Tomasz Andrzej Adam Łubieński, comte de Pomian (24 December 1784, Szczytniki near
Kalisz
(The oldest city of Poland)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = ''Top:'' Town Hall, Former "Calisia" Piano Factory''Middle:'' Courthouse, "Gołębnik" tenement''Bottom:'' Aerial view of the Kalisz Old Town
, image_flag = POL Kalisz flag.svg ...
- 27 August 1870,
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
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
in the Polish army, senator, landowner in Kalisz and businessman. Hoping to liberate Poland, he fought on the French side in 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 ...
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...
,
Ulm
Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...
,
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
Berezina
The Berezina or Biarezina ( be, Бярэ́зіна; ) is a river in Belarus and a right tributary of the Dnieper. The river starts in the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve. The length of the Berezina is 613 km. The width of the river is 15-20 m, the ...
, for which Napoleon made him a
baron de l'Empire
As Emperor of the French, Napoleon I created titles of nobility to institute a stable elite in the First French Empire, after the instability resulting from the French Revolution.
Like many others, both before and since, Napoleon found that t ...
From an old Polish noble family, Tomasz's parents were Feliks Łubieński, count of Pomian and minister of justice in 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 ...
, and Tekla Teresa Łubieńska née Bielińska, herself a poet and author of historical plays. Her main works were ''Wanda, królowa polska'' (1806), (Wanda, Queen of Poland), and ''Karol Wielki i Witykind'' (1807) (Charlemagne and Wedekind). She also translated the works of
Jean Racine
Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditi ...
and
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...
into Polish. Tomasz was the second of their ten children - the eldest sibling was Franciszek, the others being Piotr, Jan, Henryk, Tadeusz, Józef, Maria, Paulina and Róża.
Aged six, Tomasz entered the Academy of the Royal Cadet Corps (the military cavalry school). His first two years there were spent learning foreign languages, artillery science and fencing. His first rank was as 'Chorąży' (standard bearer). The next five years were spent on military construction and engineering. In 1801 he received further education in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
before moving to
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 ...
under the tutelage his uncle, Antoni Protazy Potocki. He also came under the influence of count Wincenty Krasiński (1782–1858), a political activist who set up the 'Society of Friends of the Fatherland' but who was later to refuse to join the November Uprising. In 1805 Tomasz married Konstancja Ossolińska (1783–1868), who brought a major dowry in the form of estates near the town of
Chełm
Chełm (; uk, Холм, Kholm; german: Cholm; yi, כעלם, Khelm) is a city in southeastern Poland with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some ...
. They had a daughter, Adela, born 1806 and a son, Napoleon Leon, born 1812 .
1806-1825
In 1806 the French entered
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 Napoleon was met by a guard of honour made up of major Polish statesmen. Hoping to liberate Poland from Russia, Łubieński and many other Polish officers fought on the French side. In 1807 the army 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 ...
Mir
''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...
Pułtusk
Pułtusk (pronounced ) is a town in northeast Poland, by the river Narew. Located north of Warsaw in the Masovian Voivodeship, it had a population of about 19,000 . Known for its historic architecture and Europe's longest paved marketplace ( in ...
Łubieński was awarded the Légion d’honneur and in 1808 he fought at
Somosierra
Somosierra is a municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain, located at 83 km north of Madrid, in the mountain pass with the same name, at an elevation of 1433 metres above sea level, being the northernmost town of Community of Madri ...
, supporting the final phase of the assault. He and his regiment fought 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 ...
before he returned to Paris in January 1809. On 5 April 1809 he received the cross of a Grand Officer of the Légion d’honneur. In the 1809 campaign he fought at
Essling
Essling Essling entry in the Viennese government's history wiki (German) () is part of on 22 May and Battle of Wagram, Wagram (6 July) and to reward his courage Napoleon made him a
Baron de l'Empire
As Emperor of the French, Napoleon I created titles of nobility to institute a stable elite in the First French Empire, after the instability resulting from the French Revolution.
Like many others, both before and since, Napoleon found that t ...
with a pension of 4,000 francs, later increased to 6,000 francs. In 1810, a few months after retiring to Warsaw, he received the order of
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 St ...
. Following a disagreement with the regiment's commander, Krasiński, Łubieński was dismissed. At the start of 1811 he was sent to
Segan
Two out of three most prominent Segans are noted on the Talmud and on Josephus Flavius' work: Hanina Segan ha-Kohanim, and Eleazar ben Hananiah ben Hezekiah, Eleazar ben Hanania (son of Hananiah b. Hezekiah b. Garon who served as High Priest).
Se ...
with the Legion of the Vistula (''Legia Nadwislańska''), one of the largest Polish foreign legions of the Napoleonic era, which was renamed the 8th
Uhlan
Uhlans (; ; ; ; ) were a type of light cavalry, primarily armed with a lance. While first appearing in the cavalry of Lithuania and then Poland, Uhlans were quickly adopted by the mounted forces of other countries, including France, Russia, Pr ...
Regiment (''8éme régiment de Uhlans''). In March 1812 Łubieński led his regiment to
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
to fight in various Polish campaigns.
Remaining in reserve with the regiment commanded by marshal Nicolas Charles Oudinot, Łubieński and his men suffered heavy losses guarding the French army at the crossing of the Berezina. At the end of 1812, Łubieński returned to Warsaw to rest and in 1813 fought at
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
and Hanau. In January 1814 he was discharged by the French, becoming commander-in-chief of the Polish army. In that post Napoleon put him in charge of allotting salaries and subsidies to Polish soldiers. He received the Order of Saint Stanislas 2nd class. After the Russian takeover and as he could not agree with
Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia
Konstantin Pavlovich (russian: Константи́н Па́влович; ) was a grand duke of Russia and the second son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. He was the heir-presumptive for most of his elder brother Alexand ...
