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The Election of Archbishop Stablewski

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2017

Harry Kenneth Rosenthal
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Extract

The selection of a successor to Archbishop Dinder of the Poseń-Gnesen (Poznań-Gniezno) archdiocese resulted in one of the more interesting episodes in German-Polish relations. Coming as it did, just after the fall of the Iron Chancellor, the process of selection revealed with the utmost clarity the perceptions and priorities of the participating Germans and Poles.

The history of the Posen-Gnesen archbishopric gave significance to the question, for in the German Empire, as both German and Pole knew, only the Posen-Gnesen archdiocese had customarily had a Polish archbishop. This churchman tended to be the Polish community's most prominent spokesman and its visible head. He symbolized a unique and worthy tradition. In his person, until 1886, Polonia lived. Then, in that year, the Vatican and Bismarck dealt a severe blow to the Polish community by agreeing on the German Dinder to succeed the Pole Ledóchowski who had been forced to surrender his position.

Type
Articles
Information
Slavic Review , Volume 28 , Issue 2 , June 1969 , pp. 265 - 275
Copyright
Copyright © Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies. 1969

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References

1. For background reading on German-Polish relations, I can recommend among others: Bernhard, Ludwig, Die Polenfrage: Der Nationalitätenkampf der Polen in Preussen (Munich and Leipzig, 1920)Google Scholar; Broszat, Martin, 200 Jahre deutsche Polenpolitik (Munich, 1963)Google Scholar; Buzek, Józef, Historya polityki narodowosciowej rsqdu pruskiego wobec Polaków od traktatów wiedenskich do ustaw wyjqtkowych sr. 1908 (Lwów, 1909)Google Scholar; Feldman, Wilhelm, Dsieje polskiej my Hi politycanej, 1864-1914 (Warsaw, 1933)Google Scholar; Komierowski, Roman, Kolo Polskie w Berlinie, 1875-1900 (Poznań, 1905)Google Scholar; Laubert, Manfred, Die preussische Polenpolitik von 1772-1914 (Cracow, 1944)Google Scholar; Pfeiffer, Hans, Der polnische Adel und die preussische Polenpolitik von 1863 bis 1894 (Jena, 1939)Google Scholar; Trzeciakowski, Lech, Polityka polskich klas posiadajqcych w Wielkopolsce w erse Capriviego (Poznan, 1960).Google Scholar

2. See the Kuryer Poznański, June 24, 1890, no. 142.

3. Deutsches Zentralarchiv (DZA), Merseburg, A.b. die Staatsministerial Sitzungs-Protokolle (Rep. 90, Abt. B, Tit. Ill, 2b, Nr. 6, Bd. 103), June 5, 1890.

4. Wojewódzkie Archiwum Państwowe w Poznaniu, OP XXIV D I 32, Gossler's letter of June 7 informed Zedlitz that Wilhelm by telegram had agreed with the Staatsministerium's action.

5. Ibid., Gossler to Zedlitz, July 4, 1890.

6. Kuryer Posnański (June 24, 1890, no. 142) listed the canons. Karol Kraus was the closest to a German name among those on the list.

7. DZA, Merseburg, A.b. die Staatsministerial Sitzungs-Protokolle, Aug. 5, 1890. Gossler to Zedlitz, Aug. 17, 1890 (Wojewodzkie Archiwum Państwowe w Poznaniu, OP XXIV D I 32), gives the details of the implementation of this decision. The Kuryer Posnański (Aug. 26, 1890, no. 195) and Germania (Aug. 27, 1890, no. 196) identified the six Poles as Likowski, Radziwitt, Dorszewski, Andrzejewicz, Lukowski, and Warmiriski.

8. Kuryer Poznański (Oct. 7, 1890, no. 230) corrected the impression that the chapters on their own could issue a second list.

9. Dziennik Poznański, Oct. 9, 1890, no. 232 (also found in German translation in DZA, Merseburg, A.b. den erzbischoflichen Stuhl von Posen-Gnesen zu Posen (Rep. 76, IV, Sekt. la, Abt. 2, Nr. 1, Bd. 5). The Kölnische Zeitung (Oct. 7, 1890, no. 278) carried the same story. The German police reported to Zedlitz on October 8 (Wojewodzkie Archiwum Państwowe w Poznaniu, OP XXIV D I 32) that the chapters had renounced all rights to elect the new archbishop on October 7.

10. DZA, Merseburg, A.b. den erzbischöflichen Stuhl von Posen-Gnesen zu Posen, Schlozer to Caprivi, Nov. 16 and Nov. 19, 1890.

