Tadeusz Matuszewicz – a creator or "gravedigger" of the General Confederation of the Kingdom of Poland?

Abstract

The day before of Franco-Russian 1812 war, on June 28th the Seym of the Duchy of Warsaw established the General Confederation of the Kingdom of Poland, which restored the Kingdom of Poland. Tadeusz Matuszewicz, the Minister of Revenue and the Treasury, expressed the already famous words: “So Poland will arise. What am I saying? There is Poland now, or rather it has never ceased to be”, which caused patriotic euphoria and movement among the members in the Seym chamber. Members of the Confederation, which Napoleon understood as an armed uprising, having no powers, soon lost their enthusiasm, and their activity was actually publishing propaganda brochures. After defeat in Russia, Napoleon blamed the failure on his ambassador in the Duchy of Warsaw, Dominique de Pradt, who started to critise the government of the Duchy of Warsaw. This article presents the role of Tadeusz Matuszewicz in the establishment and final failure of the General Confederation of the Kingdom of Poland.