Tomasz Łubieński
Encyclopedia
Tomasz Łubieński, comte de Pomian (24 December 1784, Szczytniki
near Kalisz
- 27 August 1870, Warsaw
) was a brigadier general in the Polish army, senator, landowner in Kalisz and businessman. Hoping to liberate Poland, he fought on the French side in the Napoleonic Wars
, fighting at Essling, , , , , and , for which Napoleon made him a baron de l'Empire. He also later took part in the November Uprising
against Russia.
, and Tekla Teresa Łubieńska née Bielińskich, poet and author of historical plays - her main works were Wanda, królowa polska (1806), (Wanda, Queen of Poland), et Karol Wielki i Witykind (1807) (Charlemagne and Witykind). She also translated the works of Jean Racine
and Voltaire
into Polish. Tomasz was the second of their nine children - his elder sibling was Franciszka, with his younger siblings being Piotra, Jana, Henryka, Tadeusza, Józefa Marie, Paule, Różę.
Aged six, Tomasz entered the Academy of the Cadet Corps of His Majesty and of the Republic of Poland (the military cavalry school) - his first two years there were spent learning foreign languages, artillery science and fencing. He then gained his first rank as Chorazy (standard bearer). The next three years he completed his training in military construction, then undertook his last two years at the academy studying military engineering.
In 1801 he received further education at Vienna
before moving to Warsaw
to meet his uncle Antoni Protazy Potocki. There he also met count Wincenty Krasiński
(1782–1858), a Polish nobleman and political activist who set up a 'society of friends of the fatherland' but who later refused to join the revolt. On 12 December 1805 Tomasz married Konstancją Ossolińską (1783–1868), who brought a major dowry in the form of houses and lands near the town of Chełm. They had one son, who they named Napoleon Leon Łubieński.
, where Napoleon was met by a guard of honour made up of major Polish statesmen. Hoping to liberate Poland from Russia, Łubieński and many other Polish officers fought on the French side. In 1807 the army of the Duchy of Warsaw was made up of 31,713 infantrymen, 6,035 cavalrymen and 95 cannon. At the same time the Polish 1st Light Cavalry Regiment of the Imperial Guard
formed in the camp at Mir
. Its colonel was Wincenty Krasinski
and its four squadrons were commanded by Łubieński, Jan Kuzietulski, Ignace Stolowski and Henri Kamienski.
After Łubieński was granted the Légion d’honneur and in 1808 he fought at , supporting the final phase of the assault. He and his regiment fought in the Peninsular War
before he returned to Paris in January 1809. On 5 April 1809 he received the cross of a Grand Officer of the Légion d’honneur. In the 1809 campaign he fought at on 22 May and (6 July) and to reward his courage Napoleon made him a baron d'empire with a pension of 4,000 francs, later increased to 6,000 francs. In 1810, after retiring a few months ago to Warsaw, he received the Virtuti Militari
order. Disagreeing with the regiment's commander Krasinski, Łubieński was dismissed. At the start of 1811 he was sent to Segan
with the Legion of the Vistula
(Legia Nadwislanska), one of the largest Polish foreign legions of the Napoleonic era, which was renamed the 8th Uhlan
Regiment (8éme régiment de Uhlans). In March 1812 Łubieński led his regiment to Berlin
, Grudziadz
, Wystruć
, and Vilnius
to fight in various Polish campaigns.
Remaining in reserve with the regiment commanded by marshal Nicolas Charles Oudinot, Łubieński and his regiment suffered heavy losses safeguarding the crossing of the Berezina
by the French army. At the end of 1812, Łubieński returned to Warsaw to rest and in 1813 fought at , , and . In January 1814 he was dismissed, becoming commander in chief of the Polish army. In that post Napoleon put him in charge of regulating salaries and subsidies to Polish fighters. He received the Order of Saint Stanislas 2nd class. As he could not agree with Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia
he was dismissed from the role of commander in chief in 1816.
