Romuald Traugutt (16 January 1826 – 5 August 1864) was a Polish

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 ...

and war hero best known for commanding the January Uprising 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 Kamenets District ( be, Камянецкі раён, russian: Каменецкий район) is a district (raion) of Brest Region, in Belarus. Its administrative center is Kamenets. Geography In Kamenets District in few kilometers to the Sou ...

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 Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

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 the ...

. 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 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 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, Józef Jarzębowski (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 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 one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. 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 Ciechocinek (Polish pronunciation: ; German language, German (1941-1945): ''Hermannsbad'') is a spa town in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-central Poland, located on the Vistula River about east of Aleksandrów Kujawski and south-east of ...

. 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

* Józef Jarzębowski. ''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