politician Statesman treasurer
1733 (age 285) Novoyel'nya, Belarus
After the college, Antoni Tyzenhauz worked for the powerful Czartoryski family in their court at Wołczyn, where he met the future King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Stanisław August Poniatowski. They became friends. This meeting changed Antoni’s life. Since 1764, Antoni was a Lithuanian equerry. Later, Lithuanian Court Treasurer Prince Massalski appointed Tyzenhauz Grodno Podstarosta (deputy senior of the city). Tyzenhauz was elected to the Sejm in Warsaw in 1761, and in 1763 he held the position of the Great Scribe of Lithuania and served as an adviser to the Grand Duke of Lithuania and his chancellor. After the election of Stanisław August Poniatowski as a King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1764, Tyzenhauz was appointed the Grand Crown and Lithuanian Equerry and awarded the Order of Saint Stanislaus. After the death of Massalski in 1765, King Poniatowski appointed Antoni Tyzenhauz the Court Treasurer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Minister of Finance), the Starosta of Grodno, and administrator of royal estates. He was elected to the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1766. Tyzenhauz was in charge of all matters related to land possessions of the King and exercised considerable freedom in their management. This freedom was further strengthened when he became lessee of the estates in 1777.Tyzenhauz energetically but somewhat hastily began numerous endeavors in agriculture, industry, and culture, mostly situated around Grodno (modern territory of Belarus). In Šiauliai (Lithuania) he attempted to create royal folwarks by taking land from serfs, demanding two days of corvée, increasing rent payment in cash, and adding additional duties (such as road building). Such reforms tripled Tyzenhauz's income but caused a violent peasant revolt in 1769. The rebellion was quickly suppressed; the reforms were only slightly modified. Using the additional income, Tyzenhauz rebuilt Šiauliai according to the principles of Classicism. Similar reconstruction was planned in Joniškis (Lithuania). Tyzenhauz made Grodno (today’s Belarus) his main residence and center of his economic initiatives. He set up at least 23 factories, that employed around 3000 workers and produced textile, paper, jewelry, tools, furniture, carriages. They used forced labor of the local peasant population. Inspired by the Age of Enlightenment, Tyzenhauz widely supported education and opened schools for midwives, accountants, engineers, even ballet dancers. He established theater, ballet, orchestra, publishing house in Grodno, invited French botanist, biologist and scientist Jean Emmanuel Gilibert, who helped him to found first botanical garden, Grodno Medical Academy, schools of obstetrics and veterinary, clinical hospital in Grodno. From 1775 to 1783, Tyzenhauz published weekly journal Gazeta Grodzieńska. In 1778, he travelled around Europe, where he met famous philosopher, writer, and composer of that time Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Tyzenhauz invited famous Italian architect of the late Baroque and Classicism styles Giuseppe de Sacco to design his palaces, and many other buildings in Grodno. Antoni built 85 structures and planned an entire borough, named Horodnica (derived from craftsmanship) in Grodno, but all his innovative enterprises required wast amounts of money, which he had to borrow. He invited very expensive but well-educated foreign industrialists to work in Grodno. His efforts to build a local class of workmen were hampered by poor education system and serfdom. Tyzenhauz's influence on the King and attempts to manipulate the lesser nobility raised political opposition among other nobles. After a few failures of his factories, in 1780, nobles brought charges that Tyzenhauz used treasury money to finance his private affairs. The case against Tyzenhauz was arranged by Otto Magnus von Stackelberg, Russian Ambassador to Warsaw. Tyzenhaus was accused of fraud and removed from public offices in 1780 by the King. His privileges were revoked and his property was confiscated. Disgraced, Tyzenhauz died in 1785.
Portrait of Antoni Tyzenhaus by Jan Rustem
Portrait of Antoni Tyzenhaus by Jan Rustem
Order of Saint Stanislaus
Order of the White Eagle
politician Statesman treasurer
Tyzenhauz was born in 1733 in a small town Novoyel'nya, near Navahrudak (today’s Dzyatlava district in Belarus) into rich and influential noble family with German roots. He was the son of a wealthy and influential nobleman Benedict Tyzenhauz. Antoni had 5 sisters and 2 brothers.
He was educated at the Jesuit College in Vilnius.
After the college, Antoni Tyzenhauz worked for the powerful Czartoryski family in their court at Wołczyn, where he met the future King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Stanisław August Poniatowski. They became friends. This meeting changed Antoni’s life.
Since 1764, Antoni was a Lithuanian equerry. Later, Lithuanian Court Treasurer Prince Massalski appointed Tyzenhauz Grodno Podstarosta (deputy senior of the city). Tyzenhauz was elected to the Sejm in Warsaw in 1761, and in 1763 he held the position of the Great Scribe of Lithuania and served as an adviser to the Grand Duke of Lithuania and his chancellor. After the election of Stanisław August Poniatowski as a King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1764, Tyzenhauz was appointed the Grand Crown and Lithuanian Equerry and awarded the Order of Saint Stanislaus. After the death of Massalski in 1765, King Poniatowski appointed Antoni Tyzenhauz the Court Treasurer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Minister of Finance), the Starosta of Grodno, and administrator of royal estates. He was elected to the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1766.
