Russian temptention of ”janissarisation” of Polish elite. Encouraging of avioding mandatory and regular army draft by Polish citizens after crashing of November Uprising of 1831 by trials to make volountary jannissaries out of Polish elite in subdued Poland of Paskievich era
After the fall of Polish November Uprising of 1831, Department for Kingdom of Poland Affairs establish within St. Petersburg’s Russian State Council, introduced new important rules, desrcribing legal conditions, under which ”not lised and considered as nobility” Polish citizens of that Kingdom could freely contract on the rights of volunteers the service in occupying Polish land imperial Russian army. It is worth noting here that those who possesssed this "opportunity", were in position "having enrolled to the [Russian] army, /.../ to use privileges as indicated in the Collection of Laws of the Empire". These important proposals were filally approved by Tsar Nicholas I on 18/30 th of May 1837.
The semi-government of Kingdom of Poland - the Warsaw’s Administrative Council, during it’s session dated as of 11 / 23 of June 1839, and chaired by Field Marshal Ivan Paskevich, decided tu publicly announce the the new law introduced by Department of Polish Affairs. One of the possibilities was publication of its contents in the official Polish Journal of Laws.This Administrative Council’s regulation No. 31 413 was then signed by Director General presiding in the Government Commission of Internal, Public Enlightenment and Spiritual Affairs - Russian general Szipov and - consequently - by Secretary of State in Administrative Council - Tymowski
In addition to the publication of derscribed regulation in the official of Journal of Laws of Polish Kingdom, the imperial order of May 30th 1837 were then - according to specific rescript of the Government Commission of Internal, Public Enlightenment and Spiritual Affairsof 27 September / October 9th 1839, number 15 773 - given to public notice by various provincial governments.
According to first article of Nicholas I’s order of 18/30 of May 1837 (published finally in Poland two years later), the right to serve in the Russian army in Kingdom of Poland on the rights of the volunteers (i.e. on much better conditions than while taken in mandatory draft) most of all had recruited sons of former non-commissioned officers of dissolved Polish Army, discharged from thieir duties before November Uprising in the rank of officers, and - obviously - not taking personally any part in the uprising itself.
Then, such “powers” were to include children of lieutenants of former Polish Army, who also under any circumstances did not participate in the Uprising, as well as male descendants of military administration officials, dismissed from the service because of "reduction of jobs they held”. Into this "privilege" were also allowed children of - released from the line of duty in administration service, or dead before the approval of the new law 11/23 July of 1836 on civil servants classification - members of “administration body/(corps)” of Kingdom, working a job corresponding to 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th ranks, and - of course and again - not taking any personal involvement in the Uprising .
The authors of new legislature also provided granting right of voluntary joining Russian army to former students of Warsaw (tsar Akeksander’s) University of no noble origin. The case was referring to those former students who had obtained Ph.D. or Master's degree and did not participate in the November Uprising, and also "behaved quietly" . Similarl reference was made to the students of co-called “additional courses” introduced at the high school in Warsaw as also to all national junior high school students who had completed eight classes “with benefit and praise of their sovereignty”.
At the same time in articles of law written in Department of Polish Kingdom Affairs of St Petersburg’s State Council, and signed by tsar Nicholas I, in was clearly underlined that the possibility of joining the Russian army as a volunteer should be strictly denied to all former pupils of voivodeship provincial schools, consitning only of six classes, as well as to students of these high schools functioning in Poland during late thirties of nineteenth century "which do not count the eight classes".
Russians assumed then the opportunity to join their “Active Army” as volunteers by the sons of people who had been previously recorded – basing on subsequently approved by the Senate of the Kingdom diverse resolutions of former Provincial Councils - in the books of the nobility, but in post-uprising circumstancesand reality, could not submit sufficient broad evidence and proofs of their nobility required now by article no 17 of new decree of Nicholas I on Polish nobility (also written by Russian Council of State).
