Sejny Uprising
Sejny Uprising | |||||||||
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Lt. Adam Rudnicki, leader of the Sejny Uprising, and his colleagues. August 1919. | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
41st Infantry Regiment |
Lithuanian Sejny Command 1st Reserve Battalion | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Adam Rudnicki Mieczysław Mackiewicz Wacław Zawadzki † | Kazys Ladiga | ||||||||
Strength | |||||||||
900[1]–1,200[2] PMO volunteers 800 regular troops[3] |
900 regular troops[3] 300 volunteers[4] | ||||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||||
37 killed in action 70 wounded |
The Sejny Uprising or Seinai Revolt (
The uprising did not solve the larger border conflict between Poland and Lithuania over the ethnically mixed
Eventually, Poland and Lithuania reached an agreement on a new border that left Sejny on the Polish side of the border. The Polish–Lithuanian border in the Suwałki Region has remained the same since then (with the exception of the World War II period).
Background
During the ages, the lands surrounding the town of
During
According to Russian statistics from 1889, there were 57.8% Lithuanians, 19.1% Poles, and 3.5% Belarusians in the Suwałki Governorate.[12] It is generally agreed that Lithuanians formed the majority of the population in the northern Suwałki Governorate, while Poles were concentrated in the south. But Lithuanian and Polish historians and political scientists continued to disagree over the location of the line that separated the areas of Lithuanian and Polish majorities. Lithuanians claimed that Sejny and the surrounding area were inhabited primarily by the Lithuanians,[11] while the Poles claimed exactly the opposite.[13] The German census of 1916 showed that 51% of Sejny population was Lithuanian.[14]
Demarcation lines
In the aftermath of World War I, the Conference of Ambassadors drew the first demarcation line between Poland and Lithuania on June 18, 1919. The line satisfied no one, and Polish troops continued to advance deeper into the Lithuanian-controlled territory.[15] These attacks coincided with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, which eliminated any danger from Germany.[9] Attempting to halt further hostilities, Marshal of France Ferdinand Foch proposed a new line, known as the Foch Line, on July 18, 1919.[16]
The Foch Line was negotiated with the Polish war mission, led by General
On July 26, the Foch Line was accepted by the Conference of Ambassadors as the provisional border between the two states.[2] Lithuanians were not informed about this decision until August 3.[19] Neither country was satisfied: both Lithuanian and Polish forces would have to retreat from the Suwałki and Vilnius regions, respectively.[13] Those Germans still present in the region also objected to the boundary of the line.[20] The Lithuanian forces (about 350 strong)[21] left the town of Suwałki by August 7, but stopped in Sejny and formed a line at the Czarna Hańcza river – Wigry Lake, thus effectively violating the demarcation line.[1] Lithuanians believed that the Foch Line was not the final decision, and that they had the duty to protect Lithuanian outposts in the region.[11]
Uprising preparations
On August 12, 1919, two days after the Germans retreated from Sejny,
According to the Polish historian
On August 17, a Lithuanian counter-demonstration was staged. Its participants read aloud a recently issued recruiting proclamation of the Lithuanian volunteer army: "Citizens! Our nation is in danger! To arms! We shall leave not a single occupant on our lands!"[1][24] On August 20, Prime Minister of Lithuania Mykolas Sleževičius visited Sejny and called on Lithuanians to defend their lands "to the end, however they can, with axes, pitchforks and scythes".[1][24] According to Lesčius, at the time the Lithuanian command in Sejny had only 260 infantry and 70 cavalry personnel, stretched along the long line of defense. There were only 10 Lithuanian guards and 20 clerical staff in the town itself.[22] Mańczuk and Buchowski note that the Polish insurgents estimated the Lithuanian forces at 1,200 infantry (Mańczuk also adds an estimate of 120 cavalry), including a 400-strong garrison in Sejny.[1][2]
Military skirmishes
According to the Lithuanian historian Lesčius, the first Polish assault of about 300 PMO members on August 22 was repelled,[23] but the next day Lithuanians were forced to retreat towards Lazdijai. Over 100 Lithuanians were imprisoned in Sejny when their commander Bardauskas sided with the Poles.[25] The Polish insurgents also attacked Lazdijai and Kapčiamiestis,[1] towns on the Lithuanian side of the Foch Line.
