Kaunas 1792 m. Abiejų Tautų Respublikos - Rusijos imperijos karo akivaizdoje

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Bajorai; Civilinė karine komisija; Civilinė karinė komisija; Karas; Karas 1792 m.; Kaunas; Ketverių metų seimas; Miestiečiai; Rusijos kariuomenė; Burghers; Civil military Commission; Four Years' Sejm; Gentry; Kaunas; Russian army; Towsmen; War; War 1792.

ENOn the 22nd of May, 1792, the Russian army which had to support the opposition of the reforms and the Constitution of May 3rd, crossed the border of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (further on the GDL). At that time, the army of the GDL and Poland was at the early stage of formation and was not ready for a war with the experienced Russian army. With the retreat of the GDL army, Vilnius and Kaunas were left without defence. Kaunas was occupied on the 22nd of June. The article focuses on the behaviour and attitude of Kaunas citizens towards the coming threat. Specifically, attention is given to the period of time which lasted from May 22nd to June 20th. Kaunas citizens supported the army from the first days and were among the most active pursuers of the orders of the central government in the state. On May 25th, the magistrate of Kaunas invited all towns of Kaunas region to gather and collect donations for the army. On May 29th, Kaunas nobility announced that they will defend the Constitution of May 3rd and started to bring donations. On May 30th, to ensure effective action under the conditions of war, the Civil Military Committee of Kaunas nobility joined the magistrate and formed a new institution of police. Such establishment of the joined institution of the nobility and citizens was first in the history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The event received a particular attention from the central government and press, which invited other districts (pavietai) and towns to follow the example of Kaunas. However, after the first week of the war, it became evident that the GDL army will not be able to protect Kaunas. Tension and fear of the approaching Russian army grew in the city; the citizens took precautions against and prepared for the occupation. On June 1st, the Kaunas magistrate announced a declaration, in which he justified the support for the army under cover of the determination of the ruler and nobility to protect the state.The rhetoric of the declaration did not match the spirit of the Law on the Cities or the Constitution of May 3rd and rather reminded the ideology of the estate society of the middle ages. However, in order to prove their faithfulness and support to the reforms, Kaunas citizens gathered donations for the protection of the state on the 4th-13th of June and took the initiative to form a Kaunas region police department of 32 soldiers. These donations of Kaunas can be treated as a declarative support for the protection of state as from the beginning of June there was no hope that Kaunas will be defended. On the 8th-12th of June, fourteen delegates from Kaunas district and five delegates from Raseiniai district came to Kaunas in a response to the invitation of Kaunas citizens. The delegates gave donations and promised to provide more support. An agreement was made about the formation of Kaunas region police department, which was impossible due to the lack of time. The function of the police department and its subordination to the police commission of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth reflected the precaution of the citizens against the coming occupation. Because of the lack of data about the Kaunas citizens’ donations for state defence, it is not possible to say whether the amount of the collected donations was smaller in comparison to other towns of Lithuania. As the documents show, due to the changing situation, the majority of the promises were not fulfilled. The support of Kaunas nobility to the reforms stopped when the king Stanisław August took an oath at the Confederation of Targovica and joined the opposition of the reforms. The occupation of Kaunas meant the end of war for the Kaunas citizens.Still, the support of the citizens for the reforms was shown by their cautious participation in the organization of support for the state (from the beginning of June) or their gratitude for the ruler, nobility, Seimas and the institutions of the central government for the given rights in the Law on the Cities of 1791. The cautiousness of the Kaunas citizens was not an exception. Vilnius citizens behaved in a similar manner at the sight of the coming threat of occupation. [From the publication]