Army of the Congress Poland refers to the military forces of the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to: Historical political entities *Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031 *Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exist ...

that existed in the period 1815–1831.

History

The army was formed even before the Congress Poland, in 1814, and was based on the

Army of the Duchy of Warsaw Army of the Duchy of Warsaw (Polish: ''Armia Księstwa Warszawskiego'') refers to the military forces of the Duchy of Warsaw. The Army was significantly based on the Polish Legions; it numbered about 30,000 and was expanded during wartime to alm ...

. Its creation was confirmed by the Constitution of the Congress Kingdom. It took part in the

November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or 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 W ...

against the Russians. The uprising begun when a group of young officers tried, unsuccessfully, to assassinate Grand Duke Constantine. The defeat of the uprising in 1831 marked the end of the existence of a regular Polish army for almost a century. It was abolished with the new constitution of 1832, the

Organic Statute of the Kingdom of Poland The Organic Statute of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Statut Organiczny dla Królestwa Polskiego) was a statute which replaced the Constitution of 1815 in the aftermath of the failed November Uprising in the Russian Partition of Poland. The Statute ...

, which incorporated the army into the

Russian Army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �В Sukhoputnyye voyska V, also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Gro ...

Culture and training

The Army retained Polish uniforms. It was reorganized into a Russian army model, with infantry and cavalry divisions, artillery brigades and batteries, and an engineering corps. A regiment of grenadiers and cavalry rifleman were also formed. Obligatory military service was set at 10 years, with the option of buying one's time out. The Army was well trained, with a new

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

school in

Kalisz (The oldest city of Poland) , image_skyline = , image_caption = ''Top:'' Town Hall, Former "Calisia" Piano Factory''Middle:'' Courthouse, "Gołębnik" tenement''Bottom:'' Aerial view of the Kalisz Old Town , image_flag = POL Kalisz flag.svg ...

, a number of

podchorąży Podchorąży is a Polish military title for officer cadets of various ranks, not to be confused with chorąży. See also *Comparative military ranks This article is a list of various nations' armed forces ranking designations. Comparisons are ...

training schools, and a higher military school in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

. The cost of maintaining the army was close to 50% of the Kingdom's budget.

Composition and size

Notable Polish commanders of the Army included

Ignacy Prądzyński Ignacy Prądzyński (; 1792–1850) 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. Ignacy Prądz ...

and

Józef Bem Józef Zachariasz Bem ( hu, Bem József, tr, Murat Pasha; March 14, 1794 – December 10, 1850) was a Polish engineer and general, an Ottoman pasha and a national hero of Poland and Hungary, and a figure intertwined with other European patriot ...

, and General

Jan Henryk Dąbrowski Jan Henryk Dąbrowski (; also known as Johann Heinrich Dąbrowski (Dombrowski) in German and Jean Henri Dombrowski in French; 2 August 1755 – 6 June 1818) was a Polish general and statesman, widely respected after his death for his patri ...

. Its nominal commander-in-chief was the Russian

Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia Konstantin Pavlovich (russian: Константи́н Па́влович; ) was a grand duke of Russia and the second son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. He was the heir-presumptive for most of his elder brother Alexand ...

, although for most purposes the Army was commanded by a Military Council. The peacetime army was 28,000-30,000 strong (sources vary). During the November Uprising, it was expanded to 100,000. Of that, about 57,000 could be seen as a qualified, first-line troops. Before the Uprising, the Army was composed of two infantry divisions with three brigades each, two cavalry divisions with two brigades each, and two artillery brigades (one cavalry and one infantry). Each infantry brigade was about 3,600 strong, each cavalry brigade was about half that size.

History

Culture and training

Composition and size

See also

References

Further reading