Łubieński and his brothers set up the Łubieński Brothers business, building its first factory in Warsaw in 1827 in the Guzowska Ruda region (now Żyrardów
, Masovian Voivodeship
), which would become the first industrial factory in a rural area. Between 1825 and 1828 he was a justice of the piece for the chełmskiego district and between 1820 and 1825 a senator in parliament.
against the Russian occupiers. On 10 February 1831 Łubieński was made commander of the 2nd Cavalry Corps, made up of 33 battalions and 16 cannon. After the First Battle of Wawer
, he and his corps did not give battle despite receiving orders do to so, due to what he felt was the overwhelming numerical superiority of the Russian forces. Józef Chłopicki and Ignacy Prądzyński
accused him of treason and ruining the last chance at victory by refusing to obey an order to attack with his cavalry at . Historians have justified his disobedience as a good decision that there was no way sacrificing his cavalry could have changed the course of the battle.
On 1 June Łubieński was promoted to lieutant general and chief of staff. This position involving organising and supplying the main Polish towns and cities. On 19 August he put up major resistance to the Russian advance on Warsaw under Ivan Paskevich
, successor to marshal Diebitch, field marshal of the Russian army and lieutenant of the kingdom of Poland, who had died of cholera. At Warsaw, Łubieński was put in charge of resupplying the city but never hid the Russians' numerical superiority. The members of the city's Patriotic Association and other political opponents of Łubieński fiercely criticised him and his actions, accusing him of sabotaging the uprising.
Łubieński was diplomatic to his opponents, though on 28 September he got general Maciej Rybiński
dismissed on accusations of entering negotiations with Paskevich for a Polish surrender. Three days later Łubieński returned to find Warsaw occupied by the Russians and he and the other Polish generals condemned to exile in Russia. Due to his past exploits and thanks to his foresight as to the Polish political situation, he won an audience with Nicholas I of Russia
on 24 November 1831 in Moscow. He then collaborated as a deputy in Saint Petersburg
from 1832 to 1834 and looked after the interests of the Łubieńscy Brothers business in the chamber of commerce, mainly working to regain lands and goods confiscated by Polish insurgents.
.
Szczytniki, Kalisz County
Szczytniki is a village in Kalisz County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Szczytniki. It lies approximately south-east of Kalisz and south-east of the regional capital Poznań.-References:...
near Kalisz
Kalisz
Kalisz is a city in central Poland with 106,857 inhabitants , the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce...
- 27 August 1870, Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
) was a brigadier general in the Polish army, senator, landowner in Kalisz and businessman. Hoping to liberate Poland, he fought on the French side in 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...
, fighting at Essling, , , , , and , for which Napoleon made him a baron de l'Empire. He also later took part in the November Uprising
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
against Russia.
Early life
From an old Polish noble family, Tomasz's parents were Feliks Łubieński, count of Pomian and minister of justice in the Duchy of WarsawDuchy 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 Tekla Teresa Łubieńska née Bielińskich, poet and author of historical plays - her main works were Wanda, królowa polska (1806), (Wanda, Queen of Poland), et Karol Wielki i Witykind (1807) (Charlemagne and Witykind). She also translated the works of Jean Racine
Jean Racine
Jean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
and Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
into Polish. Tomasz was the second of their nine children - his elder sibling was Franciszka, with his younger siblings being Piotra, Jana, Henryka, Tadeusza, Józefa Marie, Paule, Różę.
Aged six, Tomasz entered the Academy of the Cadet Corps of His Majesty and of the Republic of Poland (the military cavalry school) - his first two years there were spent learning foreign languages, artillery science and fencing. He then gained his first rank as Chorazy (standard bearer). The next three years he completed his training in military construction, then undertook his last two years at the academy studying military engineering.
In 1801 he received further education at Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
before moving to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
to meet his uncle Antoni Protazy Potocki. There he also met count Wincenty Krasiński
Wincenty Krasinski
Count Wincenty Krasiński was a Polish nobleman , political activist and military leader.He was the father of Zygmunt Krasiński, one of Poland's Three Bards—Poland's greatest romantic poets.-Life:...
(1782–1858), a Polish nobleman and political activist who set up a 'society of friends of the fatherland' but who later refused to join the revolt. On 12 December 1805 Tomasz married Konstancją Ossolińską (1783–1868), who brought a major dowry in the form of houses and lands near the town of Chełm. They had one son, who they named Napoleon Leon Łubieński.
