Baron Jan Leon Hipolit Kozietulski (4 July 1781 – 3 February 1821) was a Polish

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Great B ...

, military commander and an officer of the armed forces of the Duchy of Warsaw during 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 is best remembered as the heroic commander of the Polish cavalry charge at the Battle of Somosierra.

Biography

Jan Leon Hipolit Kozietulski was born 4 July 1781 in

Skierniewice Skierniewice is a city in central Poland with 47,031 inhabitants (2021), situated in the Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999), previously capital of Skierniewice Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Skierniewice County. The town is situate ...

in 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 ...

. A friend of

Wincenty Krasiński Count Wincenty Krasiński (5 April 1782 – 24 November 1858) was a Polish nobleman ( szlachcic), political activist and military leader. He was the father of Zygmunt Krasiński, one of Poland's Three Bards—Poland's greatest romantic poets. ...

, Kozietulski joined the Warsaw Honour Guard, with which he took part in the Battle of Pułtusk and the Battle of Preussisch Eylau. A distinguished cavalryman, in April 1807 he became the commanding officer of the 3rd Squadron of the

Polish 1st Light Cavalry Regiment of the Imperial Guard The 1st Polish Light Cavalry Lancers Regiment of the Imperial Guard ( ''/'' ) was a foreign Polish light cavalry lancers regiment which served as part of Napoleon's Imperial Guard during the Napoleonic Wars. The regiment, as part of Napoleon's ...

, commanded by Krasiński. In March 1808 Kozietulski reached Spain with his unit, where he took part 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 ...

. During the Battle of Somosierra, Kozietulski was the commander who led the Polish cavalry against the Spanish artillery and infantry. Although not the only commander present during the charge, he was credited with the victory after the battle and in Poland remains the best-known veteran of that campaign. He was also one of 18 Poles to be awarded the French Legion of Honour after the battle. Following the

Kozietulski remained in the military and distinguished himself in the

Battle of Wagram The Battle of Wagram (; 5–6 July 1809) was a military engagement of the Napoleonic Wars that ended in a costly but decisive victory for Emperor Napoleon's French and allied army against the Austrian army under the command of Archduke Charles ...

, where he led the Polish cavalry unit against other Polish cavalry units fighting alongside the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

ns. For his merits, in 1811 he became a

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

of the empire. During Napoleon's invasion of Russia, Kozietulski again distinguished himself as a skilled commander during the

Battle of Maloyaroslavets The Battle of Maloyaroslavets took place on 24 October 1812 as part of the French invasion of Russia. It was Kutuzov's decisive battle to force Napoleon to retreat northwest over Mozhaisk to Smolensk on the devastated route of his advance with ...

of October 25, 1812, where he saved the life of

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 ...

himself, by charging between Bonaparte and the assaulting

Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

s. His uniform, pierced with a lance and stained with blood, is preserved to this day in the Museum of the Polish Army 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 ...

. After recovering from his wounds he returned to active service and took part in all major battles of Napoleonic 1813 campaign in

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

. He also took part in the Battle of Nations. In 1814 he was made the commander of the French 3rd Scout Regiment of the

Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the Emperor or Empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial forces, in ...

(french: 3e régiment des éclaireurs de la Garde impériale) and fought in the Battle of Paris. After Napoleon's defeat, Kozietulski returned to the Russian-held Polish Kingdom, where he became commander of the Polish 4th Uhlan Regiment. He died on 3 February 1821 in Mała Wieś Palace.

Awards

In 1811, Kozietulski became a Baron of the French Empire. *

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 ...

(Russian Empire) *

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 ...

* Knight of 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 ...

, awarded on December 13, 1809 * Cross of Valour (Krzyz Walecznych)

References

# {{DEFAULTSORT:Kozietulski, Jan 1781 births 1821 deaths People from Skierniewice Clan Abdank Barons of Poland Polish Army officers Polish commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Barons of the First French Empire Recipients of the Order of St. Anna

Biography

Awards

See also

References