Castellans of the PolishâÂÂLithuanian Commonwealth were the lowest rank of territorial official who could sit in the Senate of Poland. Their numbers varied over time and with the shifting borders of the Commonwealth.
In the Kingdom of Poland and later in the PolishâÂÂLithuanian Commonwealth, Castellans () usually deferred to the higher ranking Voivodes (), excepting three Distinguished Castellans of the cities of Trakai, Vilnius, and of Kraków - who ranked higher than the Voivodes.
Competences
With the exception of the Castellan of Kraków, whose seat was representative of the Commonwealth's capital until 1596, Castellans were usually considered subordinate to Voivodes. Two castellans in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - those of Vilnius and Trakai - were also considered privileged, and had a status equal to a voivode. Castellans were in charge of a subdivision of a Voivodeship called a Castellany () until the late 15th century when domains were administratively divided into provinces in the case of larger castellanies and powiats for smaller castellanies.
From 1565, the principle of incompatibilitas ("incompatibility") precluded Voivodes and Castellans from holding a second ministerial role, except for the post of Hetman.
List
The list below is based on data from 1569. The number of castellans changed in later centuries.
- Distinguished Castellans Kasztelanowie WyróÃ
¼nieni â of Kraków, Vilnius and Trakai were seated alongside the Voivodes:
- Castellan of Kraków (). Seat: Kraków. Seated in the Senate, above the Voivode of Kraków.
- Castellan of Vilnius (). Seat: Vilnius. Seated 6th in the Senate after the Voivode of Sandomierz and before the Voivode of Kalisz.
- Castellan of Trakai (). Seat: Trakai. Seated 10th in the Senate after the Voivode of Sieradz and before the Voivode of Ã
ÂÃÂczyca
- Kasztelanowie WiÃÂksi (KrzesÃ
Âowi) â 31 Major Castellans:
- Greater Castellan of PoznaÃ
Â, Seat: PoznaÃ
Â
- Greater Castellan of Sandomierz, Seat: Sandomierz
- Greater Castellan of Kalisz, Seat: Kalisz
- Greater Castellan of Wojnicz, Seat: Wojnicz
- Greater Castellan of Gniezno, Seat: Gniezno
- Greater Castellan of Sieradz, Seat: Sieradz
- Greater Castellan of Ã
ÂÃÂczyca, Seat: Ã
ÂÃÂczyca
- Greater Castellan of Samogitia, Seat: Samogitia
- Greater Castellan of BrzeÃ
ÂÃÂ Kujawski, Seat: BrzeÃ
ÂÃÂ Kujawski
- Greater Castellan of Kijów, Seat: Kijów (Kyiv)
- Greater Castellan of InowrocÃ
Âaw, Seat: InowrocÃ
Âaw
- Greater Castellan of Lwów, Seat: Lwów (Lviv)
- Greater Castellan of WoÃ
ÂyÃ
Â, Seat: WoÃ
ÂyÃ
 (Volhynia)
- Greater Castellan of Kamieniec, Seat: Kamieniec Podolski (Kamianets-Podilskyi)
- Greater Castellan of SmoleÃ
Âsk, Seat: SmoleÃ
Âsk (Smolensk)
- Greater Castellan of Lublin, Seat: Lublin
- Greater Castellan of PoÃ
Âock, Seat: PoÃ
Âock (Polotsk)
- Greater Castellan of BeÃ
Âsk, Seat: BeÃ
Âsk (Belz)
- Greater Castellan of Nowogródek, Seat: Nowogródek (Novogrudok)
- Greater Castellan of PÃ
Âock, Seat: PÃ
Âock
- Greater Castellan of Witebsk, Seat: Witebsk (Vitebsk)
- Greater Castellan of Czersk, Seat: Czersk
- Greater Castellan of Podlasie, Seat: Podlasie
- Greater Castellan of Rawa, Seat: Rawa Mazowiecka
- Greater Castellan of BrzeÃ
