The 'Regency Council' of the
Kingdom of Poland () was a semi-independent and temporary highest authority (head of state) during
World War I, formed by
Germany and
Austria-Hungary in the occupied Polish territories in September 1917. It was planned to be office till a new
king or
Regent is appointed. In October 1917 the Council was also passed the command over the
Polnische Wehrmacht.
The members of the Regency Council were:
★ Cardinal
Aleksander Kakowski,
Archbishop of
Warsaw,
★ Prince
Zdzisław Lubomirski, the President (
Mayor) of Warsaw,
★ Count
Józef Ostrowski, a conservative politician, former Chairman of the Polish Club in the
Duma in
St. Petersburg
History
Together with the State Council and the formed governments it exercised a limited administrative powers, mainly in education and justice areas. On
October 7,
1918, it declared the independence of Poland, and in on
November 14 of the same year it passed all authority to
Józef Piłsudski, from November 22 the newly appointed Governor of the State (
Naczelnik Państwa).
Prime Ministers (1917-1918)
★
November 20,
1917 -
February 27,
1918 :
Jan Kucharzewski
★ February 27, 1918 -
April 3, 1918 :
Antoni Ponikowski
★
April 4, 1918 -
October 23, 1918 :
Jan Kanty Steczkowski
★
October 23, 1918 -
November 5, 1918 :
Józef Świeżyński
★ November 5, 1918 -
November 11, 1918 :
Ladislaw Wróblewski