Józef Poniatowski
Habsburg Monarchy | |
---|---|
Died | 19 October 1813 White Elster River, Kingdom of Saxony | (aged 50)
Allegiance | Habsburg monarchy Poland–Lithuania France Duchy of Warsaw |
Years of service | 1780–1813 |
Rank | Marshal of the Empire |
Awards | |
Spouse(s) | Zelia Sitańska |
Signature |
Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski (Polish pronunciation: [ˈjuzɛf anˈtɔɲi pɔɲaˈtɔfskʲi]; 7 May 1763 – 19 October 1813) was a Polish general, minister of war and army chief, who became a Marshal of the French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars.[1][2]
A nephew of king
In 1807, after
A staunch ally and supporter of Emperor
Early Austrian years and war with the Ottomans
Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski was born in Vienna, Austria in the Palais Kinsky[3] He was baptized in Vienna's Schottenkirche.
He was the son of
Maria Theresa was a godmother of Józef's older sister, who was also named Maria Teresa, after the Empress. Józef was born and raised in Vienna, but also spent time with his mother in Prague and later with his uncle the king in Warsaw. Brought up in the "ancient regime" society, he was tutored in French, and spoke to his mother in that language. He also learned Polish, German and later, Russian. As a child he acquired the nickname "Prince Pepi", the Czech diminutive form of Joseph.
He was trained for a military career, but also learned how to play keyboard instruments and had a portable one which he carried with him later even during military campaigns. It was because of Stanislaus' influence that Poniatowski chose to consider himself a Polish citizen and he transferred to the Polish army at the age of 26. In Vienna, he represented the Polish king at the funeral of Maria Theresa. In 1787 he travelled with Stanislaus Augustus to
Having chosen a military career, Poniatowski joined the Austrian imperial army, where he was commissioned
Polish military service and defence of the 3 May Constitution
Summoned by his uncle, Stanislaus II Augustus, and the
This took place during the period of deliberations by the
On 6 May 1792 Poniatowski was appointed
The Battle of Zieleńce on 18 June was the first major victorious engagement of the Polish forces since John III Sobieski.[4] Poniatowski personally got involved in the fighting when one of the Polish columns was faltering. To celebrate the victory and commemorate the occasion, the Polish king established the Virtuti Militari order, with which he decorated Poniatowski and Kościuszko first. At the Battle of Dubienka fought by Kościuszko and his soldiers on 18 July, the line of the Southern Bug River was defended for five days against fourfold odds.
The Polish armies converged on Warsaw and prepared for a general engagement. There a courier from the capital informed the Commander in Chief that king Stanislaus had acceded to the pro-Russian Targowica Confederation and had pledged the adherence of the Polish Army to it as well. All hostilities were to be suspended.[4]
The army remained loyal to Prince Józef and he considered staging a coup d'état option that involved kidnapping the King, but after issuing contradictory orders, he finally decided not to do so. Supposedly distressed by the political situation, at the last skirmish of the war at Markuszów on 26 July he supposedly sought his own death, but was saved.[5] After an indignant but fruitless protest, Poniatowski and most of the other Polish generals resigned their commissions and left the army.[4]
In a farewell gesture, Prince Józef's soldiers expressed their gratitude by having a memorial medal minted, and wrote to the Prince's mother in Prague, thanking her for having such a great son. Poniatowski left Warsaw for Vienna, from where he repeatedly challenged the Targowica leader Szczęsny Potocki to a duel. However, the Russian authorities wanted him removed away from Poland even further, and the fearful king pressured him to comply. Poniatowski left Vienna to travel in western Europe, which at the time was traumatized by the violent events of the French Revolution.
In 1792 in a letter to the King, Prince Józef expressed his opinion that in order to save the country and preserve Poland he should have already at the outset of this campaign (since it was not properly prepared militarily) raised the whole country, led the nobility on a horse, armed the towns and given freedom to the peasants. The Polish–Russian War was followed by the Second Partition of Poland.[6]
1794 Kościuszko Insurrection
Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski wrote to his nephew in the spring of 1794, urging him to return to Poland and volunteer for service under his former subordinate
Poniatowski himself participated in combat in and around Warsaw; as a division commander he fought at Błonie between 7 and 10 July, and led cavalry in an anti-Prussian diversion at Marymont on 26–27 July. During the Prussian siege of the city Mokronowski was sent to Lithuania to replace the ailing Wielhorski and Poniatowski was given his post in Warsaw's defense.
Between 5 and 10 August, in a victorious and promising series of confrontations, he took the Góry Szwedzkie region from the Prussians and then lost it after a couple of weeks in a counterattack, for which, despite Kościuszko's warnings, he did not properly prepare. He was injured while trying to recover the lost ground when his horse was shot from under him. In October he led his outnumbered troops in an attack on Prussian entrenchments at the Bzura River, which, at the cost of heavy losses, tied up the Prussians and saved Dąbrowski's corps by allowing it to return to Warsaw.
