Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1811)

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania ( Belorussian. Vyalikae of the Principality of Lithuania ) is a project of autonomous education within the Russian Empire , proposed by the Polish musician and politician Michael Kleofas of Oginsky to Emperor Alexander I in 1811 . This formation was supposed to be created as opposed to the pro - French duchy of Warsaw in the territory of eight provinces: Vilensky , Volyn , Grodno , Vitebsk , Mogilev , Minsk , Kiev , Podolsky , as well as the Bialystok region and Tarnopol district .

Content

Oginsky Plan

The idea of creating a special education from the western provinces of Russia was expressed by Senator M.K. Oginsky in April 1811. At the suggestion of the emperor, a group of magnates ( M.K. Oginsky , F.K. Lyubetsky , L. Plater and others). The main provisions of the project were developed. According to the plan, it was planned to create a special province from the above-mentioned territories of the Russian Empire under the name of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , centered in Vilna and led by the governor of the Russian emperor. The creation of special governing bodies was envisaged (the Lithuanian Chancellery in St. Petersburg , the Administrative Council and the Supreme Tribunal in Vilnius). The Legislative Code was to be the Statute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania of 1588 , and the Polish language as the language of office work. All public posts were planned to be replaced only by natives of the Principality. It was proposed to allocate funds for education in ON to a separate account of the state budget.

Map of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

The aim of the project was to neutralize pro-French influence and strengthen the position of the Russian authorities in the "Polish provinces". However, the desire of Alexander I to make maximum use of the human and material (food) resources of Belarus was no less important, if not the main one.

Kingdom of Poland

In notes dated October 15 (27) and December 1, 1811, Oginsky advised the emperor not to limit himself to the creation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, but suggested restoring the Kingdom of Poland . In his opinion, such a step would have knocked the initiative out of the hands of Napoleon , and would have made the Poles see Alexander I as the defender of their homeland. In the event of a war with France, Poland had to take the side of Russia, and then the emperor would accept the Polish crown. This proposal, unlike the previous one, did not find support from Alexander I.

Notes

Literature

Lukashevich A. M. Projects for the restoration of the Commonwealth and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and their place in the military-strategic planning of the Russian Empire (1810-1812) // Foreign policy of Belarus in historical retrospective: Materials of an international scientific conference. - Minsk: "Adukatsy i vykhavanne", 2002. - S. 46-59.
Tarasaў K. Vyalikae of the Duchy of Lithuania, // Now Hour online [Electronic resources], 11/13/2009 - Access date 6/8/2015
Lukashevich AM The Western Border Region in the military strategic plans of the Russian Empire (end of the 18th century - 1812): in 3 books. Prince 1: Political situation according to intelligence and counterintelligence services. - IVC of the Ministry of Finance, 2012 .-- 359 p. - ISBN 978-985-6993-82-7