Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodow Polski i Litwy (The Commonwealth of Poland and (of the Grand Duchy of) Lithuania) was the largest country in Europe. However, in 18th century the neighbouring powers, namely Russia, Prussia and Austria, decided to wipe her out from the map of Europe. In 1772 in the 1st partition the Commonwealth lost only an insignificant part of her territory. In the 2nd partition (1793) she lost, however, the entire Gr. Duchy of Lithuania and Ukraine. Two Ukrainian provinces, namely Volhynia and Podolyia, as well as a remainders of the (former) Palatinate of Kiev, were captured by Russia. Russia also captured the entire Gr. Duchy of Lithuania. However, Russia became the only partitioning power, who gave back administration to the Poles. She joined Kiev and the surrounding lands to the remainders of the Palatinate of Kiev (which belonged to the Commonwealth in the pre-partition period), to form the Gubernia of Kiev. Also Smolensk and the surrounding land, which belonged to Russia, were formed to become the Gubernia of Smolensk, and were (unofficially) joined to the former Gr. Duchy of Lithuania. In 1803 the tsar Alexander I declared that Polish will be the official language in the former Commonwealth, including the two newly created Gubernias of Kiev and Smolensk. The civil administration (including courts) was given back to the Polish nobles. In Volhynia and in Podolyia, which were inhabited by very many Polish-speaking people, even the governors were in many cases originating from Polish aristocracy, like e.g. the count Dunin-Borkowski in Volhynia, or Hudym-Lewkowicz in Podolyia.

 

However, the Russian authorities demanded a verification of all titles of nobility, since the noblemen in the former Commonwealth were amounting to approx. 8.5 % of all people, while in the native Russia it was hardly exceeding 0.5 %. Titles of nobility were verified by the so-called Deputy Associations of the Nobles (DAN) in each gubernia. However, there was a strong resistance of the DANs against the Russian authorities at St. Petersburg, and this verification has failed. By approx. the year 1802 practically noone has written the so-called application for nobility to the appropriate DAN. A lot of such applications were, however, written (in Polish) just in the year 1802 itself, because the nobles were afraid of some counterattack from the Russian authorities after assassination of the tsar Paul I in the year 1801, who, by no means, was an enemy to the Poles. However, even after the year 1802, the DANs had positively verified nearly all of the applicants, who applied for their nobility. This had changed dramatically after fall of the November uprising against the Russians (1831/32). Polish tongue was withdrawn from administration (in the three Ukrainian Gubernias on 1.01.1833, in Lithuania and Belarus a couple of years later); the Greek Catholic Church was liquidated in the years 1834-36; Polish (or Lithuanian) law was withdrawn from courts in 1840; Polish money became illegal in 1845). In the years 1840-45 the so-called Central Committee in Kiev took over the process of verification into its hands, and within a couple of years approx. 81 % of all nobles in Ukraine were declassed, to become officially the “townsmen”, “the odnodvortsy” (a native Russian social class – something between the nobles and the peasants), and the “peasants” themselves. The declassed nobles were obliged to pay taxes and were forced to military duties (however, this is not clear whether this law was also applied to the townsmen).

 

In consequence of these historical events, the DANs were collecting documents associated with each noble family in the so-called “sprawa” (Russian “delo”). An average delo contains between 100 to 500 documents, and is now being kept at the archive in gubernia’s capital (Zhitomir for Volhynia; Kamieniec Podolski (now moved to Khmielnitski (former Proskurov)) for Podolyia; and Kiev for the Gubernia of Kiev). In Zhitomir one can find two catalogues (delos) for the Mozhayski-Mozarowski, and for the Mozarowski families (in fact, however, this is the same family), containing more than 950 documents. Documents until approx. 1833 have been (hand)written in archaic Polish, while those after the year 1833 in archaic Russian, respectively.

The catalogue (delo) on the M-M family begins with the application for nobility written to the Deputy Association of the Nobles of Volhynia by Teodor Tymofiey Mozhayski-Mozarowski on 17.12.1802 (one of the pages of this document can be found on the starting page (click on the COA and scroll down)). Certainly, to this application he did attach several documents, including history of the M-M family

 

So, this is the 1st page of history (KONKLUZJA) of the Mozhayski-Mozarowski family written and printed out around the year 1797 by Teodor Tymofiey Mozhayski-Mozarowski (attorney-at-law at Krzemieniec (Kremenec) in Volhynia). It mentions the following donations of the land called as "Ziemia Smolniana" (known later as "Kamienszczyzna") : to the prince Andrei Dmitrievich Mozhayski in the year 1392; from Wladyslaw III Warnenczyk to Ivan Andreevich Mozhayski in the year 1436 (next confirmed to his son Andrei Mozhayski); after death of Andrei this donation was confirmed by Alexander Jagiellonczyk to his brother Semen Mozhayski in the year 1496.

 

The document also mentions Grzegorz (Grigoriy)Martinovich Mozarowski, who in the year 1544 received confirmation of donation of a land around Nieumierzyce (now Lewkowicze, 3 km east of Mozhary and 25 km west of Ovruch) from Zygmunt I (Sigismund the 1st, king of Poland and the grand prince of Lithuania), made earlier to his father Martin Mozhayski.

 

In the year 1570 a share of this property was made in Nieumierzyce ... (continued on page 2)