During the course of the war and revolution the Prince felt alienated by the actions and influence of the radical wing led by Hugo Kołłątaj, while the military cooperation between him, Dąbrowski, and Józef Zajączek was not what it should have been, and worsened after Kościuszko's capture at Maciejowice.[6]
Withdrawal into private life
The Insurrection having failed, Poniatowski stayed for a while in Warsaw, his estates were confiscated, but having refused a position in the Russian army and unwilling to comply with the loyalty conditions that the Russian authorities wanted to impose on him, was ordered to leave the Polish capital and in April 1795 moved once more to Vienna. The Kościuszko Rising led to the Third (and final) Partition of Poland.
1796 saw the death of Catherine II of Russia. Her son, Tsar Paul I returned Poniatowski's estates and again tried to hire him into the Russian army. To excuse himself Prince Józef claimed being (as a result of past wounds) in an extremely poor health.
In 1798, however, his uncle, the former king Stanislaus Augustus, died in
There until 1806, Poniatowski lived a private life of parties and play, politically not very active, often shocking the public opinion by the conduct of himself and his friends. His household was managed strictly by one Henrietta Vauban, an older woman whom he brought from Vienna and who was apparently able to exert a great deal of influence over the Prince.
His residences were open to various personalities. The future King
Prince Józef never married; had two sons with two of his unmarried partners, the first one Józef Szczęsny Poniatowski (1791–1860) with the singer Zelia Sitańska and Karol Józef Maurycy Poniatowski (1809–1855) with married Zofia Czosnowska, by birth Countess
Duchy of Warsaw and victory in the Austro-Polish War
Following French Emperor
At the end of that year Joachim Murat and his forces entered Warsaw and Poniatowski had to define his role within this new political reality. It took protracted negotiations with Murat (they liked each other and quickly became friends) and persuasion by Józef Wybicki (who urged the Prince to get on board, before the window of historic opportunity closes), but before the year was over Poniatowski was declared by Murat to be "chief of the military force" and was leading the military department on behalf of the French authorities. Dąbrowski, who was the choice of many Polish veterans of the Polish Legions and of the Insurrection, as well as Zajączek were bypassed, even though they both had served under Napoleon when Poniatowski was inactive. On 14 January 1807, by the Emperor's decree, the Warsaw Governing Commission was created under Stanisław Małachowski, and within this structure Poniatowski became officially Director of the Department of War and set about organizing the Polish army.[6]
In July 1807 the
In spring of 1809 Poniatowski led his army against an Austrian invasion under the
But Poniatowski in the meantime moved west of the Vistula and on 5 July, the day of the Battle of Wagram, began from Radom, his new southbound offensive aimed at Kraków. He arrived there on 15 July, and while the demoralized and not capable of effective defense Austrians tried to turn the city over to the Russians, Poniatowski at this point was not to be outmaneuvered or intimidated: Seeing a Russian hussar cavalry unit in attack formation blocking the street leading to the bridge on the Vistula, he rode his raised up horse into them, so that several flipped as they were falling.
Most of the liberated lands, with the exception of the Lvov region, became incorporated into the Duchy through the peace treaty of 14 October 1809. Prince Józef himself, celebrated by the residents of the old royal capital of Poland, remained in Kraków until the end of December, supervising the provisional Galician government in existence from 2 June to 28 December. The Austrians kept demanding the return of Kraków and he felt that his presence there was the best assurance that the city would remain in Polish hands.
Napoleon's Russian campaign
In April 1811 Poniatowski went to Paris, where he represented the King of
The initial period of the offensive, when Poniatowski was placed under the direction of
Rearguarding the retreat of the Grande Armée, Poniatowski was badly injured during the Battle of Vyazma. He continued in active service for a few days, but his condition forced him to give his command to Józef Zajączek. He then continued the westbound trip in a carriage with two wounded aides, the Legion of the Vistula and Michel Claparède.[citation needed] At the Berezina crossing they barely avoided being captured by the Russians but finally, on 12 December, arrived in Warsaw.[6]
German campaign of 1813 and death at Leipzig
After the disastrous retreat of Napoleon's army, and while recovering from his injuries, Poniatowski quickly undertook the rebuilding of the Polish army in order to replace the forces devastated by the Moscow campaign. When many Polish leaders began to waver in their allegiance to the French Emperor, Poniatowski resisted this change of opinion and remained faithful to Napoleon,
On 7 May, as the Russians were getting close again, Prince Józef and his army left Kraków, went through
The corps fought major successful battles at
Legacy
Poniatowski's cult developed after his death, as a Polish version of the Napoleonic legend.