1806-1825
In 1806 the French entered WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, where Napoleon was met by a guard of honour made up of major Polish statesmen. Hoping to liberate Poland from Russia, Łubieński and many other Polish officers fought on the French side. In 1807 the army of the Duchy of Warsaw was made up of 31,713 infantrymen, 6,035 cavalrymen and 95 cannon. At the same time the Polish 1st Light Cavalry Regiment of the Imperial Guard
Polish 1st Light Cavalry Regiment of the Imperial Guard
The [Polish] 1st Light Cavalry Lancer Regiment of the Imperial Guard was a formation of Polish light cavalry that served Emperor Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars.The Regiment, as part of Napoleon's Imperial Guard, fought in many battles,...
formed in the camp at Mir
Mir
Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the...
. Its colonel was Wincenty Krasinski
Wincenty Krasinski
Count Wincenty Krasiński was a Polish nobleman , political activist and military leader.He was the father of Zygmunt Krasiński, one of Poland's Three Bards—Poland's greatest romantic poets.-Life:...
and its four squadrons were commanded by Łubieński, Jan Kuzietulski, Ignace Stolowski and Henri Kamienski.
After Łubieński was granted the Légion d’honneur and in 1808 he fought at , supporting the final phase of the assault. He and his regiment fought 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...
before he returned to Paris in January 1809. On 5 April 1809 he received the cross of a Grand Officer of the Légion d’honneur. In the 1809 campaign he fought at on 22 May and (6 July) and to reward his courage Napoleon made him a baron d'empire with a pension of 4,000 francs, later increased to 6,000 francs. In 1810, after retiring a few months ago to Warsaw, he received 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...
order. Disagreeing with the regiment's commander Krasinski, Łubieński was dismissed. At the start of 1811 he was sent to Segan
Segan
The Aramaic term segan or segan hakohanim in the Talmud is the title for a Jewish Priest of the Temple in Jerusalem.-Hebrew Bible:...
with 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:...
(Legia Nadwislanska), one of the largest Polish foreign legions of the Napoleonic era, which was renamed the 8th Uhlan
Uhlan
Uhlans were Polish light cavalry armed with lances, sabres and pistols. The title was later used by lancer regiments in the Russian, Prussian, and Austrian armies....
Regiment (8éme régiment de Uhlans). In March 1812 Łubieński led his regiment to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Grudziadz
Grudziadz
Grudziądz is a city in northern Poland on the Vistula River, with 96 042 inhabitants . Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship , the city was previously in the Toruń Voivodeship .- History :-Early history:...
, Wystruć
Chernyakhovsk
Chernyakhovsk is a town and the administrative center of Chernyakhovsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Instruch and the Angrapa Rivers, forming the Pregolya...
, and Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
to fight in various Polish campaigns.
Remaining in reserve with the regiment commanded by marshal Nicolas Charles Oudinot, Łubieński and his regiment suffered heavy losses safeguarding the crossing of the Berezina
Battle of Berezina
The Battle of Berezina took place November 26–29, 1812 between the French army of Napoleon, retreating after his invasion of Russia and crossing the Berezina , and the Russian armies under Mikhail Kutuzov, Peter Wittgenstein and Admiral Pavel Chichagov. The battle ended with a mixed outcome...
by the French army. At the end of 1812, Łubieński returned to Warsaw to rest and in 1813 fought at , , and . In January 1814 he was dismissed, becoming commander in chief of the Polish army. In that post Napoleon put him in charge of regulating salaries and subsidies to Polish fighters. He received the Order of Saint Stanislas 2nd class. As he could not agree with Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia
Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia
Constantine Pavlovich was a grand duke of Russia and the second son of Emperor Paul I. He was the Tsesarevich of Russia throughout the reign of his elder brother Alexander I, but had secretly renounced his claim to the throne in 1823...
he was dismissed from the role of commander in chief in 1816.
Łubieński and his brothers set up the Łubieński Brothers business, building its first factory in Warsaw in 1827 in the Guzowska Ruda region (now Żyrardów
Zyrardów
Żyrardów is a town in central Poland with 41,400 inhabitants . It is situated in the Masovian Voivodship ; previously, it was in Skierniewice Voivodship 45 km West of Warsaw. It is the capital of Żyrardów County...
, Masovian Voivodeship
Masovian Voivodeship
-Administrative division:Masovian Voivodeship is divided into 42 counties : 5 city counties and 37 "land counties"...
