Jan Zygmunt Skrzynecki
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Jan Zygmunt Skrzynecki (2/8/1787–1/12 or 12/1/1860) was a Polish general, and commander-in-chief of 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 ...
(1830–1831).


Biography

He was born in Żebrak, Siedlce County, in 1787, and completed his education at the
Lwów University The University of Lviv ( uk, Львівський університет, Lvivskyi universytet; pl, Uniwersytet Lwowski; german: Universität Lemberg, briefly known as the ''Theresianum'' in the early 19th century), presently the Ivan Franko Na ...
. After the formation 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 ...
in 1807, he entered the Polish Legion as a common soldier and won his lieutenancy at the Battle of Raszyn in 1809. At the
Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig (french: Bataille de Leipsick; german: Völkerschlacht bei Leipzig, ); sv, Slaget vid Leipzig), also known as the Battle of the Nations (french: Bataille des Nations; russian: Битва народов, translit=Bitva ...
(1813) he greatly distinguished himself and at Arcis-sur-Aube, in 1814, he saved
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 ...
from a sudden onslaught of the enemy by sheltering him in the midst of his battalion. On the formation of the Kingdom of Poland in 1815 Skrzynecki was placed as Colonel in command of five infantry regiments of the line. On joining the insurrection of 1830 he was entrusted with the organization of the Polish forces. After the
Battle of Grochow The Battle of Olszynka Grochowska was fought on 25 February 1831 in the woods near Grochów, on the eastern outskirts of Warsaw. The Polish army, commanded by Jozef Chlopicki, Józef Chłopicki, succeeded in preventing its Russian counterpart, u ...
of February 1831 he superseded Prince Michał Gedeon Radziwiłł as commander in chief; but avoided all decisive operations as he hoped for the pacific intervention of the European powers in favor of Poland. In the beginning of March 1831 he even entered into correspondence with the
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n
Field-marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
Hans Karl von Diebitsch Hans Karl Friedrich Anton Graf von Diebitsch und Narten (russian: Ива́н Ива́нович Ди́бич-Забалка́нский, tr. ; 13 May 1785 – 10 June 1831) was a German-born soldier serving as Russian field marshal. Career ...
, who was taken very ill both at
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. When at last Skrzynecki had to take the offensive his opportunity was gone, and he committed more than one tactical blunder. In the Battle of Ostrołęka (26 May 1831) he showed his usual valour and considerable ability, but after a bloody contest Diebitsch prevailed and Skrzynecki fell back upon
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 ...
, where he demanded a reconstruction of the government and his own appointment as dictator. To this the Diet would not consent, though it gave Skrzynecki a vote of confidence. But public opinion was now running strongly against him and he was forced on 10 August, in his camp at
Bolimów Bolimów is a town in Skierniewice County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It is the seat of the Gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Bolimów. It lies approximately north of Skierniewice and north-east of the regional capital ...
, to place his resignation in the hands of his successor,
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 Warsa ...
. Skrzynecki thereupon joined a guerrilla corps and on 22 September took refuge in
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 ...
n territory. Subsequently he resided at
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
, but migrated in 1839 to
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, where he was made commander in chief of the Belgian army, an appointment he was forced to resign due to the combined and emphatic protests of Russia, Austria and
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
; however he remained in Belgium in active service until 1848. With the permission of the Austrian government he finally settled at
Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
, where he died in 1860. The Polish historian
Jerzy Łojek Jerzy Łojek (3 September 1932 – 7 October 1986) was a Polish historian and opposition activist in People's Republic of Poland. He specialized in European, Polish and Russian history of 17th to 20h centuries. Some of his works were first publi ...
presumed that Skrzynecki was a traitor who baffled all the national efforts. Łojek, Jerzy (1986). ''Szanse powstania listopadowego''. Warszawa: Instytut Wydawniczy PAX. pp. 69–79. Although Skrzynecki was remarkable for his personal courage (albeit some accused him of cowardice) and made an excellent general of division, he was unequal to the heavier responsibility of supreme command, and did much harm in that capacity by his irresolution. He wrote ''Two Victorious Days'' (Warsaw, 1831); and ''Mes erreurs'' (Paris, 1835).


Honours and awards

* 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 Stan ...
(1809) * Knight's Cross of the Virtuti Militari (1812) * Knight of the
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, ...
(1813) * Officier of the Legion of Honour (1814) *
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 ...
, class II (1829) * Commander's Cross of the Virtuti Militari (1831)


Notes


References

* ;Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Skrzynecki, Jan Zygmunt 1787 births 1860 deaths People from Siedlce County Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Knights of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class Generals of the November Uprising Belgian generals Polish generals in other armies Polish military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Polish expatriates in Belgium