Pototski

 

The Pototski - Polish family of the arms Piliava, which later has received a count title. The arms Piliava represents two crosses in a light-blue field, Coat of arms "Piliava"the third cross is represented in half. According to a legend, this arms was given by the king Vladislav Kucheriaviy to the knight Zaroslav, the ancestor of the Pototski's.

This family got political power in the middle of XVIth century, when four brothers - Jakob, Jan, Stephan and Andjey P. were close to the royal court yard with the help of the chancellor Jan Zamoyskiy.
Actually, soon the Pototski's and Zamoyski quarreled, and two families were at enmity for many decades. The brothers Pototski actively distributed the authority on Podillia and Bratslavshchina. Jan, Stephan and Jakob in different years occupied a post of the governor of Bratslav province, besides Jakob Pototskiy as well as Anjey was aMikola Pototskiy Kamenetskiy kashtelian.

The following generation of the Pototski's gave two great crown hetmans. One of them - Mikolay Pototskiy - showed himself as a skilful warrior. He was at war with Turkish army near Bush and Cecora (1620), and got into captivity. After the release he was a commander of Polish army on Podillia and in 1627 he defeated a tatar group near Bar. Six years after M. Pototskiy has won a heavy fight with tatars near Kamenets.

In 1646 he became a great crown hetman, and being on this post he collided in two years with a rebel army of Bogdan Khmelnitskiy. Cossacks commanders appeared to be more skilful on a field of fight - and the army of Mikolay Pototskiy did not exist any more after that battle and Mikolay himself was captured. The military career of Pototskiy actually finished after that.
Mikolay's cousin - Stanislav Pototskiy by the nickname Revera was luckier. This representative of the family of Pototski's won 46 battles in his life.
On a post of the governor of Bratslav province and Kamenetskiy kashtelian he protected from the
Stanislav Pototskiy (Revera)enemies the towns of Bar and Khmelnik. Subsequently for his merits for a Crown he was granted a post of the Head of Bar, Kamenets and Letichiv. In 1654-1667 Stanislav Revera Pototskiy headed the army of Rich Pospolita. The sons of Stanoslav Pototskiy - Anjey and Shchensniy (Felix) - Kazimir did not lag behind the father.

Anjey at the end of XVIIth century occupied the posts of Kiev governor and crown hetman. Among his achievements there was a victory over tatar cavalry in Podillia - near Gusiatin, Chortkiv, Jagelnitsa. Shchensniy Kazimir also fought not only in one battle, in particular, in 1683 near Nemiriv he defeated groups of Nagays.
In 1702 Shchensniy became the great crown hetman, but he died in three days after the assignment. The representative of the following generation of the house of Pototski - Juseph, mister in Stanislav and Nemiriv - is the founder of hetmanor (Tulchin) line of the family, so called Silver Piliava. We shall tell about three figures of this branch of the Pototski. So, Juseph Pototskiy, the governor of Kiev, was the supporter of Saxon kings on the Polish throne.
In August, 1737, in a whirlwind of Turkish war, he received the diplomats of Russia, England, Austria, Holland, Turkey in his castle. In the diplomatic documents this action was named as Nemirivskiy congress. Gradually Juseph Pototskiy began to carry Uzeph Pototskiyout the independent policy, was at conflicts with the royal court yard and Sejm and even tried to adjust separate relations with the Turkish government. After the death of Theodor Pototskiy (1738), the representative of a line of Gold Piliava, Juseph together with his brother Mikhaylo became the head of the family of Pototski. His son Frantishek- Salezi was already named "The little Ukrainian king". One of the most powerful men, he managed to attach to his riches the considerable grounds of the family of Kalinovski.

Since 1751 Frantishek headed the "house" of the Pototskis.
A complete title of Frantishek-Salezi Pototskiy is: the owner of Kristinopol and Kitaygorod, Tartanov, Dukla, Nestervar, Bratslav, Mogilyov, Kosiv, Vitkov, Lesichi, Perespe, Braylov, Voriazh, Strusa, Uman, Khorostkov, Stojan, Vizhgorod and so on. The captain of hussar flag, the colonel of crown forces, the Head of Belsk, Sokalsk, Gaysin, Zvenigorod, Riabchik, Bar and Jablonovsk; tenutariush in Muntava, Furmanivka,Stanislav Kostka-Pototskiy Pshevrot, Opalin, Reklinka, Serebrin, Klusov and Stelmenka; the great royal carver, the crown clerk, the Volynsk and Kiev governor, the holder of White Eagle.

At the end of the 60's of XVIIIth century Frantishek Pototskiy took active participation in Bar confederation; he died in 1772. Stanislav Shchensniy Pototskiy was the last influential state figure of Tulchin line of the family of Pototski. In 1789 he became the crown general of artillery, was elected a messenger of Bratslav province to Four-years Sejm. Stanislav Shchensniy always asserted freedom and Polish - gentry republic, therefore he did not apprehend the ideas of the Polish Constitution of 1791. All this led him to Targovetska confederation, the act of which was accepted on May 19, 1792 in Tulchin. On a post of Marshalok of Targovetska confederation Pototskiy left the significant hand-written inheritance, that enables to understand the essence of his activity rather well. The further political destiny of S. Pototskiy appeared to be unsuccessful. He acted as the admirer of division of Poland and it's joining the Russian empire. As the result Stanislav Shchensniy lost the political authority in Warsaw and did not get it in St. Petersburg. The last years of the life of this "uncrowned king" were spent in the manors in Uman and Tulchin, where he died in 1805.

Certainly, it wasn't our task to tell about all figures of a huge family of the Pototskis, we gave you just short items of information about some of them, who was connected with Podillia and Bratslavshchina. Let's note, that the family of Pototski did not disappear; among them in XIX-XX centuries there were many talented people - scientists, airmen, businessmen. However, it is another story.

 

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