In 1829 his monument by
Poniatowski never married and had only illegitimate issue. Among his living relatives is Elena Poniatowska, a Mexican journalist.[13]
He is one of the figures immortalized in
He was an inspiration for Polish freedom fighters throughout a number of armed conflicts, but especially during the November Uprising of 1830, since many of its leaders had served under Poniatowski's command during the Napoleonic Wars. The Duchy of Warsaw, which Napoleon had created and Poniatowski defended, remained as a residual Polish state to the end of the Partitions period.
A Japanese manga, Ten no Hate made - Porando hishi, was written by Riyoko Ikeda in 1991, commemorating the life of Józef Poniatowski.
A Polish bomber squadron, named after Poniatowski, took part in aerial operations during the Second World War. It was 304 Sqn. RAF "Land of Silesia" Polish Bomber Squadron (Ziemi Śląskiej im. Ks. Józefa Poniatowskiego) which mainly flew Fairey Battle, Vickers Wellington, Vickers Warwick and Handley Page Halifax bombers. Their base airfield was mostly RAF Chivenor in Devon.
Welsh-Polish historian Norman Davies wrote:
Like many of his countrymen, he had wavered long before throwing in his lot with the French. For him, Napoleonic service had demanded a painful change of direction and loyalties. It had involved years of devotion and blood-letting. To have changed his loyalties yet again, as his master the King of Saxony did, was all too worrying for an infinitely weary and honest man. Like the rest of his generation he hoped; he fought; he served; and only found rest in honorable defeat.[15]
See also
- Stanisław August Poniatowski – Stanislaus Augustus
- Poniatowski family
References
- ^ Józef Antoni Poniatowski at the Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ Bejrowski, Piotr. "Józef Poniatowski: "Greater Than The King, This Prince"". Polish History. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ^ Szymon Askenazy, Prince Józef Poniatowski. idem [full citation needed]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Bain 1911, p. 61.
- ^ a b c "Józef Antoni Poniatowski". Internetowy Polski Słownik Biograficzny (in Polish). Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Józef Poniatowski: człowiek, który mógł być królem" [Józef Poniatowski: a man who could have been a king]. Dzieje.pl (in Polish). 30 July 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Poniatowski, Józef". Napoleon.org. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ^ Stachnik, Paweł (30 January 2020). "Książę Józef Poniatowski w Krakowie. Miasto na dziewięć tygodni stało się faktyczną stolicą państwa" [Prince Józef Poniatowski in Krakow. The city became the actual capital of the state for nine weeks]. Dziennik Polski (in Polish). Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ^ Loh-Kliesch, André. "Poniatowski, Józef Fürst". Leipzig-Lexikon (in German). Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ^ "Książę Józef Poniatowski - symbol żołnierskiego męstwa i honoru" [Prince Józef Poniatowski - a symbol of military bravery and honor]. Polskie Radio (in Polish). 19 October 2020.
- ^ Kotkowska-Bareja, Hanna (1971). Pomnik Poniatowskiego. Warsaw: PWN. pp. 43–44.
- ^ "Napoleon's Polish marshal Prince Poniatowski honoured". Radio Poland. 8 May 2013. Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ^ Banasiak, Mirosław (2 March 2017). "Elena Poniatowska, królowa meksykańskiej literatury. Perła spadła gdzieś w kurz" [Elena Poniatowska, the queen of Mexican literature. The pearl fell somewhere in the dust]. Wyborcza.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ^ Dobrowolski, Marcin (2 May 2018). "Konstytucja 3 Maja - Jana Matejki: Kto jest na tym obrazie?" [Constitution of May 3 - Jan Matejko: Who is in this painting?]. Puls Biznesu (in Polish). Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ISBN 9780231053532.
Attribution:
- public domain: Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911). "Poniatowski, Joseph Anthony". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 61. Endnotes:
- Stanisław Kostka Bogusławski, Life of Prince Jòzef Poniatowski (in Polish), Warsaw, 1831.
- Franciszek Paszkowski, Prince Józef Poniatowski (in Polish), Kraków, 1898.
- Correspondence of Poniatowski, edited by E. Raczyński, Poznań, 1843.
- Bronisław Dembiński, Stanisław August and Prince Józef Poniatowski in the Light of Their Correspondence (in French), Lemberg, 1904.
- Szymon Askenazy, Prince Józef Poniatowski (in Polish), Warsaw, 1905.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
Further reading
- Józef Antoni Poniatowski, Mes souvenirs sur la campagne de 1792, Lemberg [Lwów], 1863.
- Poniatowski, the Sejm (11 May 2001). "Poniatowski". CoreComm Internet. Archived from the original on 11 August 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2015.