, he was relieved of the role of commander-in-chief in 1816.
Łubieński and several of his brothers set up the Łubieński Brothers enterprise, building its first factory in Warsaw in 1827 in the Guzowska Ruda region (now
Żyrardów
Żyrardów is a town and former industrial hub in central Poland with approximately 41,400 inhabitants (2006). It is the capital of Żyrardów County situated in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999); previously, it was in Skierniewice Voivodes ...
,
Masovian Voivodeship
The Masovian Voivodeship, also known as the Mazovia Province ( pl, województwo mazowieckie ) is a voivodeship (province) in east-central Poland, with its capital located in the city of Warsaw, which also serves as the capital of the country. Th ...
). This became the first industrial factory in a rural area. Between 1825 and 1828 he was a justice of the peace for the Chełm district and between 1820 and 1825 a senator in the
Sejm
The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of ...
.
November Uprising
On 29 November 1830 the Poles began the November Uprising against their Russian occupiers. On 10 February 1831 Łubieński was made commander of the 2nd Cavalry Corps, made up of 33 battalions and 16 cannon. After the
First Battle of Wawer
The First Battle of Wawer was fought on 19 and 20 February 1831, between Poland and Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country i ...
, he and his corps did not fight despite receiving orders to do so, due to what he felt was the overwhelming numerical superiority of the Russian forces.
Józef Chłopicki
Józef Grzegorz Chłopicki (; 14 March 1771 – 30 September 1854) was a Polish general who was involved in fighting in Europe at the time of Napoleon and later.
He was born in Kapustynie in Volhynia and was educated at the school of the Bas ...
and
Ignacy Prądzyński
Ignacy Prądzyński (; 1792–1850) was a Polish military commander and a general of the Polish Army. A veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, he was one of the most successful Polish commanders of the November Uprising against Russia.
Ignacy Prądz ...
accused him of treason and ruining the last chance of a victory by refusing to obey an order to attack with his cavalry at Olszynka Grochowska. Historians have justified his disobedience as a good decision since sacrificing his cavalry could not have changed the course of the battle.
On 1 June Łubieński was promoted to lieutenant-general and chief-of-staff. This position involved organising and supplying the main Polish towns and cities. On 19 August he put up major resistance to the Russian advance on Warsaw under
Ivan Paskevich
Count Ivan Fyodorovich Paskevich-Erevansky, Serene Prince of Warsaw (russian: Ива́н Фёдорович Паске́вич-Эриванский, светлейший князь Варшавский, tr. ; – ) was an Imperial Russian mi ...
, successor to marshal Diebitch, field-marshal of the Russian army and lieutenant of the
Kingdom of Poland
The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to:
Historical political entities
* Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031
* Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exi ...
, who had died of cholera. At Warsaw, Łubieński was put in charge of resupplying the city without being told of the Russians' numerical superiority. Members of the city's Patriotic Association and others of his political opponents fiercely criticised him and his actions, accusing him of sabotaging the uprising.
Łubieński was diplomatic with his opponents, although on 28 September, he got general
Maciej Rybiński
Maciej Rybiński (; 24 February 1784 in Slavuta in Wołyń, 17 January 1874 in Paris), Polish general, last chief of State of November Uprising
The November Uprising (1830–31), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Ca ...
dismissed upon accusations of entering negotiations with Paskevich for a Polish surrender. Three days later Łubieński returned to find Warsaw occupied by the Russians and he and the other Polish generals were condemned to exile in Russia. Due to his past exploits and thanks to his understanding of the Polish political situation, he won an audience with Tsar
Nicholas I of Russia
, house = Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp
, father = Paul I of Russia
, mother = Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Gatchina Palace, Gatchina, Russian Empire
, death_date = ...
on 24 November 1831 in Moscow. He then 'collaborated' as a deputy in the
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
diet from 1832 to 1834 while looking after the interests of the Łubieński brothers' business in the chamber of commerce and working mainly to regain lands and assets confiscated from Polish insurgents.
Businessman
Tomasz and his brothers entered an industrial partnership, Bracia Łubieńscy SA, in the 1820s that was involved in steel production, sugar and textile manufacture and eventually railways and a department store. In 1839 he travelled to London to gain financial aid for his metallurgical business. In 1840 and 1841 he was director of works on the project to build a rail route from Warsaw to Vienna, commissioned by the Polish railways. He retired from active life to Warsaw after his brother, Henryk's financial difficulties: he had been charged with alleged bank fraud (misappropriating public funds for personal use) and convicted to 4 years in prison. To save his brother's and the family's honour, Tomasz covered Henryk's debts to financiers.Łubieński, Tomasz Wentworth. (1886). ''Henryk Łubieński i Jego Bracia - Wspomnienia Rodzinne odnoszące się do Historyi Królestwa Polskiego i Banku Polskiego''. Kraków: Gebethner. https://jbc.bj.uj.edu.pl/dlibra/doccontent?id=305507 His nephew's memoir of his brothers' and his role in the industrial and banking history of the Kingdom of Poland. (in Polish) Tomasz spent his retirement in Warsaw, becoming president of "Resursa Kupiecka" (chamber of commerce), a member of the Chamber of Agriculture and a Catholic conservative senator for the town of Stary Sącz.
Honours and decorations
*
Baron de l'Empire
As Emperor of the French, Napoleon I created titles of nobility to institute a stable elite in the First French Empire, after the instability resulting from the French Revolution.
Like many others, both before and since, Napoleon found that t ...
(1810)
*
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 St ...
Commander 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 B ...
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 ...