Adomas Bitė (; 1836–1884) was a participant of the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

and a

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

Biography

Bitė was born in 1836 in Belazariškiai (Białozoryszki), his father died two years later, leaving Adomas, his mother Barbara and his eight siblings, including one sister. Bitė first language was

Samogitian dialect Samogitian ( or sometimes , or ; ), is an Eastern Baltic language spoken primarily in Samogitia and is often considered a dialect of Lithuanian. It has preserved many features of the extinct Curonian language, such as specific phonologica ...

of Lithuanian, he wasn't able to speak Polish but knew and read in Lithuanian and had only a very basic knowledge of mathematics. In March 1863, he joined the group of Tomas Kušleika. Together with Mamertas Gedgaudas, he was sent to

Šiauliai County Šiauliai County () is one of ten counties in Lithuania. It is in the north of the country, and its capital is Šiauliai. On 1 July 2010, the county administration was abolished, and since that date, Šiauliai County remains as a territorial a ...

to assemble volunteers and weaponry. Later, Adomas Bitė belonged to Gedgaudas' unit. On 28 April 1863, he fought in the battle near Krakės and Lenčiai (). Then, on June 20, he fought near Žaiginys. After Gedgaudas' capture on June 18, Bitė led his group. On August 15, the group fought near . After half a month passed, there was a battle near on September 8 and near on September 11. Finally, there was the battle near (Šiauliai County) on October 27. At the end of 1863 or the start of 1864, Bitė left his group, passing the command to Wincenty Powilański, and himself leaving for France to find arms and foreign aid, but he did not return after the uprising was defeated. He lived in Paris. In Paris, he worked as a printer, lighting street lamps, among other things. In 1871, he fought in the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

. He was given the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

by the

Government of National Defense The Government of National Defense () was the first government of the Third Republic of France from 4 September 1870 to 13 February 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War. It was formed after the proclamation of the Republic in Paris on 4 September ...

. He was active in the Veterans' Association. He learned to speak Polish and French. He lived on Sainte-Catherine-d'Enfer no 4. On 29 December 1878, he married Lucille Le Prieur, daughter of Louis Jean and Louise Francoise Vivier. Died on 9 January 1884 in

Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...

References

Sources

* * 1836 births 1884 deaths January Uprising participants Communards Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France {{France-bio-stub