Wojciech Chrzanowski (14 January 1793 – 26 February 1861) was a Polish general who participated in

Napoleon's 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 ...

Russian campaign and in the battles of

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 wel ...

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 Waterloo. After Napoleon's final defeat he served in the national army 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 ...

, and served in the Imperial Russian Army under

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 ...

against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in 1828/29. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of 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 Stan ...

. Chrzanowski was born on 14 January 1793 in Biskupice. He was made Governor of

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 ...

in 1831. He was suspected of being untrustworthy in his conduct 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 ...

ns and was shunned by many of the people, emigrating to Paris at the end of 1831. In 1841 he was in the service of the British government.

Lord Palmerston Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...

sent him to assist the Ottoman military reforms, acting as a British

military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

in the field.

Charles Albert Charles Albert (; 2 October 1798 – 28 July 1849) was the King of Sardinia from 27 April 1831 until 23 March 1849. His name is bound up with the first Italian constitution, the Albertine Statute, and with the First Italian War of Independence ...

, King of Sardinia, called Chrzanowski after the armistice that concluded the 1848 campaign of the

First Italian War of Independence The First Italian War of Independence ( it, Prima guerra d'indipendenza italiana), part of the Italian Unification (''Risorgimento''), was fought by the Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont) and Italian volunteers against the Austrian Empire and other ...

as Chief of Staff of the Piedmontese army; this caused friction in the ranks, as he was largely seen as the King's creature, and his figure and attitude did not command much respect. After

Eusebio Bava Eusebio Bava (6 August 1790 in Vercelli – 30 April 1854 in Torino) was an Italian general who fought in the First Italian War of Independence. Biography Born at Vercelli, Bava fought as a volunteer under Napoleonic French flag against Prussia ...

was removed as General in Chief, he was officially named ''Generale maggiore'' (

Major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

, not a rank but a title for the head of staff) for the upcoming campaign (although de facto he would lead the army). The 1849 campaign was however a complete failure, as he was outmaneuvered and defeated by

Josef Radetzky Johann Josef Wenzel Anton Franz Karl, Graf Radetzky von Radetz ( en, John Joseph Wenceslaus Anthony Francis Charles, Count Radetzky of Radetz; cz, Jan Josef Václav Antonín František Karel hrabě Radecký z Radče; sl, Janez Jožef Vencelj ...

in the Battle of Novara. General Girolamo Ramorino was blamed for the defeat, and subsequently executed; however Chrzanowski did not escape censure and was dismissed from Sardinian service. He lived for a time in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

but died in

(26 February 1861). He published several works in

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

Publications

* Chesney, ''Russo-Turkish Campaigns of 1828–29'' * Piero Pieri, ''Storia Militare del Risorgimento'', 1962, Giulio Einaudi Editore, Torino

References

Polish generals in other armies Generals of the November Uprising Activists of the Great Emigration Knights of the Virtuti Militari Burials at Montmartre Cemetery 1793 births 1861 deaths Polish generals in the Imperial Russian Army {{Poland-mil-bio-stub