Franciszek Ksawery Drucki-Lubecki

Franciszek Ksawery Drucki-Lubecki

Franciszek Ksawery Drucki-Lubecki (partly also Lubecki-Drucki ) (born January 4, 1778 , † May 10, 1846 ) was a statesman in Russian-occupied Poland. He was always loyal to the respective Tsar and advocated an understanding with Russia. At the same time, he refused to rule Poland by means of coercion alone and advocated extensive autonomy. With the outbreak of the November uprising , this policy had in fact failed.

family

He belonged to the princely family Drucki-Lubecki , which was originally located in what is now Belarus . His father was Franciszek Drucki-Lubecki (1741–1802). The mother was Genowefa Olizar (1748–1784). He married Maria Scipio del Campo in 1814. Several children were born from the marriage.

Early years

He attended the cadet school in St. Petersburg . Between 1797 and 1800 he fought under Alexander Wassiljewitsch Suworow during the coalition wars in the Russian army in Italy and Switzerland . He then retired to his estates and was Marshal of the Nobility in the Grodno Provincial Administration . This made the imperial government aware of him and he was considered a promising candidate for a post as provincial governor several times. He was opposed to Poland's widespread orientation towards Napoleon . Instead, he relied on the demand for Polish autonomy within the Russian Empire. He campaigned in vain for the restoration of a Grand Duchy of Lithuania within the Russian Imperial Union. During Napoleon's Russian campaign in 1812, Drucki-Lubecki served at the imperial headquarters and was responsible for procuring supplies for the Russian troops.

From 1813 to 1815 Drucki-Lubecki became a member of the Provisional Council of State for the Russian-occupied Duchy of Warsaw . In 1816 he represented the new Kingdom of Poland ("Congress Poland ") in successful debt negotiations with Austria and Prussia. Through this activity, Drucki-Lubecki earned a reputation as a financial specialist.

Minister of Finance of Congress of Poland

In 1821 Alexander I appointed him finance minister of the kingdom. He held this office until 1830.

Through reforms he has overcome the catastrophic financial situation and balanced the state budget. He did not shy away from conflicts with senior Russian officials who opposed his attempt to reorganize the state budget. His attempt to obtain reparations from Russia for the Russian occupation of Poland between 1813 and 1815 was unsuccessful. He negotiated with Prussia and Russia about the lowering of the customs tariffs against the kingdom. In the long run he succeeded in ending Russian economic protectionism. Drucki-Lubecki founded the Polish National Bank and a land credit company, not least with the aim of promoting the economy. He also used the financial surplus from the state budget to promote industry. In this way he contributed to the boom in the mining, textile and coal and steel industries. The building of the central bank in 1828 by the architect Antonio Corazzi was a visible expression of the success . However, the measures did not lead to sustainable industrial development.

Politically, he stood for a strong executive and compliance with the constitution of 1815 was not important to him. He advocated the repressive police laws enforced by the Russians and he did not shy away from enforcing the state budget bypassing the Sejm. As an admirer of Joseph II , he was opposed to the political role of the Catholic Church. He always remained loyal to the tsar and Nicholas I trusted him more than any other Pole. But he also campaigned for Polish autonomy, if necessary in confrontation with Grand Duke Constantine , the de facto governor in Poland.

November uprising

He rejected the November uprising of 1830/31, even whom he tried to mediate at first. On the night of November 29th to 30th, he urged Grand Duke Constantine in vain to put down the uprising while it was still in its infancy. Together with Adam Jerzy Czartoryski he then participated in the formation of a provisional government with a strongly conservative component. He also supported Józef Chłopicki in his attempt to establish a dictatorship. On December 12th, Drucki-Lubecki traveled to St. Petersburg for negotiations. The emperor showed himself to be unwilling to compromise and demanded unconditional submission. Thereupon Drucki-Lubecki Chłopicki urged in vain to suppress the uprising in order to avoid war.

After that, he decided to maintain his loyalty to the Tsar and was appointed to the Russian State Council. After the uprising was put down, he was involved in restoring Russian rule.

literature

• Jerzy Jan Lerski: Historical dictionary of Poland, 966-1945. Westport, 1996 p. 312.
• Norman Davies: In the heart of Europe. History of Poland. Munich, 2006 ISBN 978-3-406-46709-7 pp. 173-176.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Genealogical information  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.