11. Ibid., Ratibor, German representative at Vienna, to Caprivi, Nov. 26, 1890. Monsignor Galimberti told Ratibor that Leo XIII wanted to uphold the chapters’ rights and foresaw direct Prussian-Vatican negotiations. Leo XIII was well known for his efforts to reconcile theology with modern science and secular philosophies*. He tended in his diplomacy to conciliatory methods and a patient quest of long-term goals. The man who helped end the Kulturkampf in Germany and appealed to the French clergy to offer allegiance to the Third Republic would hardly therefore desire anything else than a harmonious solution to the Posen-Gnesen succession problem.

12. Wojewódzkie Archiwum Państwowe w Poznaniu, OP XXIV D I 32; police report to Zedlitz, Nov. 25, 1890, informed the Oberprasident of the chapters’ decision. Zedlitz relayed this information to Gossler on November 25.

13. Kreuzzeitung, Sept. 19, 1890, no. 438.

14. Ibid., Sept. 24, 1890, no. 446.

15. Ibid., Oct. 10, 1890, no. 474.

16. Ibid., Nov. 17, 1890, no. 538. The Posener Zeitung (July 8, 1890, no. 466) attacked this line of thought. The Kreuzzeitung's editorial stance could be attributed to two factors. First, in 1890 and 1891 the Poles were necessary partners in the Kreuzzeitung's great coalition against socialism. After all, the language barrier posed a great obstacle to socialist propaganda among Poles (Oct. 16, 1891, no. 484). And the Poles represented a welcome ally against another menace, Russia, which the Kreuzzeitung depicted as non- Western (Mar. 26, 1890, no. 143), striving for a Pan-Slavic dominion and sowing seeds of strife in Europe (Jan. 3, 1890, no. 3). However, the Kreuzzeitung reminded its readers of the various German-Polish squabbles and that this past inhibited total friendship (Mar. 21, 1891, no. 136). The Poles were thus to be viewed as imperfect but acceptable allies in a troubled world.

17. Germania, July 10, 1890, no. 155.

18. Ibid., Nov. 4, 1891, no. 253.

19. Ibid., Sept. 4, 1890, no. 203.

20. Ibid., Oct. 28, 1890, no. 249.

21. DZA, Merseburg, A.b. den erzbischöflichen Stuhl von Posen-Gnesen zu Posen. This file contains the Gazeta Toruńska of Sept. 4, 1890, no. 204. (The Polish for Thorn is Torun.)

22. Ibid., Gazeta Toruńska, Sept. 10, 1890, no. 209.

23. Ibid., Oberpräsident of West Prussia to Gossler, Sept. 16, 1890.

24. Ibid., Oberpräsident of West Prussia to Gossler, Sept. 27, 1890.

25. Kuryer Posnański, Sept. 19, 1890, no. 215. This article is found in German translation in DZA, Merseburg, A.b. den erzbischöflichen Stuhl von Posen-Gnesen zu Posen.

26. DZA, Merseburg, A.b. den erzbischöflichen Stuhl von Posen-Gnesen zu Posen, Schlozer to Caprivi, Feb. 12, 1891.

27. Ibid., Sitzung des Königlichen Staatsministeriums, Mar. 1, 1891. The original record of this meeting is found in DZA, Merseburg, A.b. die Staatsministerial Sitzungs- Protokolle (vol. 105).

28. Gossler's resignation, we must emphasize, resulted from many factors. Caprivi was attempting to attract support from all quarters for a “national” program. He had done a favor for the Polish deputies a few months after assuming office. He had introduced a “bill to amend the law regulating industry and crafts” in the hope of winning over the German worker as well as insuring his health and safety. The chancellor proposed to win over the German Catholic by liquidating the government's conflict with the Center Party: indeed, he proposed restoring Church funds sequestered by Bismarck and defining the Church's rights in school affairs. But during negotiations on these proposals the antagonism between Gossler and the 106 Center deputies became evident, just as the antagonism between Gossler and the Poles had long been apparent. And so, on March 10, 1891, Gossler tendered his resignation.

29. Oredownik, July 22, 1891, no. 164; Posener Zeitung, July 22, 1891, no. 501; Freisinnige Zeitung, July 31, 1891, no. 176.

30. DZA, Potsdam, A.b. die Angelegenheiten der katholischen Kirche (no. 864, vol. 19), Zedlitz's report of May 13, 1891, on his conversation of May 12 with Archbishop Kopp.

