Danube Legion
Encyclopedia
The Danube Legion was a unit of Poles in the service of Napoleonic France
, one of the larger Polish Legions of Napoleonic Period.
It was formed on 8 September 1799 in the Batavian Republic
from Polish volunteers, mostly French prisoners of war from the Austrian Army. Numbering about 6,000 the legion was commanded by general Karol Kniaziewicz
.
The legion fought at the Battle of Marengo and Battle of Hohenlinden (1800)
. However during treaty negotiations between French and Austrians the French were finding the Polish issue to be a problem; Poles wanted the French to continue fighting against the partitioners of Poland
; the future Polish national anthem
, Mazurek Dąbrowskiego, created by Józef Wybicki
, promised 'the return of the Polish army from Italy to Poland'. Instead, the French used Polish troops to quell down uprisings in conquered territories, which led to much unrest in the Polish troops. After Kniaziewicz and some others resigned from the command position, the Legion was reformed into the 113rd demi-brigade
, and commanded by Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski sent to Haiti
to put down the Haitian Revolution
. Eventually combat casualties and tropical diseases (like the yellow fever
) reduced the 5,280 strong Legion to a few hundred survivors in the space of less than two years. By the time French forces retreated from the island in 1803 about 4,000 Poles were dead (either from disease or combat), few hundreds chose to switch sides and remain on the island.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, one of the larger Polish Legions of Napoleonic Period.
It was formed on 8 September 1799 in the Batavian Republic
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
from Polish volunteers, mostly French prisoners of war from the Austrian Army. Numbering about 6,000 the legion was commanded by general Karol Kniaziewicz
Karol Kniaziewicz
Baron Karol Otto Kniaziewicz was a Polish general and political activist....
.
The legion fought at the Battle of Marengo and Battle of Hohenlinden (1800)
Battle of Hohenlinden (1800)
The Battle of Hohenlinden was fought on 3 December 1800 during the French Revolutionary Wars. A French army under Jean Victor Marie Moreau won a decisive victory over the Austrians and Bavarians led by Archduke John of Austria. After being forced into a disastrous retreat, the allies were compelled...
. However during treaty negotiations between French and Austrians the French were finding the Polish issue to be a problem; Poles wanted the French to continue fighting against the partitioners of Poland
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
; the future Polish national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
, Mazurek Dąbrowskiego, created by Józef Wybicki
Józef Wybicki
Józef Rufin Wybicki was a Polish general, poet and political figure.-Life:He was a close friend of General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, and in 1797 he wrote Mazurek Dąbrowskiego , which in 1927 was adopted as the Polish national anthem.During the Kościuszko Uprising, he was counselor of the Military...
, promised 'the return of the Polish army from Italy to Poland'. Instead, the French used Polish troops to quell down uprisings in conquered territories, which led to much unrest in the Polish troops. After Kniaziewicz and some others resigned from the command position, the Legion was reformed into the 113rd demi-brigade
Demi-brigade
Not to be confused with 13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign LegionThe Demi-brigade was a military formation first used by the French Army during the French Revolutionary Wars. The Demi-brigade amalgamated the various infantry organizations of the French Revolutionary infantry into a single unit...
, and commanded by Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski sent to Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
to put down the Haitian Revolution
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic...
. Eventually combat casualties and tropical diseases (like the yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
) reduced the 5,280 strong Legion to a few hundred survivors in the space of less than two years. By the time French forces retreated from the island in 1803 about 4,000 Poles were dead (either from disease or combat), few hundreds chose to switch sides and remain on the island.