Grand Duchy of Posen

Grand Duchy of Poznan (Polish: Wielkie Księstwo Poznańskie, German: Grossherzogtum Posen) - the territories of historical province of Greater Poland, western parts of the Duchy of Warsaw (Departments of Poznan, Bydgoszcz, partly Kalisz) ceded to the Kingdom of Prussia according to the Peace Congress of Vienna (1918) with an international guarantee of self administration and free development of the Polish nation.

The monarch of the Duchy was the Prussian King (Hohenzollern) and his representative was the governor-general: duke Antoni Radziwiłł (1815-1831), married to Luiza Hohenzollern, a king's relative. The governor was assigned to give advice in matters of Polish nationality, and had the right to veto the administration decisions, in reality however all administrative power was in the hands of Prussian over-president of the province.

Territory of the duchy was divided into 2 districts: Poznan District, Bydgoszcz District, and 26 counties administered by the landrats and the county councils. In 1824 the Duchy also received the provincial council (term started in 1827) but with little administrative power reduced only to advice matters.

Upto 1830 the Prussian authorities were relatively tolerant to the Polish people, only the Prussian administrative schemes were introduced and the role of German language was strenghened in education.

After the November Uprising (1830 in Congress Poland against Russia) which was significantly supported by the Poles from the Grand Duchy of Poznan, the Prussian administration under over-president Edward Flotwell introduced system of police and repression against the Poles. He started to expell the Poles from administration, tried to weaken the nobility by buying out the lander property from Polish hands, after 1832 influence of Polish language in education was significantly supressed.

to be continued

After 1846 it was renamed to Provinz Posen.

See also:

• Poznan
• Poznan Voivodship
• Greater Poland Voivodship
• Greater Poland