Romuald Traugutt (16 January 1826 – 5 August 1864) was a Polish general and war hero best known for commanding the

January Uprising The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...

of 1863. From October 1863 to August 1864 he was the leader of the insurrection. He headed the Polish national government from 17 October 1863 to 20 April 1864, and was president of its Foreign Affairs Office. Traugutt was born on the Šastakova estate in Hrodna Governorate of the Russian Empire (nowadays the village of Šastakova in Kamenets District of Belarus). He graduated from the Svislač Gymnasium in 1842 and joined the army. Before the uprising he was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Russian army, where he won distinction in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included t ...

. He retired from the army in 1862 and became involved with Polish nationalists.Lerski, Jerzy Jan (editor) (1996) "Traugutt, Romuald" ''Historical dictionary of Poland, 966-1945'' Greenwood Publishing, Westport, Connecticut
pages 609-610
After leading a

partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...

unit in the initial rebellion, he became leader of the rebel forces in October 1863. After the uprising failed, Traugutt was betrayed by Artur Goldman and sentenced to death by the Russian court. He was hanged near the Warsaw Citadel on 5 August 1864, aged 38, together with the rebel commanders Rafał Krajewski, Józef Toczyski,

Roman Żuliński Roman Żuliński (28 January 1837 – 5 August 1864) - a Polish mathematician and co-commander of the January Uprising. After the uprising he was sentenced to death and hanged near the Warsaw Citadel on 5 August 1864, together with other rebel ...

and Jan Jeziorański. The

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

is considering his beatification due to his overwhelming devotion to God and sacrifice for his homeland Poland. One of his early biographers has been the

Marian Father The Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary ( la, Congregatio Clericorum Marianorum ab Immaculata Conceptionis Beatissimae Virginis Mariae) is a Catholic male clerical religious congregation fou ...

Józef Jarzębowski Józef Jarzębowski, b. 26 November 1897 in Warsaw - d. 13 September 1964 in Herisau, Switzerland, was a Polish-born Roman Catholic priest, member of the Marian Fathers. He was an educationalist, historian, writer and noted antiquarian. Life Rais ...

(1897-1964), who devoted three volumes to Traugutt's life and work.

Remembrance

In 1916, a monument was raised in Warsaw on the site of his execution, and in 1925, the area around it was dedicated as Traugutt Park. In 1945, he was honored on the first postage stamp of the newly re-emerged

Republic of Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

as part of a three-stamp set honoring national heroes. He had been earlier honored on a stamp in the 1938 set for the 20th anniversary of Poland's independence after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. Poland issued additional stamps in his honor in 1962 and 1963. He was also commemorated on the Polish 20 złoty banknote of the 1980s. The high school in Częstochowa is named after him, and a memorial column to him was erected in 1933 in Ciechocinek. There is also a monument to Traugutt in the town of Svislač in Belarus.Ужо сёньня: Дзень памяці Рамуальда Траўгута і Вячаслава Адамчыка (Today: Remembrance Day of Ramuald Traugutt and Viačaslaǔ Adamčyk)
in Belarusian)

Notes

Bibliography

. ''Traugutt'', nakładem Archidiecezjalnego Instytutu Akcji Katolickiej, Warszawa, 1938. * Józef Jarzębowski. ''Węgierska polityka Traugutta: na podstawie znanych i nieznanych dokumentów''. Warszawa 1939. ("Traugutt's Hungarian policies"). * Józef Jarzębowski. ''Traugutt: dokumenty, listy, wspomnienia, wypisy''. Londyn: Veritas, 1970.

External links

Romuald Traugutt High School - Częstochowa, Poland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Traugutt, Romuald 1826 births 1864 deaths People from Kamenets District People from Brestsky Uyezd Polish Roman Catholics Members of Polish government (January Uprising) January Uprising participants Polish generals Polish people of the Crimean War (Russian side) Generals of the January Uprising Polish people executed by the Russian Empire Executed Polish people People executed by the Russian Empire by hanging Executed Belarusian people Polish Servants of God