčionys, Lithuania). For seven years between 1922 and 1928 he served as

member of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for the Polish

Sejm The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of ...

, representing the Belarusian minority. In 1925 and 1926 Hadleŭski was arrested and questioned twice for organizing anti-Polish rallies. He was arrested for the third time and convicted of anti-Polish agitation in 1927. Allegedly, the evidence against Hadleŭski was falsified by his opponents. His active promotion of Belarusian language and independence cost him two-year jail sentence. While in prison, he wrote a book about the history of New Testament for Belarusian schools (the book was published in Wilno in 1930). After his release he lived in

Wilno Vilnius ( , ; see also #Etymology and other names, other names) is the capital and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the munic ...

, where he translated the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...

into Belarusian.Jurij Gil, Wacław Stankiewicz
Sylwetki działaczy białoruskiego odrodzenia narodowego ks. Wincentego Hadleŭskiego i ks. Adama Stankiewicza.
''Nasz Czas'', NG 10 (549).

Invasion of Poland

In 1939–1940 he edited the collaborationist magazine ''Bielaruski front'' and established the

Belarusian Independence Party The Belarusian Independence Party ( be, Беларуская незалежніцкая партыя, БНП, ''Biełaruskaja niezaležnickaja partyja'', BNP) was a Belarusian nationalist political organization during the Second World War. Creati ...

. Hadleŭski's ideology was right-wing

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

and Christian, while most followers of Belarusian nationalism at that time were Marxists, for example, the

Belarusian Peasants' and Workers' Union The Belarusian Peasants' and Workers' Union or the Hramada ( be, Беларуская Сялянска-Работніцкая Грамада ( Lacinka: ''Biełaruskaja Sialanska-Rabotnickaja Hramada''), pl, Białoruska Włościańsko-Robotnicza H ...

and later the Communist Party of West Belarus. In June 1940 Vincent Hadleŭski moved to

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 officia ...

where he worked at the German-organized Belarusian Committee. In October 1941 he became chief scholarly inspector of

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 organized education processes in the city's primary schools. While doing that, he kept on promoting the idea of Belarusian political independence and organized illegal activity of the Belarusian Independence Party, that later even worked on an anti-German uprising in

.Напрыканцы чэрвеня 1944 г.
ЦК БНП рыхтаваў у Менску антынямецкае паўстаньне з мэтай абвяшчэньня Беларускай Народнай Рэспублікі, якое было адменена з прычыны імклівага наступу Чырвонай Арміі. On December 24, 1942 Vincent Hadleŭski was arrested by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

and shot in

References

External links

biography at slounik.org
* b

}. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hadleuski, Vincent 1898 births 1942 deaths People from Svislach District People from Volkovyssky Uyezd Belarusian Roman Catholic priests Polish people of Belarusian descent Belarusian Independence Party politicians Belarusian Christian Democracy politicians Members of the Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic Belarusian schoolteachers 20th-century Roman Catholic priests Belarusian people of World War II Nazi persecution of the Catholic Church Soviet people who died in Nazi concentration camps Deaths by firearm in Belarus People who died in Maly Trostenets extermination camp Soviet civilians killed in World War II