Reformy systemu zarządzania miastem Kownem w latach 1764–1794
Reforms in the Governance System of Kaunas between 1764 and 1794

Summary/Abstract: The article focuses on the reforms in the governance system of the city of Kaunas between 1764 and 1794 and the new officials that emerged due to the reforms. Kaunas was slow to react to the reforms and new laws, as it was not until two years after the 1764 law that the first new official, the prosecutor (Latin: instigator), was elected. Small local reform initiatives followed this. However, the changes brought about by the reforms affected the local community and exacerbated the conflicts between the municipality members. As a result, the Kaunas burghers themselves invited the Commission of Good Order to the city, composed of noblemen. Its activity between 1787 and 1790 was related to tightening financial control. Despite the changes introduced by the Four-Year Sejm and the Grodno Sejm, the city’s financial control and documentation remained in the power of the institutions managed by the nobility. From 1792 onwards, due to the constant changes in the city management system caused by political upheavals, newly elected city officials were forced to hand their offices over to other (i.e. new or old) officials as soon as they started term.

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