31. Ibid. (no. 865, vol. 20), Kościelski to Caprivi, Aug. 22, 1891.

32. Ibid., Zedlitz to Caprivi, Sept. 8, 1891.

33. Germania praised Stablewski, Feb. 13, 1891, no. 35. The Hamburger Nachrichten (Feb. 13, 1891, no. 38) and the Kölnische Zeitung (Feb. 12, 1891, no. 117) relayed a Posener Tageblatt story about Stablewski's possible appointment. The Deutsches Tageblatt, Feb. 13, 1891, no. 74 (found at DZA, Merseburg, A.b. den erzbischoflichen Stuhl von Gnesen-Posen zu Posen) relayed the Posen rumor and the Dsiennik Posnanski's denial.

34. Germania (July 15, 1891, no. 157) did report that Stablewski preached in German the previous Sunday and announced that he would preach in German once a year.

35. One can conveniently find a copy of Stablewski's speech in Komierowski, Kolo Polskie w Berlinie, pp. 216-29. Since Stablewski usually denounced Russia (as he did in February, for example), his Thorn speech had produced nothing new in that respect. We should also remember that the antipathy of the Polish nobility to the Russians was well known among knowledgeable Germans. And there is no evidence that the Prussian government emphasized Stablewski's anti-Russian stand when it appointed him (see note 36). Therefore, it is far-fetched to connect Prussian agreement to Stablewski with German-Russian relations.

36. Die Grosse Politik der europäischen Kabinette, 1871-1914, vol. 7, p. 383, note to item 1624, also offered this type of explanation. In his recent article in the Slavic Review, “The Prussian State and the Catholic Church in Prussian Poland, 1871-1914” (26, no. 4 [December 1967]: 618-37), Lech Trzeciakowski suggests that Prussian acceptance of Stablewski might have been a compensation to the Church for Vatican acceptance of the German candidate for the vacant Strassburg bishopric. By the fall of 1892 the Prussian government might well have been so exhausted that it would accept such a deal, if, indeed, such a deal was offered. But, obviously, the eighteen-month struggle to determine Dinder's successor was fought over issues more significant than the value of a compensation piece.

37. DZA, Potsdam, A.b. die Angelegenheiten der katholischen Kirche (no. 865, vol. 20), Kopp to Zedlitz, Oct. 26, 1891.

38. Ibid., Stablewski's letter of Oct. 26, 1891.

39. DZA, Merseburg, A.b. das Erzbisthum und die Domkapitel zu Gnesen und Posen (Rep. 89H, Abt. IX, Nr. 3, Bd. 7), Zedlitz to Wilhelm, Dec. 29, 1891.

40. Ibid., Caprivi to Lucanus, Dec. 30, 1891.

41. DZA, Potsdam, A.b. die Angelegenheiten der katholischen Kirche (no. 865, vol. 20), Lucanus to Caprivi, Dec. 31, 1891.

42. Ibid., Caprivi to Zedlitz, Jan. 2, 1892.

43. DZA, Merseburg, A.b. das Erzbisthum und die Domkapitel zu Gnesen und Posen: Zedlitz sent Wilhelm his speech on January 3, 1892, and sent Stablewski's speech to Wilhelm on January 8, 1892. Wilhelm's address is reprinted in Klaussmann, A. Oskar, ed., Kaiserreden (Leipzig, 1902), p. 67.Google Scholar

44. For accounts of the proceedings, see the Kuryer Poznański, Jan. 14, 1892, no. 10, and the Dziennik Poznański, Jan. 14, 1892, no. 10.

45. Stablewski continued to justify Wilhelm's faith. Until his death the archbishop was a force for moderation in Posen. Even when Polish children staged a massive school strike against their German schools, he refused to abandon his neutral stance as a buffer between authority and national demands.

46. DZA, Merseburg, A.b. das Erzbisthum und die Domkapitel zu Gnesen und Posen contains Zedlitz's copy of Stablewski's letter. DZA, Potsdam, A.b. die Angelegenheiten der katholischen Kirche (no. 865, vol. 20) contains Caprivi's copy.

47. von Waldersee, Alfred Graf, Denkwürdigkeiten des General-Feldmarschalls Alfred Grafen von Waldersee (Stuttgart, 1923), 2: 221 Google Scholar; Posener Zeitung (Oct. 28, 1891, no. 753); DZA, Potsdam, A.b. die Angelegenheiten der katholischen Kirche (no. 865, vol. 20), Wilamowitz to Zedlitz and Herrfurth, Jan. 22, 1892.