Tyzenhauz was in charge of all matters related to land possessions of the King and exercised considerable freedom in their management. This freedom was further strengthened when he became lessee of the estates in 1777.Tyzenhauz energetically but somewhat hastily began numerous endeavors in agriculture, industry, and culture, mostly situated around Grodno (modern territory of Belarus). In Šiauliai (Lithuania) he attempted to create royal folwarks by taking land from serfs, demanding two days of corvée, increasing rent payment in cash, and adding additional duties (such as road building). Such reforms tripled Tyzenhauz's income but caused a violent peasant revolt in 1769. The rebellion was quickly suppressed; the reforms were only slightly modified. Using the additional income, Tyzenhauz rebuilt Šiauliai according to the principles of Classicism. Similar reconstruction was planned in Joniškis (Lithuania).
Tyzenhauz made Grodno (today’s Belarus) his main residence and center of his economic initiatives. He set up at least 23 factories, that employed around 3000 workers and produced textile, paper, jewelry, tools, furniture, carriages. They used forced labor of the local peasant population. Inspired by the Age of Enlightenment, Tyzenhauz widely supported education and opened schools for midwives, accountants, engineers, even ballet dancers. He established theater, ballet, orchestra, publishing house in Grodno, invited French botanist, biologist and scientist Jean Emmanuel Gilibert, who helped him to found first botanical garden, Grodno Medical Academy, schools of obstetrics and veterinary, clinical hospital in Grodno. From 1775 to 1783, Tyzenhauz published weekly journal Gazeta Grodzieńska. In 1778, he travelled around Europe, where he met famous philosopher, writer, and composer of that time Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Tyzenhauz invited famous Italian architect of the late Baroque and Classicism styles Giuseppe de Sacco to design his palaces, and many other buildings in Grodno. Antoni built 85 structures and planned an entire borough, named Horodnica (derived from craftsmanship) in Grodno, but all his innovative enterprises required wast amounts of money, which he had to borrow. He invited very expensive but well-educated foreign industrialists to work in Grodno. His efforts to build a local class of workmen were hampered by poor education system and serfdom. Tyzenhauz's influence on the King and attempts to manipulate the lesser nobility raised political opposition among other nobles. After a few failures of his factories, in 1780, nobles brought charges that Tyzenhauz used treasury money to finance his private affairs. The case against Tyzenhauz was arranged by Otto Magnus von Stackelberg, Russian Ambassador to Warsaw. Tyzenhaus was accused of fraud and removed from public offices in 1780 by the King. His privileges were revoked and his property was confiscated. Disgraced, Tyzenhauz died in 1785.
Antoni Tyzenhauz was one of the most talented financiers of his time. The friendship with the King Poniatowski contributed to the outstanding career of Tyzenhauz. He implemented various agricultural reforms and pioneered industrialization in an effort to increase productivity and economic power of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. His ambition was to establish a special borough, named Horodnica, the centre of economic and cultural reforms. In fifteen years, Tyzenhauz constructed 50 buildings there, set up over 20 factories and produced textile, paper, jewelry, tools, furniture, carriages, 16 on the territory of today’s Grodno. He built new roads, bridges, cleared the riverbed of Nyoman from Grodno to Viliya, constructed the King’s Canal enabling to transport goods to the ports of the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. Tyzenhauz opened schools for midwives, physicians, veterinarians, accountants, engineers, even ballet dancers, established a botanical garden, theater, ballet, orchestra, publishing house. In 1765–1780, there was a capella of 30 musicians and 7 choir boys. A theater set up by Tyzenhauz had a vocal group and a corps de ballet.
He was a patriot of his country. He spent a lot of time traveling around Europe and aimed at implementing many innovations in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He visited and studied nearly all the foreign plants and factories, tried to find out the reasons for the success of others and his own failures. Everything made by Tyzenhauz, he dedicated to the needs of King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Grand Duke of Lithuania - Stanisław August Poniatowski.
Historians, recognizing doubtless talents of Tizenhauz and without disputing his patriotic feelings, accuse him in almost all crimes, that could be commited only by a bad minister. He had no consideration for anyone. He violated the rights of personal property and limited the rights of personal property and civil liberties. He forced the courts hand down unjust sentences in his favor, forced people to slave labor and took away children. He was called a Devil.
He was not married and had no children.
As a personal friend of Stanisław August Poniatowski, the last King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Tyzenhauz became Treasurer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and administrator of royal estates.
Tyzenhauz invited de Sacco to Grodno to design and built his factories, many palaces and other buildings.
Tyzenhauz invited him to Grodno, where Gilibert founded Grodno Medical Academy, schools of obstetrics and veterinary, clinical hospital, and first botanical garden.
