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Królestwo Polskie 1815–1874. Powstanie I Upadek Państwa

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Królestwo Polskie 1815–1874. Powstanie I Upadek Państwa nr 2(139)/2017, s. 51–73 LECH MAŻEWSKI* KRÓLESTWO POLSKIE 1815–1874. POWSTANIE I UPADEK PAŃSTWA THE KINGDOM OF POLAND 1815–1874: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE STATE It was only in 1815–1830 that the Kingdom of Poland had a limited international personality, but it is hard not to treat it as a state. The situation of the Polish state in the years 1815–1874, in the sense of its rise and fall, is not rare in the history of states. The Kingdom of Poland was created out of the Duchy of Warsaw in May 1815 upon the decision of tsar Alexander I and recognized international law status of statehood under the Final Act of the Vienna Congress. Fifteen years later a Polish-Rus- sian war was initiated to acquire the full sovereignty of the Kingdom and to incorporate the Lithua- nian-Russian provinces. In 1863, an insurrection broke out inspired by similar goals. After the fall of the January Uprising, tsar Alexander II, wishing to avoid such problems in the future, decided to abolish a separate Polish statehood. The decision was implemented within a few years. With the ap- pearance at the Royal Castle of the Warsaw Governor-General, the history of the Kingdom of Poland finally came to an end, although it really happened a little earlier when, on 12 March 1868, the sta- tus of viceroy (namiestnik) of the Kingdom of Poland was equated with that of the Russian gover- nor general. In the legal sense, the fall of the state came to effect with the disappearance of a sepa- rate supreme authority in the Kingdom (even if it was exercised by non-Polish actors), the last element of which was the institution of the viceroy. Actually, it was decided by the insurgent attempt of 1863 and the accompanying diplomatic intervention of the Western states, which almost caused the outbreak of pan-European war. Słowa kluczowe: Królestwo Polskie, powstanie państwa, upadek państwa, Aleksander, Aleksander II Key words: Kingdom of Poland, rise of the state, fall of the state, tsar Alexander I, tsar Alexander II * Dr hab. Lech Mażewski, prof. Wyższej Szkoły Administracji i Biznesu im. E. Kwiatkowskiego w Gdyni azwyczaj twierdzi się, że powstanie Królestwa Polskiego nastąpiło wraz Zz przyjęciem Aktu końcowego kongresu wiedeńskiego z 9 czerwca 1815 r.1, a następnie z nadaniem konstytucji temu państwu przez Aleksandra2. Takie stanowi- sko przeważa w literaturze historycznoprawnej. Znacznie mniej jasności jest co do mo- mentu, w którym nastąpił upadek Królestwa Polskiego. Niekiedy wskazuje się, że do- szło do tego już na gruncie postanowień Statutu organicznego z 26 lutego 1832 r.3, 1 Akt końcowy kongresu wiedeńskiego z 9 czerwca 1815 r., [w:] Królestwo Polskie. Dokumenty histo- ryczne dotyczące prawno-politycznego stosunku Królestwa Polskiego do Cesarstwa Rosyjskiego, wydali M. Radziwiłł, B. Winiarski, Warszawa–Lublin–Łódź 1915, s. 56–58. 2 Dziennik Praw Królestwa Polskiego [dalej: DPKP], t. I, s. 3–102. 