Also, the possibility of joining voluntary military draft was widely limited for the majority of citizens of Kingdom of Poland, especially after making a decision that from general group of people deprived of their nobility in postuprisnig Poland, there would be eventually admitted only those, whose fathers were before the Uprising enrolled - under the authority of the Senate - on the lists of books of nobility, and who still - in addition - possessed their estates. Anyway, even here one could observe sort of additional exclusion, while Russian decided to include in this “privilegde” only those whose fathers had their property only in cities, but not in countryside.
Another category of young people embracing "benefits" of voluntary recruitment to Russian army were sons of persons "receiving or not receiving any pay,[but] exercising the duties not considered as government service at various authorities and institutions of the Kingdom”. This concerned in particular sons of Polish “judges of peace”, regents and notaries, presidents and members of nursing and hospital boards, presidents and higher staff of Polish Land Credit Society, the cadence members of Directorate of the Fire Society, members of the Debt Relief Commission, merchant members of Bank of Poland, the Commercial Court judges in Warsaw, and patrons of the Supreme Court in Warsaw.
Another “privileged" group constituted of sons of chiefs of merchant houses conducting banking interests abroad, and Christian merchants possessing “right of remmission” . In these cases, however, one had to submit to ministry - Government Commission of Internal, Public Enlightenment and Spiritual Affairs certificates attesting to the continuous profession of trade of his father for at least 12 years, assuming that there was no bankruptcy or any entering into agreements with creditors.
Additionally, the right of voluntary recruitment to Russian army had in Kingdom of Poland sons of local clergy. It was obvious that in regard to children of Orthodox priests (the Greek-Russian clergy) there were in force rules similar to thsese existing in Russia. On the other hand, male descendants of Greco-Uniate clergy had to submit the following evidence: 1) certificate of completion of high school, or secondary level science seminar,2) permit given by parents to join the army, 3) certificate of baptism, d) certificate of absence of criminality (criminal behaviour). As volunteers, “Active Army” might also be joined by sons of protestant pastors, preachning in Kingdom.Finally, this "honor" wase also given to foreigners living in Kingdom of Poland and their children, provided they were nobles.
Conclusion.
Russian inviding power authority initiative to encourage the most active “specific elite” of Kingdom of Poland of Paskievich era to send voluntarily their sons to the tsarist army (in exchange for an expected facilitating their military career/apanage) hid in itself a lot of various intentions.
First of all, it seems obvious that Russians wanted to neutralize to some extand any possible negative social perception of inroduced in 1832/1833 in Kingdom of Poland forced conscription to Russian army, which indeed conctantly resulted in more than numerous escapes of Polish citizens, avoiding draft. Much more important, however, would be (obviously expected by them this way) voluntary "janissarisation” of elite of the country. It is obvious to author of this note that that the voluntary “transfer” of Polish elite’s children to the service of the tsarist army would not only eventually lead to the collapse of national spirit of Polish resistance agains partitioners of homeland, but also it would most likely result in replacing in the future the former patriotic most vibrant/active element of Polish youth by country’s next generation of nationals – this time cempletely educated and infuenced in the spirit of the interests of the Russian empire.
These endeavours somehow “fit” this famous idea of late thirties of nineteenth century when Warsaw’s Ministry of Internal Affairs ordered to bring from Russia to Poland lots of cheap gray cloth, which was to make it possible for Polish peasants to look similar to their Russian colleagues. Interestingly, the two ideas: a) of “janissarisation” of sons of elite of Kingdom, b) and introducing of trials of estrablishing “likeness” of physical appearance of Polish and Russian farmers are somehow combined together - especially when they have similar origin and author. It is worth mentioning here that it was the Russian general Szipov who introduced these his new ideas when it became clear that members of the ruling elite - Polish Council of State – were not going to cooperate in the work of self-destruction of the nation by actual refusal to develop a restrictive law of nobility
This highest level dangerous attempt of “janissarisation” of young social elite of Kingdom of Poland, undertaken by Russians during late thirties / early forties of nineteenth century surely may be counted among one of the most sophisticated elements of the process of denationalization of Poland, presented by Russians.
@copyright Marek Rutkowski
Inne tematy w dziale Kultura