), which would become the first industrial factory in a rural area. Between 1825 and 1828 he was a justice of the piece for the chełmskiego district and between 1820 and 1825 a senator in parliament.
November Uprising
On 29 November 1830 the Poles began the November UprisingNovember Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
against the Russian occupiers. On 10 February 1831 Łubieński was made commander of the 2nd Cavalry Corps, made up of 33 battalions and 16 cannon. After the First Battle of Wawer
First Battle of Wawer
The First Battle of Wawer was fought on February 19 and 20, 1831, between Poland and Russia. Polish forces, led by Jan Skrzynecki, defeated Russian 1st Corps, commanded by Hans Karl von Diebitsch. After the battle, Polish commanders did not receive any reinforcements, so the victory was not decisive....
, he and his corps did not give battle despite receiving orders do to so, due to what he felt was the overwhelming numerical superiority of the Russian forces. Józef Chłopicki and Ignacy Prądzyński
Ignacy Pradzynski
Ignacy Prądzyński was a Polish military commander and a general of the Polish Army. A veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, he was one of the most successful Polish commanders of the November Uprising against Russia....
accused him of treason and ruining the last chance at victory by refusing to obey an order to attack with his cavalry at . Historians have justified his disobedience as a good decision that there was no way sacrificing his cavalry could have changed the course of the battle.
On 1 June Łubieński was promoted to lieutant general and chief of staff. This position involving organising and supplying the main Polish towns and cities. On 19 August he put up major resistance to the Russian advance on Warsaw under Ivan Paskevich
Ivan Paskevich
Ivan Fyodorovich Paskevich was a Ukrainian-born military leader. For his victories, he was made Count of Erivan in 1828 and Namestnik of the Kingdom of Poland in 1831...
, successor to marshal Diebitch, field marshal of the Russian army and lieutenant of the kingdom of Poland, who had died of cholera. At Warsaw, Łubieński was put in charge of resupplying the city but never hid the Russians' numerical superiority. The members of the city's Patriotic Association and other political opponents of Łubieński fiercely criticised him and his actions, accusing him of sabotaging the uprising.
Łubieński was diplomatic to his opponents, though on 28 September he got general Maciej Rybiński
Maciej Rybinski
Maciej Rybiński , Polish general, last chief of State of November Uprising....
dismissed on accusations of entering negotiations with Paskevich for a Polish surrender. Three days later Łubieński returned to find Warsaw occupied by the Russians and he and the other Polish generals condemned to exile in Russia. Due to his past exploits and thanks to his foresight as to the Polish political situation, he won an audience with Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
on 24 November 1831 in Moscow. He then collaborated as a deputy in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
from 1832 to 1834 and looked after the interests of the Łubieńscy Brothers business in the chamber of commerce, mainly working to regain lands and goods confiscated by Polish insurgents.
Businessman
In 1839 he travelled to London to win financial aid for his metallurgical business. In 1840 and 1841 he was director of works on the project to build a route from Warsaw to Vienna, commissioned by the Polish railways. He retired from active life to Warsaw after difficulties with his brother Henryk Łubieński, accused of bank fraud and condemned to 4 years in prison. To save his brother and the family honour, Tomasz covered Henryk's debts to financiers. Tomasz spent his retirement in Warsaw, becoming president of "Resursa Kupieckiej", a member of the Chamber of Agriculture and a Catholic-conservative senator for Stary SączStary Sacz
Stary Sącz - is a town in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, seat of the municipality Stary Sącz. It's a one of the oldest towns in Poland, founded in 13th century.- Geography :...
.
Honours and decorations
- Virtuti MilitariVirtuti MilitariThe Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
(1810) - Order of Saint StanislausOrder of Saint StanislausThe Order of Saint Stanislaus , also spelled Stanislas, was an Order in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and The Kingdom of Poland between 1765 and 1831 and of Russian Empire from 1831 to 1917.-History of the Order of Saint Stanislaus:Stanisław August Poniatowski, King of Poland, established the...
2nd class (1814) - Commander of the Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe 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...
(1858) - Médaille de Sainte-HélèneMédaille de Sainte-HélèneThe Médaille de Sainte-Hélène was the first French commemorative medal, established by Napoleon III in order to commemorate the campaigns of the soldiers under Napoleon I....
(1858)