Tadeusz Rejtan

Tadeusz Rejtan (also in the Old Polish spelling: Tadeusz Reytan) (1742-1780) was a Polish nobleman, a member of confederation of Bar, Member of Sejm for the Nowogródek (today Navahrudak, Belarus) constituency.

In September 1773 Rejtan tried to prevent the legalization of the first partition of Poland by preventing the members of the Partition Sejm from entering the chamber. The dramatic events are depicted on this 1866 painting by Jan Matejko.

After the partition eventually had taken place, Rejtan withdrew from political life and went on to live the rest of his life in a small estate called Hruszówka where he died on August 8, 1780. Tradition says, that by not being able to accept the loss of part of his homeland, he lost his senses and as a result, had committed suicide.

Tadeusz Rejtan has been remembered throughout Polish history as a shining example of patriotism. As such, he is also the protagonist of countless works of art, poems, songs and books.

Tadeusz Reytan is also a patron of the high school in Warsaw of great renown (established in 1905, the name at present: VI Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Tadeusza Reytana).