Józef Zajączek

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This article is about the 19th-century general. For a 20th-century one, see Józef Zając.

Józef Zajączek
Napoleonic Army
  • Imperial Russian Army
    • Years of service1768–1826
    RankGeneral
    Battles / wars
    Awards
    • Viceroy of Poland

    Prince Józef Zajączek (Polish: [ˈjuzɛf zaˈjɔntʂɛk]; 1 November 1752 – 28 August 1826) was a Polish general and politician.

    Zajączek started his career in the

    Viceroy (Namestnik)
    .

    Youth

    Świnka coat of arms of the Zajączek family

    Józef Zajączek was born on 1 November 1752 in

    Jesuit school in Warsaw.[2]

    At the age of sixteen he joined the

    magnate Sapieha family he received a post of an aide-de-camp to hetman Franciszek Ksawery Branicki.[7]

    Zajączek participated as a

    Four-year Sejm (1788–1792), and spent the first two years of its deliberations with his unit (2nd Front Guard Regiment, Polish: 2 regiment straży przedniej) on the Ukrainian border; in 1790, however, he was elected as a deputy once again and joined his patron Branicki in Warsaw.[12] Soon, however, he left Branicki's camp, joining the faction of Hugo Kołłątaj, the Patriotic Party.[13] Zajączek became involved in the works of a commission tasked with reforming the Polish military, and contributed to a new project on military exercises and officer training.[14][15] He became one of the supporters of the new Constitution of 3 May 1791, and members of the Friends of the Constitution society.[16]

    Military career

    In the Commonwealth's army

    Displeased with reforms in Poland that were threatening its influence there, Russia invaded Poland in May 1792, starting the

    highest decoration of the Polish military, Virtuti Militari, becoming the fifth person to receive this award, instituted just that year.[19] He took part in some minor skirmishes, but did not participate in any significant battle before Stanisław August Poniatowski surrendered to the enemy, joining the Targowica Confederation.[20] The war ended without any decisive battles, with the Polish army still in the fighting condition, not suffering from any major defeat nor from lack of supplies.[21] Angered at the king's betrayal, Zajączek was one of the main proponents of the plan to kidnap the king; the plan, however, never came to fruition.[20] Like many other dissatisfied officers, including Prince Poniatowski and Tadeusz Kościuszko, Zajączek requested a discharge from the army; his resignation was accepted on 18 August.[20][22]

    Shortly afterward Zajączek left the country, heading to Vienna.[20][23] In August 1793 he moved to Leipzig, joining a number of other Polish emigres, namely Kościuszko and Kołlątaj, preparing for a new war.[24] Soon he became one of the major planners of this approaching conflict, often tasked with delivering important messages to Poland, and collecting information there; in particular he was active in Warsaw, and Kościuszko planned for him to become a commander of that region.[24][25] Zajączek also went on missions to Dresden and Paris.[26] During that time, he became known as a radical revolutionary, democrat and proponent of abolishing serfdom in Poland.[26] In April he joined the "club of Polish Jacobins".[27]

    Shortly after the

    Galicia where he was interned by Austrians.[37] He was released one year later, moving to Paris.[37]

    In Napoleon's army

    In Paris, Zajączek quickly became involved with the active emigre groups there.

    division general, and later took part in the failed defense of Alexandria.[46][47]

    In 1802 Zajączek became the commander of the

    Polish–Austrian War,[55] where he failed to distinguish himself, instead suffering the only significant defeat in this campaign at the battle of Jedlińsk on 11 June.[56] He remained in the Army after the war, commanding the Polish 2nd Division, and organizing the troops for the expected conflict with Russia.[57]

    During

    Wilno (Vilnius).[64]

    Zajączek's name is found on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.[65]

    Prince and namestnik

    Zajączek was imprisoned in the

    Army of the Congress Poland.[67]

    Russian tsar

    Prince of Poland' on 27 April 1818.[76]

    In the spring of 1826 Zajączek fell ill, steadily becoming weaker.

