Jan Konopka (1777 in Skołodycze near

Słonim Slonim ( be, Сло́нім, russian: Сло́ним, lt, Slanimas, lv, Sloņima, pl, Słonim, yi, סלאָנים, ''Slonim'') is a city in Grodno Region, Belarus, capital of the Slonimski rajon. It is located at the junction of the Ščar ...

– 12 December 1814 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 ...

) was a lieutenant in the

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 ...

, captain of the Polish Legions in Italy, regiment commander in the

Legion of the Vistula The Legion of the Vistula ( pl, Legia Nadwiślańska) was a unit of Poles in the service of Napoleonic France, one of the larger Polish legions of the Napoleonic period. Creation of the Legion The Legion was formed in Breslau, Neustadt, Brie ...

, as well as general of the French Army and 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 ...

. Konopka has been described as "a brave man with cold mind in combat."

Biography

Konopka was the son of Anna, a distant relative of the Princes of Conde, Miłosz Korczyk, "Jan Konopka (1775-1814)"

/ref> and Franciszek Konopka, a major in Lithuanian army of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...

.Dariusz Nawrot, "Litwa i Napoleon w 1812 roku" (Lithuania and Napoleon in the year 1812), Uniwersytet Slaski, 2008, pg. 30, 299, 62

/ref> From 1792 he was a

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the Ukrainska Brygada Kawalerii Narodowej (''National Ukrainian Cavalry Brigade'') and took part in the

Polish–Russian War of 1792 The Polish–Russian War of 1792 (also, War of the Second Partition, and in Polish sources, War in Defence of the Constitution ) was fought between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth on one side, and the Targowica Confederation (conservati ...

(in Poland known as ''War in Defence of the Constitution''). He fought in the

Battle of Zieleńce The Battle of Zieleńce was a battle in the Polish–Russian War of 1792, in defence of the Polish Constitution of 3 May 1791. The battle took place on 18 June 1792, between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Army of Józef Poniatowski and an I ...

and was decorated. During the

he fought as a lieutenant at

Battle of Maciejowice The Battle of Maciejowice was fought on 10 October 1794, between Poland and the Russian Empire. The Poles were led by Tadeusz Kościuszko. Kościuszko with 6,200 men, who planned to prevent the linking of three larger Russian corps, commanded b ...

, was wounded, and decorated again. After the failure of the insurrection he emigrated to France and volunteered for the

French army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

. In 1797 Konopka joined the Polish Legions in Italy with a rank of captain and took part in all of the Legion's campaigns. After the dissolution of the Legion, he returned to service in France as a Major. He was soon made a regiment commander in the

. He fought in the

War of the Fourth Coalition The Fourth Coalition fought against Napoleon's French Empire and were defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. The main coalition partners were Prussia and Russia with Saxony, Sweden, and Great Britain also contributing. Excluding Prussia, s ...

and for his part in the

Battle of Friedland The Battle of Friedland (14 June 1807) was a major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars between the armies of the French Empire commanded by Napoleon I and the armies of the Russian Empire led by Count von Bennigsen. Napoleon and the French obtai ...

was decorated with the

Légion d'honneur 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 ...

. Subsequently he fought as part of Napoleon's forces in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

where he experienced further successes (for example, at the

Battle of Ciudad-Real The Battle of Ciudad Real was fought on 27 March 1809 and resulted in a French victory under General Sebastiani against the Spanish under General Conde de Cartojal. Background The Spanish campaign in early 1809 started with the Battle of ...

) as well as failures (at the

Battle of Yevenes A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

). In 1811 he was made a general of the French army after the

Battle of Albuera The Battle of Albuera (16 May 1811) was a battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French Armée du Midi (Army of the South) at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about south ...

and later of,

, and a Baron of the

French Empire French Empire (french: Empire Français, link=no) may refer to: * First French Empire, ruled by Napoleon I from 1804 to 1814 and in 1815 and by Napoleon II in 1815, the French state from 1804 to 1814 and in 1815 * Second French Empire, led by Nap ...

. During Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812 he was made the commander of the 3rd Regiment of Lithuanian Guards. Due to an absent minded mistake he allowed himself to be surprised and attacked by General

Eufemiusz Czaplic Eufemiusz Czaplic () (1768–1825) was a Polish general and military commander in the service of the Russian Empire. Eufemiusz Czaplic was born into an old Polish noble family Czaplic (Kierdeja coat of arms) and began military service in the Poli ...

. Some sources report that he quartered in

Slonim Slonim ( be, Сло́нім, russian: Сло́ним, lt, Slanimas, lv, Sloņima, pl, Słonim, yi, סלאָנים, ''Slonim'') is a city in Grodno Region, Belarus, capital of the Slonimski rajon. It is located at the junction of the Ščar ...

too long, hoping to train newly recruited volunteers and throwing banquets, while others state that he decided to attack a numerically superior force.Marian Kukiel, Dzieje oręża polskiego w epoce napoleońskiej (History of Polish Forces in the Napoleonic Period), Poznań 1912/repr. 1998, p. 358, Most of his unit was captured, the rest scattered (only the

Lipka Tatar The Lipka Tatars (Lipka – refers to ''Lithuania'', also known as Lithuanian Tatars; later also – Polish Tatars, Polish-Lithuanian Tatars, ''Lipkowie'', ''Lipcani'', ''Muślimi'', ''Lietuvos totoriai'') are a Turkic ethnic group who origina ...

units that were out on patrol escaped) and he himself was wounded and taken prisoner. Konopka was interned in Cherson. After being released from prison in 1814 he was offered the command of the 1st Cavalry Brigade of

Congress Poland Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It w ...

but he declined. Exhausted by wounds, prison, and fatigue he died the same year in Warsaw.

References

"Polish Vistula Uhlans (Lancers)"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Konopka, Jan Kościuszko insurgents 1777 births 1814 deaths Polish commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Polish legionnaires (Napoleonic period) Polish military personnel killed in action Military personnel killed in the Napoleonic Wars