Joanna Zubr
Encyclopedia
Joanna Żubr was a Polish
soldier of the Napoleonic Wars
, veteran of the Polish-Austrian War
and the first woman to receive the Virtuti Militari
, the highest Polish military order.
After the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars and creation of the Duchy of Warsaw
, in 1808, Joanna Żubr with her husband Michał Żubr defected from Austria
n-ruled Volhynia
. Both joined the army, with Joanna initially serving as a camp-follower. However, soon she joined the 2nd Infantry Regiment (4th company, 2nd battalion) as a private, hiding that she was a woman from both her superiors and fellow soldiers. In 1809 she took part in the Galician Campaign and distinguished herself in the Battle of Zamość of May 19 of that year. For her bravery she was awarded with the Virtuti Militari
medal by Prince Józef Poniatowski. She was the first female soldier to be awarded with this prestigious decoration and one of the first women in the world to receive a military award for bravery in battle.
After the campaign she joined the 17th Infantry Regiment in the Dąbrowski's Division under Jan Henryk Dąbrowski
. Her husband was an ensign in the same unit and Joanna Żubr was promoted to sergeant, as the first woman in the Polish Army. Their unit, renamed to Greater Polish Division, took part in the Napoleon's invasion of Russia and the campaign in Belarus
.
During the fights and Napoleon's retreat, she got separated from her division, but she managed to escape from Russia on her own. In the summer of 1813, weeks after Prince Józef Poniatowski's forces had abandoned Kraków
, she reached the Polish units in Saxony
and served with distinction until the Treaty of Fontainebleau
and the end of the war.
Together with her husband, she returned to Poland. Since she could return to neither Austrian-occupied nor Russian-held parts of Poland, they settled in Wieluń
. She died there in 1852 during a cholera
epidemic, at the age of approximately 80.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
soldier of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, veteran of the Polish-Austrian War
Polish-Austrian War
Polish–Austrian War or Austro-Polish War was a part of the War of the Fifth Coalition in 1809...
and the first woman to receive the Virtuti Militari
Virtuti Militari
The Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
, the highest Polish military order.
After the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars and creation of 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...
, in 1808, Joanna Żubr with her husband Michał Żubr defected from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n-ruled Volhynia
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
. Both joined the army, with Joanna initially serving as a camp-follower. However, soon she joined the 2nd Infantry Regiment (4th company, 2nd battalion) as a private, hiding that she was a woman from both her superiors and fellow soldiers. In 1809 she took part in the Galician Campaign and distinguished herself in the Battle of Zamość of May 19 of that year. For her bravery she was awarded with the Virtuti Militari
Virtuti Militari
The Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
medal by Prince Józef Poniatowski. She was the first female soldier to be awarded with this prestigious decoration and one of the first women in the world to receive a military award for bravery in battle.
After the campaign she joined the 17th Infantry Regiment in the Dąbrowski's Division under Jan Henryk Dąbrowski
Jan Henryk Dabrowski
-Biography:Dąbrowski was born to Jan Michal Dąbrowski and Sophie née von Lettow in Pierzchów, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth He grew up in Hoyerswerda, Electorate of Saxony, where his father served as a Colonel in the Saxon army...
. Her husband was an ensign in the same unit and Joanna Żubr was promoted to sergeant, as the first woman in the Polish Army. Their unit, renamed to Greater Polish Division, took part in the Napoleon's invasion of Russia and the campaign in Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
.
During the fights and Napoleon's retreat, she got separated from her division, but she managed to escape from Russia on her own. In the summer of 1813, weeks after Prince Józef Poniatowski's forces had abandoned Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, she reached the Polish units in Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
and served with distinction until the Treaty of Fontainebleau
Treaty of Fontainebleau (1814)
The Treaty of Fontainebleau was an agreement established in Fontainebleau on 11 April 1814 between Napoleon Bonaparte and representatives from Austria, Hungary and Bohemia , as well as Russia and Prussia. The treaty was signed at Paris on 11 April by the plenipotentiaries of both sides, and...
and the end of the war.
Together with her husband, she returned to Poland. Since she could return to neither Austrian-occupied nor Russian-held parts of Poland, they settled in Wieluń
Wielun
Wieluń is a city in central Poland with 24,347 inhabitants . Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , it was previously in Sieradz Voivodeship .- History :...
. She died there in 1852 during a cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic, at the age of approximately 80.
Sources
- Encyklopedia Wojen Napoleońskich - R. Bielecki ("Encyclopedia of the Napoleonic Wars" in Polish)
- List of recipients of the Order Virtuti Militari