Ignacy Prądzyński (; 1792–1850) was a Polish

military commander The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitud ...

and a

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

of the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...

. A veteran of the

Napoleonic Wars 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 ...

, he was one of the most successful Polish commanders of the November Uprising against Russia. Ignacy Prądzyński was born on July 20, 1792 in the village of Sanniki in Greater Poland. In November 1807 he joined the army of the

Duchy of Warsaw The Duchy of Warsaw ( pl, Księstwo Warszawskie, french: Duché de Varsovie, german: Herzogtum Warschau), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during ...

and quickly advanced through its ranks. During the Napoleonic Wars he took part in the campaigns of 1809 (

Polish–Austrian War The Austro-Polish War or Polish-Austrian War was a part of the War of the Fifth Coalition in 1809 (a coalition of the Austrian Empire and the United Kingdom against Napoleon's French Empire and Bavaria). In this war, Polish forces of the N ...

) and the campaign against Russia between 1812 and 1814. For his bravery in the latter campaign he was awarded with the Golden Cross of the

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 St ...

and the French

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 ...

for his role in the Battle of Leipzig and the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

. After the Russian takeover of Poland he remained in Warsaw, though he did not join the army. In 1815 he founded a secret anti-Russian ''Association of True Poles'' and later collaborated with the Patriotic Society. Arrested by the Russian police in 1826, he spent 3 years in prisons. Upon his release, he started working as an engineer. Among the most notable of his projects was the

Augustów Canal be, Аўгустоўскі канал , image = Bulwar w Augustowie.JPG , image_caption = Augustów Canal in Augustów , original_owner = , engineer = Ignacy Prądzyński , other_engineer = Jan Chrzciciel de Grandvil ...

, linking

Vistula The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...

with the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

through the basin of the Neman River. After the outbreak of the November Uprising he again joined the Polish Army. Initially an advisor to Gen.

Michał Gedeon Radziwiłł Prince Michał Gedeon Hieronim Radziwiłł (24 September 1778 – 24 May 1850) was a Polish–Lithuanian szlachcic, senator, owner of the Nieborów and others properties. Related to Radziwiłł family from Nieśwież (Dominik Hieronim Radziwi� ...

, he also served as a General Quartermaster, Chief of Engineering Corps and de facto chief of staff of the army. After the

Battle of Iganie The Battle of Iganie was fought on 10 April 1831 between Russian and Polish forces. It was one of the last major battles of the November Uprising and the last major offensive for the Poles. Background Following the battle of Grochów of 25 ...

, in which he achieved a brilliant victory, he was nominated by the government for the post of the commander in chief of the uprising, Prądzyński was forced to resign by

Jan Krukowiecki Count Jan Stefan Krukowiecki (; 1772–1850) was a Polish general and chairman of the Polish National Government (prezes Rządu Narodowego) during the November Uprising and general during Napoleonic Wars fighting in the troops of Napoleon. ...

and

Henryk Dembiński Henryk Dembiński ( hu, Dembinszky Henrik; 16 January 1791 – 13 July 1864) was a Polish engineer, traveler and general. Dembiński was born in Strzałków, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 1809 he entered the Polish army of the Duchy of Wars ...

. Instead, on August 19, 1831 he was promoted to the rank of

General of Division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army co ...

. In September he prepared the plans for the defense of Warsaw. However, the commanders of the Uprising lacked will to continue the fight and his plans were not accepted. Appointed to the Polish commission negotiating the capitulation, Prądzyński suffered from a nervous breakdown and surrendered to the Russians. Forcibly resettled to Viatka, in 1833 he was allowed to return to Poland, where he continued his work as a theoretician of military strategy and tactics. Author of roughly 60 works on theory of warfare, he was one of the most notable Polish military writers of the 19th century. Suffering from serious illnesses, in 1850 he moved to the island of

Helgoland Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possessions ...

, where he drowned on August 4, 1850, probably committing suicide.

Honours and awards

* Gold Cross of the

* Knight of the

Order of St. Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holst ...

, 2nd class with diamonds

External links

Detailed biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pradzynski, Ignacy 1792 births 1850 deaths People from Poznań County Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Gold Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class Polish military writers Polish commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Generals of the November Uprising Polish exiles in the Russian Empire