In early morning of August 25, Lithuanians counterattacked and recaptured Sejny. Polish sources claim that Lithuanians there were aided by a company of Germans volunteers,[1][2][7][8] but Lithuanian sources assert that it was an excuse used by Rudnicki to explain his defeat.[11] The Lithuanian forces recovered some important documents and property, freed Lithuanian prisoners[4] and, according to Mańczuk, executed several of the PMO fighters they found wounded.[2]
On the evening of August 25, the first regular unit (41st Infantry Regiment) of the Polish Army received an order to advance towards Sejny.[2] The Lithuanian forces retreated on the same day when they learned about the approaching Polish reinforcements.[4] According to Mańczuk, they based their retreat on an erroneous report about a "large Polish cavalry unit" operating to their rear; only small groups of Polish partisans operated there.[2] Later the next day, during the afternoon of August 26, the PMO forces in Sejny were joined by the 41st Infantry Regiment.[2]
On August 26, a large anti-Polish protest took place in Lazdijai, with cries to march on Sejny.[4] The last Lithuanian attempt to retake the town was made on August 28. The Lithuanians (about 650 men) were defeated by the combined forces of the Polish Army (800 men) and PMO volunteers (500 men).[26] On August 27, the Poles officially demanded that Lithuanians retreat behind the Foch Line. On September 1, Rudnicki announced incorporation of PMO volunteers into the 41st Infantry Regiment.[2] During the negotiations on September 5, representatives of the two groups agreed to settle on a detailed demarcation line; Lithuanians agreed to retreat by September 7.[27] The Polish regular army units did not cross the Foch Line, and refused to aid the PMO insurgents still operating on the Lithuanian side.[2]
Polish sources give total Polish casualties for the Sejny Uprising as 37 killed in action and 70 wounded.[1][2]
Aftermath
After the uprising, Poland repressed Lithuanian cultural life in Sejny. Lithuanian schools in Sejny (which had some 300 pupils) and surrounding villages were closed.[11] The local Lithuanian clergy were evicted, and the Sejny Priest Seminary relocated.[6] According to the Lithuanians, the repressions were even more far-reaching, including a ban on public use of the Lithuanian language and the closing of Lithuanian organizations, which had a total of 1,300 members.[11][28] The New York Times, reporting on renewed hostilities a year later, described the 1919 Sejny events as a violent occupation by the Poles, in which the Lithuanian inhabitants, teachers, and religious ministers were maltreated and expelled.[29] Polish historian Łossowski notes that both sides mistreated the civilian population and exaggerated reports to gain internal and foreign support.[30]
The uprising contributed to the deterioration of the
Hostilities over the Suwałki Region resumed in summer 1920. When the Polish Army began to retreat during the course of the Polish–Soviet War, the Lithuanians moved to secure what they claimed to be their new borders, set by the Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty of July 1920.[33] The Peace Treaty granted Sejny and surrounding area to Lithuania. Poland did not recognize this bilateral treaty. Ensuing tensions heightened until the outbreak of the Polish–Lithuanian War. Sejny changed hands frequently until it was controlled by Polish forces on September 22, 1920.[6] The situation was legalized by the Suwałki Agreement of October 7, 1920, which effectively returned the town to the Polish side of the border.[34]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Buchowski, Stanisław. "Powstanie Sejneńskie 23–28 sierpnia 1919 roku" (in Polish). Gimnazjum Nr. 1 w Sejnach. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Mańczuk, Tadeusz (2001). "Z Orłem przeciw Pogoni. Powstanie sejneńskie 1919". Mówią Wieki (in Polish). Archived from the original on December 23, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- ^ a b Lesčius 2004, p. 276.
- ^ a b c d Lesčius 2004, p. 275.
- ^ Senn 1975, p. 158.
- ^ a b c Buchowski, Krzysztof (2003). "Polish-Lithuanian Relations in Seinai Region at the Turn of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries". The Chronicle of Lithuanian Catholic Academy of Sciences. 2 (XXIII). Archived from the original on 2007-09-27.
- ^ a b "Powstanie Sejneńskie 1919" (in Polish). Association "Polish Community". Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ a b "Historia" (in Polish). Urząd Miasta Sejny. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ a b c d e Pisarska, Katarzyna. "Stosunki Polsko–Litewskie w latach 1926–1927" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- ^ a b Lesčius 2004, p. 271.
- ^ ISSN 1392-0677.
- ^ a b Łossowski 1995, p. 51.
- ^ Senn 1975, p. 133.
- ^ Lesčius 2004, p. 254.
- ^ Senn 1975, p. 132.
- ^ Lesčius 2004, pp. 254, 257.
- ^ Senn 1975, p. 135.
- ^ Senn 1975, p. 134.
- OCLC 9200888.
- ^ Lesčius 2004, p. 272.
- ^ a b Lesčius 2004, p. 273.
- ^ a b Lesčius 2004, p. 274.
- ^ a b Łossowski 1995, p. 67.
- ^ Lesčius 2004, pp. 274–275.
- ^ Lesčius 2004, p. 275–276.
- ^ Lesčius 2004, p. 277.
- ^ Lesčius 2004, p. 278.
- ^ Duranty, Walter (1920-09-06). "Poles Attacked By Lithuanians" (PDF). The New York Times.
- ^ Łossowski 1995, p. 66.
- ^ Łossowski 1995, p. 68.
- ^ Lesčius 2004, p. 270.
- LCCN 67086623.
- ^ Łossowski 1995, pp. 166–175.
References
- Lesčius, Vytautas (2004). Lietuvos kariuomenė nepriklausomybės kovose 1918–1920 (PDF) (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: ISBN 9955-423-23-4.
- ISBN 83-05-12769-9.
- Senn, Alfred Erich (1975) [1959]. The Emergence of Modern Lithuania. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-8371-7780-4.