Hieronim Stroynowski (20 September 1752 – 5 August 1815) was a Polish bishop and economist. He was the rector of

Vilnius University Vilnius University ( Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Ea ...

from 1799 to 1806, the administrator of the

Diocese of Vilnius In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

from 1808 to 1814, and the

Bishop of Vilnius Bishops of Vilnius diocese from 1388 and archdiocese (archdiocese of Vilnius) from 1925:" ...

from 1814 until his death in 1815. His writings on economics contributed to Polish liberalism.

Biography

Stroynowski began study with the

Piarists The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools (), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the Catholic Church founded in 1617 by Spanish priest Joseph Calasanz ...

in 1760 and took his vows in 1768. He taught at the Collegium Nobilium in

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 ...

between 1774 and 1778 before moving to

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

to teach at Vilnius University, where he would become a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and continue to teach until 1809. In 1782, he received his doctorate in theology from

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...

. Between 1787 and 1788 he took a sabbatical in Italy. He became the rector of Vilnius University in 1799 until resigning in 1806.

Economic ideas

Stroynowski wrote a handbook of political and economic studies for the

Commission of National Education The Commission of National Education (, KEN, ) was the central educational authority in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, created by the Sejm and King Stanisław August Poniatowski, Stanisław II August on October 14, 1773. Because of its ...

which would help establish Polish liberalism and

physiocracy Physiocracy (; from the Greek for "government of nature") is an economic theory developed by a group of 18th-century Age of Enlightenment French economists. They believed that the wealth of nations derived solely from the value of "land agricult ...

in Poland. It advocated

personal freedom Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties of ...

private property Private property is a legal designation for the ownership of property by non-governmental Capacity (law), legal entities. Private property is distinguishable from public property, which is owned by a state entity, and from Collective ownership ...

, the sanctity of contract, and

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold Economic liberalism, economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist politica ...

. He considered property rights to be the foundation of politics and morality. He also advocated

natural law Natural law (, ) is a Philosophy, philosophical and legal theory that posits the existence of a set of inherent laws derived from nature and universal moral principles, which are discoverable through reason. In ethics, natural law theory asserts ...

, which he defined as "a collection of foremost and immutable principles, or innate laws, according to which all humanity, everywhere and always, should conform".

Notable works

* (The Study of Natural and Political Law, Economics and the Law of Nations, 1785)

References

1752 births 1815 deaths 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Lithuania Bishops of Vilnius Jagiellonian University alumni Polish economists Academic staff of Vilnius University Rectors of Vilnius University {{Poland-reli-bio-stub