ÂÃÂ Litewski, Seat: BrzeÃ
ÂÃÂ Litewski (Brest)
- Greater Castellan of CheÃ
Âmno, Seat: CheÃ
Âmno
- Greater Castellan of MÃ
ÂcisÃ
Âaw, Seat: MÃ
ÂcisÃ
Âaw (Mstsislaw)
- Greater Castellan of ElblÃÂ
g, Seat: ElblÃÂ
g
- Greater Castellan of BracÃ
Âaw, Seat: BracÃ
Âaw (Bratslav)
- Greater Castellan of GdaÃ
Âsk, Seat: GdaÃ
Âsk (Danzig)
- Greater Castellan of MiÃ
Âsk, Seat: MiÃ
Âsk
- Greater Castellan of Wenden, Seat: Wenden (CÃÂsis, added after 1569)
- Greater Castellan of Dorpat, Seat: Dorpat (Tartu, added after 1569)
- Greater Castellan of Parnawa, Seat: Parnawa (Pärnu, added after 1569)
- Greater Castellan of Inflanty, Seat: Livonia (replaced those of Wenden, Dorpat and Parnawa in 1677)
- Greater Castellan of Czernihów, Seat: Czernihów
- Kasztelanowie Mniejsi (DrÃÂ
Ã
¼kowi) â 49 Minor Castellans:
- Minor Castellan of Nowy SÃÂ
cz, Seat: Nowy SÃÂ
cz
- Minor Castellan of MiÃÂdzyrzecze, Seat: Miedzyrzecze, Silesian Voivodeship
- Minor Castellan of WiÃ
Âlica, Seat: WiÃ
Âlica
- Minor Castellan of Biecz, Seat: Biecz
- Minor Castellan of RogoÃ
ºno, Seat: RogoÃ
ºno
- Minor Castellan of Radom, Seat: Radom
- Minor Castellan of Zawichost, Seat: Zawichost
- Minor Castellan of LÃÂ
d, Seat: LÃÂ
d
- Minor Castellan of Ã
Ârem, Seat: Ã
Ârem
- Minor Castellan of Ã
»ary, Seat: Ã
»ary
- Minor Castellan of MaÃ
Âogoszcz, Seat: MaÃ
Âogoszcz
- Minor Castellan of WieluÃ
Â, Seat: WieluÃ
Â
- Minor Castellan of PrzemyÃ
Âl, Seat: PrzemyÃ
Âl
- Minor Castellan of Halicz, Seat: Halicz (Halych)
- Minor Castellan of Sanok, Seat: Sanok
- Minor Castellan of CheÃ
Âm, Seat: CheÃ
Âm
- Minor Castellan of DobrzyÃ
Â, Seat: DobrzyÃ
Â
- Minor Castellan of PoÃ
Âaniec, Seat: PoÃ
Âaniec
- Minor Castellan of PrzemÃÂt, Seat: PrzemÃÂt
- Minor Castellan of Krzywina, Seat: Krzywina
- Minor Castellan of Czchów, Seat: Czchów
- Minor Castellan of NakÃ
Âo, Seat: NakÃ
Âo
- Minor Castellan of Rozprza, Seat: Rozprza
- Minor Castellan of Biechów, Seat: Biechów
- Minor Castellan of Bydgoszcz, Seat: Bydgoszcz
- Minor Castellan of Brzeziny, Seat: Brzeziny
- Minor Castellan of Kruszwica, Seat: Kruszwica
- Minor Castellan of OÃ
ÂwiÃÂcim, Seat: OÃ
ÂwiÃÂcim
- Minor Castellan of KamieÃ
Âsk, Seat: KamieÃ
Âsk
- Minor Castellan of Spycimierz, Seat: Spycimierz
- Minor Castellan of InowÃ
Âódz, Seat: InowÃ
Âódz
- Minor Castellan of Kowale, Seat: Kowal
- Minor Castellan of Santok, Seat: Santok
- Minor Castellan of Sochaczew, Seat: Sochaczew
- Minor Castellan of Warsaw, Seat: Warsaw
- Minor Castellan of Gostyniec, Seat: Gostyniec or GoÃ
Âlice
- Minor Castellan of Wizna, Seat: Wizna
- Minor Castellan of RaciÃÂ
Ã
¼, Seat: RaciÃÂ
Ã
¼
- Minor Castellan of Sierpc, Seat: Sierpc
- Minor Castellan of Wyszogród, Seat: Wyszogród
- Minor Castellan of Rypin. Seat: Rypin
- Minor Castellan of Zakroczym, Seat: Zakroczym
- Minor Castellan of Ciechanowice, Seat: Ciechanowice
- Minor Castellan of Liw, Seat: Liw
- Minor Castellan of SÃ
ÂoÃ
Âsk, Seat: SÃ
ÂoÃ
Âsk (present Ciechocinek)
- Minor Castellan of Lubaczów, Seat: Lubaczów
- Kasztelanowie Konarscy (Koniuszy) â 3 Equerry Castellans:
- Minor Konary Castellan of Sieradz, Seat: Sieradz
- Minor Konary Castellan of Ã
ÂÃÂczyca, Seat: Ã
ÂÃÂczyca
- Minor Konary Castellan of InowrocÃ
Âaw, Seat: InowrocÃ
Âaw
References