Dietines of Prienai (1791–1794)

Abstract

The Great Diet (1788–1795) introduced many reforms, one of them was reform of the administrative structure of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One of the results of this change was separation of the Prienai district from the district of Kaunas. Origin of this district had administrative causes, but it contributed to the ending of frequent and fierce conflicts in the dietines of Kaunas. New assemblies were established in Prienai and elected two envoyes to the parliament and one deputy to the Tribunal. Dietine of Prienai gathered for the first time on 15 February 1792, when its main activity was supporting the Third May Constitution. Next assembly in Prienai gathered in entirely different political circumstances, after foundation of the confederation of Targowica. The purpose of these assemblies was election of envoyes to the diet, which was established to accept the second partition of the Commonwealth. The purpose of this article is analysis of the history of dietines of Prienai and edition of previously unpublished records of this assmebly. Among them there are laudum and instruction of the assembly of 1792 and note and letter presenting the course of this dietine. Edition of these records will supplement the earlier editions of acts of the Kaunas dietines and will be published following similar editorial instruction. Records of the next Prienai assembly, which gathered in 1793, are already published, but we analized them to find information about dietines of Prenai.