page_title: Clan Ostoja
section_title: 18th century
hierarchical_section_title: Clan Ostoja / Chronology / Commonwealth era / 18th century
caption_attribution_description: Wzdow Palace in Poland
context_page_description: Clan Ostoja was a powerful group of knights and lords in late-medieval Europe. The Clan encompass families in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Upper Hungary, Hungary, Transylvania, Belarus, Ukraine, and Prussia. The Clan crest is the Ostoja coat of arms, and the battle cry is Ostoja or Hostoja. The Clan adopted the Royal-Sarmatian tamga draco emblem.
  During the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Clan adopted several Lithuanian and Belarusian families, generally of Ruthenian princely origin, and transformed into a Clan of landlords, senators and nobility. Members of the Clan worked together closely, often living close to each other. They held high positions, and held a great amount of land and properties in both Commonwealth and in Upper Hungary in medieval times, including many great gothic style castles. Members of the Clan of Ostoja ruled several feudal lordships in Upper Hungary between 1390 and 1434 and Transylvania in 1395-1401 and again in 1410-1414, during the time of Duke Stibor of Stiboricz.
context_section_description: The 18th century Commonwealth suffered from a series of incompetent kings of foreign origin whose main interest was fighting personal wars against other countries. Persistent wars and general turmoil bankrupted the national finances, and many power-hungry Magnates cooperated with foreign forces. The last king, Poniatowski, was paid by Catherine II of Russia and was obliged to report to Russian ambassador Otto Magnus von Stackelberg. He was furthermore richly paid to facilitate the constitution of May 3, 1791 but because of his character or rather lack of it, he did not fulfill his promise. On the other hand, Poniatowski did care about cultural life in Poland, supported necessary education of young patriots and also did not go against members of the Bar confederation.
  Most families that signed Poniatowski's election, including many Ostoja families, were signing for the Czartoryski family who wanted to make necessary changes in the Commonwealth. However, to support those changes Czartoryski asked for help from Russia, an offer that Russia could not resist.
  At the beginning of the period, the Ostoja families in Lithuania and Poland avoided engagement in this political chaos. The king was appointing those that supported his own ambitions, which was the beginning of some new great fortunes. This political disaster ended in Partitions of Poland, 1772 when Prussia, Austria and Russia decided to divide defenseless Commonwealth between them. Poniatowski's reign until 1795 became the darkest chapter in Polish history. The Constitution of May 3, 1791 came far too late. This was the first time that the Commonwealth included Ruthenians and not just Poland and Lithuania. New Commonwealth was to be formed of three nations. Also this intention came far too late. However, the Constitution of May 3 united families that wanted to make necessary changes and that would serve the nation. In this movement we suddenly see lot of activity from the Ostoja families. Almost all of them supported the movement and in many cases all members of the family joined, women and men. In the first half of the century, the Ostoja families hold many offices and was still prospecting. In the second half of the century, they clearly turned into military commanders and supporters of the resistance, leading Confederations and armies against foreign forces and specially against Russia.
  Ignacy Ścibor Marchocki of Ostoja (1755–1827) created famous "Kingdom of Mińkowce". Marchocki proclaimed his estates an independent state and installed on its borders pillars with the name plates, identifying that this is "The border of Minkowce state". The "Kingdom" hold one town, 18 villages and 4 Castles (one for each season) with some 4200 souls living in the "Kingdom". Marchocki liberated peasants from serfdom, granted them self-government, established jury (court with jury and court of appeal), built school, pharmacy, orphanage, churches and monuments, cloth and carriage factories, factory of anis apple oil production, with brickyard, varnish and paint plants, with mulberry trees gardens. Its own paper was manufactured there and lime – calcined. He opened his own printing house, where different decrees (like "agreement between the Lord and the peasants"), directions, resolutions and even sermons, later delivered by him in Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. The government of the Kingdom that included Jews, serfs, town citizens, peasants and foreigners. He also employed two doctors within the property. The central body of the State was the County Court as well as Court of Appeal. The main thing in the State was to give all citizens equal legal rights.
  All of this was of course reported to Russian Administration that in the beginning was stunned, thinking that it was an act of madness. However, the "Kingdom" was working excellent and the Lord of the Kingdom was getting richer and more famous, buying even more properties and land to expand the "Kingdom" including 40.000 ha land around Odessa. Life inside his estate was considered as heaven comparing to normal life peasants outsid
caption: Palace in Wzdow, property of Ostaszewski family
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