Dominik Dziewanowski ( Płonne, 1759–1827, Płonne) was a Polish military officer, a general in 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 ...

."Dziewanowski, Dominik (1759–1827)", ''Generałowie Księstwa Warszawskiego'' (Generals of the Duchy of Warsaw)
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Life

Family

Dominik Dziewanowski was a Polish nobleman who came from a

Mazowsze Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centurie ...

szlachta The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the ...

family of the

Jastrzębiec coat of arms Jastrzębiec () is one of the most ancient Polish coat of arms. Dating back to the 10th century, it has been used by Poland's oldest szlachta families — Poland's Immemorial nobility — and remains in use today. History Legend of the coat of ...

. His father was the

Castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

Chełmno Chełmno (; older en, Culm; formerly ) is a town in northern Poland near the Vistula river with 18,915 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the seat of the Chełmno County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Due to its regional importan ...

, Juliusz Dziewanowski, and his mother was Ludwika, ''née'' Pawłowska.

Friendship with Fredrick Chopin

Dominik Dziewanowski's family was closely befriended with

Fryderyk Chopin The Fryderyk is the annual award in Polish music. Its name refers to the original Polish spelling variant of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin's first name. Its status in the Polish public can be compared to the American Grammy and the UK's BRI ...

's since the years that Fryderyk's father, Mikołaj Chopin, worked as a tutor to the Dziewanowski family's children. Dominik Dziewanowski's father became godfather to Ludwika Chopin, Fryderyk's sister. Dominik become one of young Fryderyk Chopin's closest childhood friends, in a Warsaw boarding school and in the summer vacations of 1825 and 1826, which Fryderyk spent on the Dziewanowski estate, Szafarnia. It was around Dominik Dziewanowski's family estate that Chopin's music was influenced by folk music of the countryside.

Military career

Dominik Dziewanowski served in the Prussian Army, then in the Polish Army, where he was adjutant to Prince

Stanisław Poniatowski Stanisław Poniatowski was the name of several Polish nobles: * Stanisław Poniatowski (1676–1762), castellan of Kraków * Stanisław August Poniatowski (1732–1798), last King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania * Stanisław Poniatowski (1754 ...

. In the 1794

Kościuszko Uprising The Kościuszko Uprising, also known as the Polish Uprising of 1794 and the Second Polish War, was an uprising against the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Pr ...

, he fought at

Rypin Rypin (german: Rippin) is a town in north-central Poland, in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, about 50 km east of Toruń. It is the capital of Rypin County. Population is 16,950 (2009). History Rypin was founded in the Middle Ages, and ...

and

Łabiszyn Łabiszyn (german: Labischin, 1940-45: Lüderitz) is a small town in Żnin County, in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland, with 4,403 inhabitants (2004). It is located on the Noteć river near Żnin, on the border between the historic r ...

. After the suppression of the

, he settled on his country estate but nevertheless maintained contact with the Polish Legions and supported them financially. In 1806, he formed the 6th Lancers Regiment and joined the

. At the head of his regiment he fought in

Napoleonic campaigns The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

: in 1807, in

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

, at

Tczew Tczew (, csb, Dërszewò; formerly ) is a city on the Vistula River in Pomerelia, Eastern Pomerania, Kociewie, northern Poland with 59,111 inhabitants (December 2021). The city is known for its Old Town and the Vistula Bridge, or Bridge of Tczew ...

and

Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...

, and in 1809 at

Sandomierz Sandomierz (pronounced: ; la, Sandomiria) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (as of 2017), situated on the Vistula River in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy Cross Provi ...

. During the second campaign, he also took

Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of t ...

and took part in the capture of

Zamość Zamość (; yi, זאמאשטש, Zamoshtsh; la, Zamoscia) is a historical city in southeastern Poland. It is situated in the southern part of Lublin Voivodeship, about from Lublin, from Warsaw. In 2021, the population of Zamość was 62,021. ...

. In 1810, he was promoted

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and appointed military commandant of the

Łomża Department Łomża Department (Polish: ''Departament Łomzyński'') was an administrative division and local government in the Polish Duchy of Warsaw in the years 1807–15. The department comprised 10 counties and had its capital at Łomża. From January ...

. He did not assume the

post, as he went on sick leave, which he spent in

Teplitz Teplice () (until 1948 Teplice-Šanov; german: Teplitz-Schönau or ''Teplitz'') is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest Czech spa town, after Karlovy Vary. The hist ...

and Karlsbad. In 1810–12, he was military commandant of the

Lublin Department The Lublin Department (Polish: ''Departament Lubelski'') was a unit of administrative division and local government in Polish Duchy of Warsaw in years 1810–1815. Its capital was Lublin. The division contained 10 counties. In 1815 it was tra ...

; and in 1812, of the

Radom Department Radom Department (Polish: ''Departament radomski'') was a unit of administrative division and local government in Polish Duchy of Warsaw in years 1809–1815. Its capital city was Radom, and it was further divided onto 10 powiats. In 1815 it was ...

. In

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

's 1812

Russian Campaign The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...

, he commanded the 28th Light Cavalry Brigade of the 4th Cavalry Division (4th Cavalry Reserve Corps) and fought at Mir and Romanov. During the defense of

Barysaw Barysaw ( be, Барысаў, ) or Borisov (russian: Борисов, ) is a city in Belarus near the Berezina River in the Minsk Region 74 km north-east from Minsk. Its population is around 145,000. History Barysaw is first mentioned in t ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

he was seriously wounded and was taken prisoner by the Russians. In 1814, he settled back in his rural estate, where he spent the rest of his life. Military historian writes of Dziewanowski:

Distinctions

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King Stan ...

, 1808 *

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

, 1809

Writings

Dziewanowski translated a number of French military writings into

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

, wrote an interesting memoir, and left a manuscript work on the

Polish cavalry The Polish cavalry ( pl, jazda, kawaleria, konnica) can trace its origins back to the days of medieval cavalry knights. Poland is mostly a country of flatlands and fields and mounted forces operate well in this environment. The knights and heav ...