3 T. Demidowicz, Statut Organiczny z 1832 r., [w:] Konstytucje Polski, red. M. Kallas, Warszawa 1990, t. I, s. 294–295. Podobnie wcześniej C. Berezowski (Powstanie państwa polskiego w świetle prawa naro- 52 Przegląd Sejmowy 2(139)/2017 Artykuły kiedy indziej podkreśla się znaczenie stłumienia powstania styczniowego 1863 r. w kontekście likwidacji resztek odrębności Królestwa4. Osobną sprawą jest ustrojowopolityczny charakter Królestwa Polskiego; czy mie- liśmy do czynienia z odrębnym państwem, czy jedynie z autonomiczną prowincją w ra- mach Cesarstwa Rosyjskiego. Ta kwestia ma istotny związek z powstaniem i upad- kiem Królestwa, bo powinniśmy wiedzieć, jaki byt — w sensie prawnym — jest przedmiotem naszych rozważań. Celem autora artykułu jest ustalenie prawnych oko- liczności powstania i upadku Królestwa Polskiego, czyli państwa polskiego istnieją- cego w latach 1815–1874. W niniejszej analizie, mającej charakter historycznopraw- ny, autor abstrahuje od szerszych rozważań historycznych. I. POWSTANIE KRÓLESTWA POLSKIEGO Na powstanie Królestwa Polskiego złożyły się trzy elementy: decyzja Aleksandra w sprawie istnienia tego państwa, postanowienia Aktu końcowego kongresu wiedeńskie- go, poprzedzone traktatami rosyjsko-pruskim5 i rosyjsko-austriackim6 z 3 maja 1815 r., oraz nadanie nowemu tworowi państwowemu konstytucji przez Aleksandra. Jeszcze przed zawarciem traktatów w Wiedniu Aleksander ujawnił swoje stanowisko w sprawie przyszłości Księstwa Warszawskiego, dotąd okupowanego przez Rosję. 30 kwietnia 1815 r. cesarz powiadomił przewodniczącego Senatu, że przyjął tytuł króla polskiego i że Księstwo przekształcone w Królestwo Polskie połączy się z Cesarstwem Rosyjskim przez ustanowienie konstytucji7. Jednak w Manifeście Aleksandra I do Polaków z 25 maja 1815 r. ten stwierdzał, że „Królestwo Polskie to nowe państwo”8. Dnia 18 maja 1815 r. został zawarty Traktat między Cesarstwem Rosji a Króle- stwem Saksonii, w wyniku którego król saski zrzekł się tytułu księcia warszawskiego i praw do niego9, a 22 maja 1815 r. został ogłoszony Manifest Fryderyka Augusta, zwalniający obywateli Księstwa od posłuszeństwa10. W rezultacie otworzono drogę do dów, Warszawa 1934, s. 95) uznaje, że „Swą odrębność prawno-polityczną Polska utraciła w 1832 przez akty 26 lutego”. Jednak wedle tego samego autora, „Państwo polskie przestało istnieć 7 września 1831” (ibidem). Zatem dwa razy upadałoby to samo państwo? Przypomnę, że w tym drugim przypadku chodziło o opuszcze- nie Warszawy przez wojsko i władze cywilne po nieudanych negocjacjach polsko-rosyjskich i przegranej bi- twie o stolicę (szerzej vide L. Mażewski, Próba ratowania Królestwa Polskiego. O prawnopolitycznych aspek- tach negocjacji polsko-rosyjskich we wrześniu 1831 r., „Czasopismo Prawno-Historyczne” 2013, z. 1). 4 G. Smyk, Demontaż reform Wielopolskiego na tle reorganizacji administracji Królestwa Polskiego po upadku powstania styczniowego, [w:] Aleksander Wielopolski. Próba ustrojowej rekonstrukcji Królestwa Polskiego w latach 1861–1862, red. L. Mażewski, Radzymin 2014. 5 Traktat pokoju i przyjaźni zawarty w Wiedniu 3 maja 1815 r. między Cesarstwem Rosji a Króle- stwem Prus, [w:] Królestwo..., s. 47–54. 6 Traktat pokoju i przyjaźni zawarty w Wiedniu 3 maja 1815 r. między Cesarstwem Rosji a Cesar- stwem Austrii, [w:] Królestwo..., s. 37–47. 7 C. Berezowski, Powstanie..., s. 90. 8 Manifest Aleksandra I do Polaków, [w:] Królestwo..., s. 62. 