The Namiestnik (or Namestnik, Viceroy) of the Kingdom of Poland (, ) was the deputy of the

Emperor of Russia The emperor and autocrat of all Russia (, ), also translated as emperor and autocrat of all the Russias, was the official title of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarch from 1721 to 1917. The title originated in connection with Russia's ...

who, under the Congress Kingdom of Poland (1815–1915), was styled "King of Poland". Between 1874 and 1914, the title '' Namiestnik'' was replaced by that of Governor-General of Warsaw ().

History

The office of '' Namiestnik'' was introduced in Poland by the Constitution of Congress Poland (1815), in its Article 3 (On the Namiestnik and Council of State). The namiestnik was chosen by the Tsar from among the noble citizens of the Russian Empire or the Kingdom of Poland, excluding naturalized citizens. The namiestnik supervised the entire

public administration Public administration, or public policy and administration refers to "the management of public programs", or the "translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day",Kettl, Donald and James Fessler. 2009. ''The Politics of the ...

and, in the monarch's absence, chaired the Council of State of Congress Poland, as well as the Administrative Council of Congress Poland. He could

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president (government title), president or monarch vetoes a bill (law), bill to stop it from becoming statutory law, law. In many countries, veto powe ...

the councils' decisions; other than that, his decisions had to be countersigned by the appropriate government minister. The namiestnik exercised broad powers and could nominate candidates for most senior government posts (ministers,

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

s, judges of the High Tribunal, councilors of state, referendaries, as well as

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

s and

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

s). The namiestnik had no competence in the realms of finances and foreign policy; his military competence varied. In the event that the namiestnik were unable to exercise his office due to resignation or death, this function would be temporarily carried out by the president of the Council of State. The office of namiestnik was never officially abolished; however, the last namiestnik was Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg, who served from 1863 to his death in 1874. No namiestnik was named to replace him;Hugo Stumm, ''Russia's Advance Eastward'', 1874, p. 140, note 1. Google Prin

/ref> however, the role of namiestnik—

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

of the former Congress Kingdom —passed to the

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

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 ...

Thomas Mitchell, ''Handbook for Travellers in Russia, Poland, and Finland'', 1888, p. 460. Google Prin

/ref>—or, to be more specific, of the Warsaw Military District (Russian Empire), Warsaw Military District (, ). However, in the internal correspondence of Russian Imperial offices this functionary was still called ''namiestnik''. The governor-general answered directly to the Tsar and exercised much broader powers than had the namiestnik. In particular, he controlled all the military forces in the region and oversaw the judicial systems (he could impose death sentences without trial). He could also issue " declarations with the force of law," which could alter existing laws.

Viceroys of the Kingdom of Poland

* Józef Zajączek (1815–26) * Vacant, 1826–31 (power and responsibilities were exercised by the Administrative Council) * Ivan Paskevich (1831–55) * Mikhail Dmitrievich Gorchakov (1855 – 3 May 1861) * Nikolai Sukhozanet (16 May 1861 – 1 August 1861) * Karl Lambert (1861) * Nikolai Sukhozanet (11–22 October 1861) * Alexander von Lüders (November 1861 – June 1862) * Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia (June 1862 – 31 October 1863) * Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg (1863–74)

Governors-General of Warsaw

* Count Paul Demetrius von Kotzebue (1874–80) * Pyotr Pavlovich Albedinsky (1880–83) * Joseph Vladimirovich Gourko (1883–94) * Pavel Andreyevich Shuvalov (1894–1896) * Prince Alexander Imeretinsky (1896–1900) * Mikhail Chertkov (1900–05) * (1905) * Georgi Skalon (1905–14) * Yakov Zhilinskiy (1914) * Pavel Yengalychev (1914–1915)

Notes

a The office is referred to in sources by various names. '' Namiestnik'' is sometimes translated as "

," "

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

" or "

lord lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ov ...

," and even "

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

" of Poland or Prince of Warsaw. The Governor-General of Warsaw is sometimes referred to as "Governor-General of the Kingdom of Poland" or "Governor-General of Poland." Some sources erroneously apply the term ''namiestnik'' to the period after 1874, or "governor-general" to the earlier period. b Sources are contradictory as to whether the namiestnik had competence in the military realm. Certainly from 1815 to 1831 the Congress Kingdom's military was controlled by Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia, who ''de facto'' had more power than the namiestnik, Józef Zajączek. Zajączek died in 1826 and was not replaced until 1831, when the November 1831 Uprising saw Ivan Paskevich assume the post of namiestnik—as well as command of Russian military forces in the region, as he was tasked with defeating the Uprising. The question of who controlled the military after Paskevich's death is unclear, but again the last namiestnik, Fyodor Berg, was tasked with crushing another Polish uprising—the January 1863 Uprising—and commanded the military.

References

;Inline ;General {{Namestniks of the Kingdom of Poland Government of Congress Poland Heads of state of Poland Political history of Poland ! Government of the Russian Empire

History

Viceroys of the Kingdom of Poland

Governors-General of Warsaw

See also

Notes

References