MALACHOWSKI, STANISLAW (1736-1809), Polish statesman, the younger son of
Stanislaw Malachowski, palatine of Posen, the companion in arms of
Sobieski. From his youth Malachowski laboured zealously for the good of
his country, and as president of the royal court of justice won the
honourable title of the "Polish Aristides." He was first elected a
deputy to the Coronation Diet of 1764, and the great Four Years' Diet
unanimously elected him its speaker at the beginning of its session in
1788. Accurately gauging the situation, Malachowski speedily gathered
round him all those who were striving to uphold the falling republic and
warmly supported every promising project of reform. He was one of the
framers of the constitution of the 3rd of May 1791, exceeding in
liberality all his colleagues and advocating the extension of the
franchise to the towns and the emancipation of the serfs. He was the
first to enter his name as a citizen of Warsaw in the civic register and
to open negotiations with his own peasantry for their complete
liberation. Disappointed in his hopes by the overthrow of the
constitution, he resigned office and left the country in 1792, going
first to Italy and subsequently to his estates in Galicia, where he was
imprisoned for a time on a false suspicion of conspiracy. In 1807
Malachowski was placed at the head of the executive committee appointed
at Warsaw after its evacuation by the Prussians, and when the grand
duchy of Warsaw was created Malachowski became president of the senate
under King Frederick Augustus of Saxony. In the negotiations with the
Austrian government concerning the Galician salt-mines Malachowski came
to the assistance of the depleted treasury by hypothecating all his
estates as an additional guarantee. In 1809 he died at Warsaw. His death
was regarded as a public calamity, and multitudes followed his remains
to their last resting-place in the Church of the Holy Cross. In all the
other towns of the grand duchy funeral services were held simultaneously
as a tribute of the respect and gratitude of the Polish nation.
See August Sokolowski, _Illustrated History of Poland_ (Pol.), vol.
iv. (Vienna, 1900); _Life and Memoirs of S. Malachowski_, edited by
Lucyan Siemienski (Pol; Cracow, 1853). (R. N. B.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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