    Pałac Namiestnikowski (Viceroy's Palace), nowadays a seat of the President of Poland.[76][80] His funeral lasted from 2 to 5 August.[81] He was buried at the Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus in Opatówek, where he had a manor on the lands received from Napoleon.[81] His heart was placed in the Bernardine Church in Warsaw, and his insides were buried at the Powązki Cemetery, also in Warsaw.[82]

    Zajączek and his wife had no children; Aleksandra outlived her husband by nineteen years.[81]

    Honours and awards

    Footnotes

    1. Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich, whom Alexander, due to Russian Empire's internal politics, decided to make his representative in Congress Poland.[68][69] Grand Duke Constantine, in turn, favored Zajączek, and demanded from Alexander that he choose a military man as the new Namestnik.[68]

    References

    1. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 5
    2. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 6
    3. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 9–10
    4. ^ a b Nadzieja (1988), p. 12
    5. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 15
    6. ^ a b Nadzieja (1988), pp. 16–17
    7. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 19–20
    8. ^ a b Nadzieja (1988), pp. 20–21
    9. ^ a b Nadzieja (1988), pp. 22–23
    10. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 27–28
    11. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 24
    12. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 30–31
    13. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 31–32
    14. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 34
    15. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 37
    16. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 35
    17. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 40
    18. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 42
    19. ^ a b Nadzieja (1988), pp. 43–44
    20. ^ a b c d Nadzieja (1988), pp. 46–47
    21. ISBN 978-83-222-0313-2
      . Retrieved 17 December 2011.
    22. ISBN 978-83-7414-930-3
      . Retrieved 2 January 2013.
    23. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 49
    24. ^ a b Nadzieja (1988), p. 50
    25. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 52–54
    26. ^ a b Nadzieja (1988), p. 51
    27. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 85
    28. ^ a b Nadzieja (1988), p. 57
    29. ^ a b Nadzieja (1988), pp. 60–61
    30. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 68–71
    31. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 73
    32. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 75
    33. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 76–78
    34. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 79–83
    35. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 86–87
    36. ^ a b c Nadzieja (1988), pp. 89–97
    37. ^ a b Nadzieja (1988), pp. 103–104
    38. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 108
    39. ^ a b Nadzieja (1988), pp. 110–111
    40. ISBN 978-83-222-0076-6
      . Retrieved 29 August 2013.
    41. ^ Studia Polono-Slavica-Orientalia, vol.11–12 (in Polish). Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich. 1988. p. 25. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
    42. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 113–114
    43. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 116–122
    44. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 123–125
    45. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 128
    46. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 132
    47. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 134–136
    48. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 138
    49. ^ a b Nadzieja (1988), p. 139
    50. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 141–143
    51. ^ a b Nadzieja (1988), pp. 144–147
    52. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 150–151
    53. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 161–162
    54. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 166–167
    55. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 177–189
    56. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 183–184
    57. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 193
    58. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 196
    59. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 205–206
    60. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 209
    61. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 211–212
    62. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 212–213
    63. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 214–215
    64. ^ a b Nadzieja (1988), pp. 218–220
    65. ISBN 978-0-88033-565-2
      . Retrieved 30 August 2013.
    66. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 224
    67. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 225–226
    68. ^ a b c d e Nadzieja (1988), pp. 229–231
    69. ^
      ISBN 978-0-295-80361-6
      . Retrieved 21 July 2013.
    70. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 258
    71. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 241–242
    72. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 248
    73. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 244
    74. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 233–234
    75. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 234–235
    76. ^ a b c Nadzieja (1988), p. 243
    77. ^ Nadzieja (1988), pp. 235–236
    78. ^ Nadzieja (1988), p. 256
    79. ISBN 978-0-313-26007-0
      . Retrieved 21 July 2013.
    80. ^ a b c Nadzieja (1988), p. 257
    81. ^ a b c Nadzieja (1988), pp. 258–261
    82. ISBN 978-83-06-00281-2
      . Retrieved 21 July 2013.
    83. ISBN 978-83-86232-46-8
      . Retrieved 28 August 2013.
    84. ^
      ISBN 978-83-7022-178-2
      . Retrieved 28 August 2013.

    Sources
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