9 Traktat pokoju i przyjaźni między Rosją a Saksonią, Wiedeń, 18 maja 1815 r., [w:] Królestwo..., s. 54–56. 10 Manifest Fryderyka Augusta, zwalniający z przysięgi obywateli Księstwa Warszawskiego, 22 maja 1815 r., [w:] Królestwo..., s. 59–60. Lech Mażewski, Królestwo Polskie 1815–1874. Powstanie i upadek państwa 53 utworzenia Królestwa Polskiego na już wcześniej określonych warunkach. We wspo- mnianym dokumencie z 25 maja Aleksander rozwiązywał Radę Najwyższą Tymcza- sową Księstwa Warszawskiego i powoływał Rząd Tymczasowy Królestwa Polskie- go11. Sposób utworzenia nowego państwa zdecydował o tym, że „zostaje zachowana «ciągłość prawa» między Księstwem Warszawskim a Królestwem Polskim”12. Wyni- kało to nie tylko z ówczesnej praktyki, ale było to zawarte w art. 1 pierwszego aktu konstytucyjnego Królestwa, jakim stały się zasady konstytucji Królestwa Polskiego, podpisane przez Aleksandra w Wiedniu 25 maja 1815 r.13 To wszystko powodowało, że Królestwo Polskie powstało jeszcze przed przyję- ciem Aktu końcowego kongresu wiedeńskiego. Jednocześnie została zachowana cią- głość państwowa między Królestwem a Księstwem14, mimo że przekształcone pań- stwo polskie było złączone węzłem publicznoprawnym z Cesarstwem Rosyjskim. Cezary Berezowski jasno stwierdzał: „Królestwo Polskie powstało siłą faktu, jakim było stanowisko jednostronne cesarza rosyjskiego, sformułowane umowami wiedeń- skimi”15. Zasadnicze postanowienia traktatów z 3 maja 1815 r. zostały dołączone in extenso do Aktu końcowego kongresu wiedeńskiego z 9 czerwca. Traktaty te stanowiły, że Księstwo Warszawskie, z wyjątkiem części przypadają- cych Prusom, które miały stanowić Wielkie Księstwo Poznańskie, oraz Krakowa z przyległym terytorium — ukonstytuowane jako Wolne Miasto Kraków — staje się Królestwem Polskim złączonym z Cesarstwem Rosyjskim. Co prawda, zostało po- mniejszone terytorium i liczba ludności nowego państwa w stosunku do Księstwa War- szawskiego, ale za to przywrócono nazwę Polski. Królestwo Polskie stanowiło jednak mniej niż 1/6 powierzchni i miało ok. 1/4 liczby ludności dawnej Rzeczypospolitej. Jakie miały być stosunki Królestwa Polskiego z Cesarstwem Rosyjskim? „Ma być związane z nim przez swą konstytucyę i na wieczność włączone w osobach JCM Ce- sarza Wszechrosji, jego następców i dziedziców”. Ponadto „JCM zastrzega sobie nadać temu państwu, posiadającemu własną administrację, taką rozciągłość wewnętrzną, jaką uzna za stosowne”. Car Rosji staje się zatem konstytucyjnym władcą Królestwa Pol- skiego, przyjmując tytuł króla (po rosyjsku cara) polskiego. Traktatami nie ustanowio- no secundogenitury Romanowych, a rodzaj wieczystej unii rosyjsko-polskiej, której istotnym elementem była konstytucja. O jej treści nic się nie mówiło, a jedynie wspo- minano, że nowe państwo będzie posiadać własną administrację. Dnia 27 listopada 1815 r. Aleksander podpisał Ustawę Konstytucyjną Królestwa Polskiego, co stanowiło ostatni akt tworzący nowe państwo. Często w literaturze spo- tykamy się z określeniem, że trudno mówić w tym przypadku o państwie, bo był to ra- 11 Manifest Aleksandra I do Polaków, [w:] Królestwo..., s. 62. 12 M. Rostworowski, Prawna geneza Księstwa Warszawskiego i Królestwa Polskiego, Kraków 1915, s. 34. 13 Zasady konstytucji Królestwa
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