Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski [ENGLISH]
09.06.2021
Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski was a leading Polish political figurehead in the period after the collapse of the Polish-Lithuanian Union at the end of the XVIII century. Thanks to his political initiatives, he kept the problem of Polish independence on the agenda of European governments for a long time. The prince was a member of a noble family that lived in a period of glory and honor in the XVIII and XIX centuries. Although Czartoryski never visited Istanbul, he had a key role in Polish-Ottoman relations in the XIX century, so it is impossible to mention the political efforts of the Polish exiles in the Ottoman Empire without examining his life history. Czartoryski's youth coincided with the disintegration of Poland. In 1791, the prince personally witnessed the proclamation of the May 3 Constitution, which is considered as the first in Europe and the second constitution in the world. One year later, he voluntarily enlisted in the Lithuanian army and participated in the Polish-Russian war. In the first years after the division of Poland, he became a friend and advisor to the Russian Emperor Alexander I. Between 1804 and 1806, he served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Russian Government. During 1814-15 Congress of Vienna, he took part in the establishment of the partially autonomous Kingdom of Poland, which was connected to Russia but guaranteed by the liberal constitution. In 1815, he was appointed as the vice-president of the provisional government of this newly established kingdom. When 1830 - 31 November Uprising broke out, Czartoryski became a member of the Governing Council, then head of the provisional government, and soon after the head of the succeeding National Government.
After the November Uprising was suppressed by the Russian Imperial Army, Czartoryski moved towards Western Europe as a political immigrant like many of his supporters. Czartoryski's biggest achievement was to establish the liberal conservative royalist political camp known as Hotel Lambert, while he was in exile in 1833. The name of this union comes from the name of the palace on St. Louis Island, where the Prince settled in Paris. Under the umbrella of Hotel Lambert, firstly members of the layer who had been in exile after the failure of November Uprising came together - and then, in particular, the civil and military leaders of the uprising and some of the intellectuals joined the union. Prince Czartoryski supported both the anti-Russian policy of European states and the revolutionary and national movements common in Europe at that time; he esteemed both of them as an opportunity for the solution of the Polish problem. He hoped for the intervention of the Western European states, especially France and Britain, to the independence of Poland. According to the Prince, Poland would reclaim its freedom only as a result of a war among the Great Powers of Europe. Thus, diplomacy was the most important activity of Hotel Lambert's members. Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski was called by as "the king of Poland yet to be crowned" by his supporters, and his political camp was recognized by the European governments as the de facto diplomatic representative of Poland.
In 1830s, as a result of the negotiations of Prince Czartoryski with Ottoman diplomats, the bases of Polish-Ottoman political cooperation against the Russian Empire were laid. In 1834, the leader of Hotel Lambert wrote: “Only Turks appreciate Poland and frankly support her. [...] [Therefore] it is necessary to go to Turkey, cooperate with Turks, and look for the true friend in Turkey.” By 1840, Czartoryski started the program for the renewal of the Slavic world being in Ottoman Empire and led by the Poles and made efforts in this field. The establishment of the Polish Oriental Agency in 1841 under Michał Czaykowski was one of the most important indicators of this initiative. At that time, Istanbul became the center of diplomatic and military activities of the Poles against Russia. The Oriental Agency coordinated the movements of Hotel Lambert's agents both in the Ottoman Empire and in neighboring regions such as the Caucasus and Balkan countries. The main political goals of the Agency were both to provoke rebellions against Russia in the neighboring lands of the Ottoman Empire and to neutralize the internal conflicts within the Ottoman borders frequently provoked by Russian spies, especially in the regions where mostly non-Muslims lived. The agency's representatives played an important role in the activities of the liberal camp in Romania and Serbia, as well as contributing to the development of the national identity of the Bulgarians. In 1842, under the leadership of the Agency and with the permission of Prince Czartoryski, Michał Czaykowski founded a village called Adampol, which still survives even today. A significant number of Ottoman politicians regarded Czartoryski as the leader of Polish political immigrants. The prince was directing Hotel Lambert's foreign policy. He was consulted on all the important decisions regarding the actions of the agents of this political camp active in the Ottoman Empire. During 1853-56 Crimean War, Count Władysław Zamoyski, one of the chief representatives of Hotel Lambert, founded the Second Cossack Regiment on the orders of Prince Czartoryski. This unit was equivalent to Czaykowski's Cossack Cavalry Regiment in the Ottoman army and was under the command of England.
Besides the political initiatives in exile, Prince Czartoryski was a philanthropist. Organized some Polish institutions and organizations in Paris, such as the Library of Poland which exist even today.
Prince Czartoryski's sons, Witold (1822 - 1865) and Władysław (1828 - 1894), like their father, were engaged in activities in the Middle East aimed at Polish independence. After the Crimean War broke out, both pioneered the establishment of the previously mentioned Second Cossack Regiment in Istanbul. Witold was promoted to the regiment commandership in October 1855 and Władysław was appointed chief of staff. In addition, shortly after the January 1863 - 64 Uprising started, Witold came to Istanbul to contribute to the activities of the Oriental Agency by using its own political ties. After the death of Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski, Prince Władysław Czartoryski assumed the leadership of Hotel Lambert and at the same time became the main director of the Oriental Agency.