Jan Konopka was a lieutenant in the Kościuszko Uprising

Kosciuszko Uprising

The Kościuszko Uprising was an uprising against Imperial Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in Poland, Belarus and Lithuania in 1794...

, captain of the Polish Legions in Italy, regiment commander in the Legion of the Vistula

Legion of the Vistula

The Legion of the Vistula was a unit of Poles in the service of Napoleonic France, one of the larger Polish Legions of Napoleonic Period.-Creation of the Legion:...

, as well as general of the French Army and the Duchy of Warsaw

Duchy of Warsaw

The Duchy of Warsaw was a Polish state established by Napoleon I in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit. The duchy was held in personal union by one of Napoleon's allies, King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony...

. Konopka has been described as "a brave man with cold mind in combat."

Biography

Konopka was the son of Anna, a distant relative of the Princes of Conde, and Franciszek Konopka, a major in Lithuanian army of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth. From 1792 he was a Second Lieutenant

Second Lieutenant

Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...

 in the Ukrainska Brygada Kawalerii Narodowej (National Ukrainian Cavalry Brigade) and took part in the Polish–Russian War of 1792 (in Poland known as War in Defence of the Constitution). He fought in the Battle of Zieleńce

Battle of Zielence

The Battle of Zieleńce was a battle in the Polish–Russian War of 1792, in defence of the Polish Constitution of 3 May 1791. The battle took place on 18 June 1792, between the Polish army of Józef Poniatowski and a Russian army group under the command of General Morkov, which was a part of...

 and was decorated. During the Kościuszko Uprising

Kosciuszko Uprising

The Kościuszko Uprising was an uprising against Imperial Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in Poland, Belarus and Lithuania in 1794...

 he fought as a lieutenant at Battle of Maciejowice

Battle of Maciejowice

The Battle of Maciejowice was fought on October 10, 1794, between Poland and the Russian Empire.The Poles were led by Tadeusz Kościuszko. Kościuszko with 6,200 men planned to prevent the linking of two larger Russian armies, 12,000 under Iwan Fersen and 12,500 under Alexander Suvorov...

, was wounded, and decorated again. After the failure of the insurrection he emigrated to France and volunteered for the French army

French Revolutionary Army

The French Revolutionary Army is the term used to refer to the military of France during the period between the fall of the ancien regime under Louis XVI in 1792 and the formation of the First French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804. These armies were characterised by their revolutionary...

.

In 1797 Konopka joined the Polish Legions in Italy with a rank of captain and took part in all of the Legion's campaigns. After the dissolution of the Legion, he returned to service in France as a Major. He was soon made a regiment commander in the Legion of the Vistula

Legion of the Vistula

The Legion of the Vistula was a unit of Poles in the service of Napoleonic France, one of the larger Polish Legions of Napoleonic Period.-Creation of the Legion:...

. He fought in the War of the Fourth Coalition

War of the Fourth Coalition

The Fourth Coalition against Napoleon's French Empire was defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. Coalition partners included Prussia, Russia, Saxony, Sweden, and the United Kingdom....

 and for his part in the Battle of Friedland

Battle of Friedland

The Battle of Friedland saw Napoleon I's French army decisively defeat Count von Bennigsen's Russian army about twenty-seven miles southeast of Königsberg...

 was decorated with the Légion d'honneur

Légion d'honneur

The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...

. Subsequently he fought as part of Napoleon's forces in the Peninsular War

Peninsular War

The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...

 where he experienced further successes (for example, at the Battle of Ciudad-Real

Battle of Ciudad-Real

The Battle of Ciudad-Real was fought on March 27, 1809, and resulted in a French victory under General Sebastiani against the Spanish under General Conde de Cartojal....

) as well as failures (at the Battle of Yevenes

Battle of Yevenes

The Battle of Yevenes was the clash of the Regiment of Polish Lancers of the Legion of the Vistula with regiments of Spanish cavalry, near the Spanish village of Los Yébenes...

). In 1811 he was made a general of the French army after the Battle of Albuera

Battle of Albuera

The Battle of Albuera was an indecisive battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French Armée du Midi at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about 20 kilometres south of the frontier fortress-town of Badajoz, Spain.From...

 and later of, Duchy of Warsaw

Duchy of Warsaw

The Duchy of Warsaw was a Polish state established by Napoleon I in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit. The duchy was held in personal union by one of Napoleon's allies, King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony...

, and a Baron of the French Empire

First French Empire

The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...

.

During Napoleon's invasion of Russia

French invasion of Russia

The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...

 in 1812 he was made the commander of the 3rd Regiment of Lithuanian Guards. Due to an absent minded mistake he allowed himself to be surprised and attacked by General Eufemiusz Czaplic. Some sources report that he quartered in Slonim too long, hoping to train newly recruited volunteers and throwing banquets, while others state that he decided to attack a numerically superior force. Most of his unit was captured, the rest scattered (only the Lipka Tatar units that were out on patrol escaped) and he himself was wounded and taken prisoner. Konopka was interned in Cherson. After being released from prison in 1814 he was offered the command of the 1st Cavalry Brigade of Congress Poland

Congress Poland

The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...

but he declined. Exhausted by wounds, prison, and fatigue he died the same year in Warsaw.