This article presented an activity of government midwives in the Free City of Cracow (1815–1846), including the proffesional qualifications of the midwife, their salary and rules of proffesional liability. A detalied analysis of the competence of midwives has been made, also therein rules of receiving childbirth, ways of responding to the threat to health and life of mother and child, equipping with obstetric tools etc. The principles of government supervision (Protomedic, City Physicist, District Physicist) over midwives are also discussed. Fundamental importance for the study were the documents kept at the National Archives in Cracow, official journals and also studies of the history of medicine on Polish lands.