Tadeusz Rejtan

Who was Tadeusz Rejtan?

Tadeusz Reytan was a Polish nobleman. He was a member of the Polish Sejm from the constituency of Nowogródek. Rejtan is remembered for a dramatic gesture he made in September 1773, as a deputy of the Partition Sejm. There, Rejtan tried to prevent the legalization of the first partition of Poland, a scene that has been immortalized in one of the paintings of Jan Matejko. He has been the subject of many other art works, and is a symbol of patriotism in Poland. Despite his efforts, the partition of Poland was legalized soon afterwards.