Andrzej Młodziejowski

Andrzej Mikołaj Stanisław Kostka Młodziejowski (30 November 1717 – 20 February 1780), of Korab coat of arms, was a Polish–Lithuanian nobleman, politician and priest. Młodziejowski served as Grand Chancellor of the Crown from 1767, and bishop of Poznań from 1768, until his death in 1780. He also served as bishop of Przemyśl from 1766 to 1768 and as deputy chancellor of the crown from 1764 to 1767.

Andrzej Młodziejowski
Bishop of Poznań
Portrait of Młodziejowski by Ludwik Marteau
Other post(s)	Grand Chancellor of the Crown (1767 – 1780)
Previous post(s)	Bishop of Przemyśl (1766 – 1768)
Orders
Ordination	6 July 1740
Consecration	2 February 1767 by Władysław Aleksander Łubieński
Personal details
Born	(1717-11-30)30 November 1717 Goszczanów, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (now Poland)
Died	20 February 1780(1780-02-20) (aged 62) Warsaw, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (now Poland)

Młodziejowski was one of the Polish nobles and politicians in service to the Russian embassy, receiving financial support from them as early as 1763 and supporting Russian activity that eventually led to the First Partition of Poland. He was accused of corruption, immorality and even of involvement with the murder of primate of Poland Władysław Aleksander Łubieński.^{[citation needed]}

Biography

Early life and ecclesiastical career

Młodziejowski was born on 30 November 1717 in Goszczanów; he was baptized on 6 December of the same year,^[1][2] receiving the baptismal name Andrzej Mikołaj.^[3] After completing general studies, he began attending seminary in Gniezno, where he was tonsured and ordained to the minor orders by Józef Michał Trzciński on 5 July 1733.^[4] He was ordained to the subdiaconate on 1 July 1740, the diaconate on 2 July 1740, and finally to the priesthood on 6 July 1740.^[1]

Shortly after his ordination, Młodziejowski served as a teacher and as a chaplain to Andrzej Stanisław Załuski and Alberico Archinto.^[4] He was appointed as archdeacon of Pszczew on 9 July 1744.^[5] After his election as rector of Santo Stanislao dei Polacchi on 1 February 1748,^[6] he traveled with Archinto to Rome in March 1748, where he was a representative for the Polish episcopate to the Roman Curia;^[4][7] he was re-elected as rector of Santo Stanislao dei Polacchi on 14 May 1749,^[6] and would continue to serve in the position until 1757.^[3] While in Rome, he was installed as canon of the cathedral chapter at Kraków on 14 July 1749. In 1750, he returned to Poland, serving as Andrzej Załuski's auditor-general and chancellor until Załuski's death in 1758.^[4][5] During this period, he obtained a doctorate of both laws from the Sapienza University of Rome on 29 April 1755.^[1]

In January 1758, Młodziejowski was appointed chancellor for the Diocese of Gniezno, though he rejected this appointment and handed it over to Adam Krasiński. He would eventually accept the position on 9 December 1762.^[4] He was later appointed coadjutor administrator of the abbey in Hebdów in 1764, and was also appointed administrator for the abbey church in Czerwińsk nad Wisłą in 1766. On 31 October of the same year, he was nominated as bishop of Przemyśl by Stanisław August Poniatowski;^[8] he was consecrated on 2 February 1767 at the parish church of Skierniewice by Władysław Aleksander Łubieński, assisted by Antoni Kazimierz Ostrowski and Józef Andrzej Załuski.^[9]

After the death of Teodor Kazimierz Czartoryski, the bishop of Poznań, on 1 March 1768, Młodziejowski was named as Pontiatowski's preferred candidate in a letter sent to its cathedral chapter 4 days after, on 5 March. In accordance with the king's wishes, the cathedral chapter elected Młodziejowski as the bishop of Poznań the same day; his election was confirmed by the Holy See on 16 May 1768.^[8] However, he didn't assume control of the diocese until 27 June 1779, when he ceremonially entered the diocese's cathedral church. During his entire tenure, he did not stay once in the diocese, and instead had Stefan Skrzebowski rule the diocese in his place.^[4]

Political career

Młodziejowski's political career began in the General Sejm, speaking in various ordinary and extraordinary sessions on behalf of the cathedral chapter of Gniezno with the assistance of Ignacy Cieński.^[4] He began to receive money from the Russian embassy in Warsaw in 1763, while he was still chancellor of Gniezno. He was then nominated by Stanisław August Pontiatowski to serve as vice-chancellor of the crown in December 1764; Witold Filipczak suggested that this nomination was made easier due to his financial connections to the Russian embassy.^[10] In 1765, he was awarded the Order of Saint Stanislaus.^[11]

In October 1767, after the resignation of Andrzej Hieronim Zamoyski, Młodziejowski was appointed Grand Chancellor of the Crown through the intervention of Russian ambassador Nikolai Vasilyevich Repnin. As Grand Chancellor, he primarily served as an intermediary between Stanisław August Pontiatowski and the Russian embassy, including the ambassador Otto Magnus von Stackelberg. While Młodziejowski continued to receive payments from the Russian embassy — including payments for his pension, beginning in 1773 — the relationship between the two parties began to decline towards the late 1770s, and was further worsened by conflicts between Młodziejowski and the Sułkowski family, whose patron was Stackelberg.^[10]

Młodziejowski, alongside others, helped Adam Poniński to turn the Partition Sejm into a confederated sejm so that it would not be disrupted;^[12] he was also appointed to the committee of thirty that dealt with the matters at hand,^[13] and ultimately, on 18 September 1773, signed the treaty that formalized the First Partition of Poland.^[14] On 11 April 1774, he was appointed by Stanisław August Pontiatowski to serve on the Permanent Council.^[15]

Death and burial

Młodziejowski died on 20 March 1780, at the age of 63;^[4] he was buried on 1 April at St. John's Archcathedral in Warsaw. In his will, he left 10,000 złoty from his estate (amounting to approximately 1.9 million złoty, according to his testament and final will) towards music for the archcathedral. He also allotted several thousand złoty towards repairing the Archcathedral.^[8]

Criticism

Młodziejowski's legacy has been largely criticized due to his ties to the Russian embassy in Warsaw. Given these connections, he has been referred to as a "mercenary" for the Russian embassy; Polish historian Władysław Konopczyński called him "Father Machiavelli" for the same reason.^[10] Edward Henry Lewinski Corwin, commenting on his involvement in the Partition Sejm, referred to him as "dishonourable", and "ready to sell [his] country and honor for Russian gold".^[12] Despite this negative criticism, recent scholarship has noted Młodziejowski's role in shaping court policy, as well as in shaping the provincial activities of royalists in the Commonwealth.^[10]