Józef Ankwicz

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Józef Ankwicz (1750-9 May 1794) of Awdaniec coat of arms (also kown as Józef z Posławic and Józef Awdaniec) was a politician and noble (szlachcic) in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He held the office of castellan of Nowy Sącz from 1782. He is infamous for being one of the most prominent collaborators with the partitioners of Poland.

Son of Stanisław Walenty Ankwicz and Salomea Schwarcemberg-Czerny. Married to Anna Biberstein-Starowieyska, father of Andrzej Alojzy Jan Stanisław Ankwicz (archbishop of Lviv) and daughters Kordula and Krystyna.

A gambler, he quickly fell in debts and was recruited by Russian ambassador Yakov Bulakov[1]. In 1782 he received the office of castellan of Nowy Sącz. In 1784 he the Order of the White Eagle from king of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski, as well as the title of count (hrabia) from Empress of Austro-Hungary, Maria Theresa of Austria; later, he also received the office of chamberlain at the Austrian court. Deputy to the Great Sejm and member of the diplomatic mission sent to Denmark in 1791. He was also awarded with Order of Saint Stanislaus. A close subordinate of Russian ambassador Jacob Sievers, he had many contacts even in St. Petersburg at the court of Russian Empress Catherine the Great. He was known for his support of foreign powers (Austro-Hungary, Prussia, Russian Empire), during the last Sejm of the Commonwealth - the Grodno Sejm of 1793, he was the leader of the 'Russian Party'[2] and the deputy who concluded that the unwillingness of other deputies to speak (threatened by Russian soldiers present in the room) means that they accept the demands of the Russian Empire (2nd partition). For that he was rewarded by his Russian masters with the position in the Permanent Council.

During the Kościuszko Uprising he was captured by the Polish revolutionaries. On the request of Polish Jacobins, he was sentenced to hanging, together with some of the leaders of the Targowica Confederation: Józef Kossakowski, hetman Piotr Ożarowski and hetman Józef Zabiełło. He was executed on 9 May 1794 in Warsaw, in the aftermath of the Warsaw Uprising.