The Battle of Krzywosądz was one of the battles 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 ...

. It took place in the village of

Krzywosądz Krzywosądz is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobre, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Gmina Dobre, within Radziejów County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It is located in the historic region of Kuyav ...

Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...

, on 19 February 1863, when a poorly armed party of 500 Polish insurgents, under

Ludwik Mierosławski Ludwik Adam Mierosławski (; January 17, 1814 – November 22, 1878) was a Polish general, writer, poet, historian and political activist. Mierosławski took part in the November Uprising of the 1830s, and after its failure he emigrated to France ...

, clashed with a 1,000 strong unit of the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

. On the night of 17-18 February 1863, an

unit, stationed in

Włocławek Włocławek (; or ''Alt Lesle'', Yiddish: וולאָצלאַוועק, romanized: ''Vlatzlavek'') is a city in the Kuyavian–Pomeranian Voivodeship in central Poland along the Vistula River, bordered by the Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park ...

was alarmed by the news that Polish insurgents concentrated near the village of Niszczewy in the region of

Kuyavia Kuyavia (; ), also referred to as Cuyavia, is a historical region in north-central Poland, situated on the left bank of Vistula, as well as east from Noteć River and Lake Gopło. It is divided into three traditional parts: north-western (with th ...

. The Russians, commanded by Colonel Yuri Schilder-Schuldner, immediately marched to Służewo, where they joined Russian border guards. Altogether, their forces had some 1,000 men, with a few cannons. Colonel Schilder-Schuldner, without wasting time, decided to attack the Poles, who were still in the process of concentrating. After a skirmish that lasted several hours, Ludwik Mierosławski ordered the insurgents to retreat. The battle ended in a Russian victory, and the dead insurgents were buried in Krzywosądz and the nearby village of Dobre. Among those killed were Jan Wasiłowski (a student of Liege Technical University and brother of

Maria Konopnicka Maria Konopnicka (; ; 23 May 1842 – 8 October 1910) was a Polish people, Polish poet, novelist, children's writer, translator, journalist, critic and activist for women's rights and for Polish independence. She used pseudonyms, including ''Jan ...

), and Stanisław Gay – the son of architect Jan Jakub Gay. After the battle, Mierosławski with his men headed towards

Radziejów Radziejów (Polish pronunciation: ) is a town in Poland, in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, about south of Toruń. It is the capital of Radziejów County. It is located in the historic region of Kuyavia. Its population is 5,696 (2010). History ...

, where he was joined with a unit of Kazimierz Mielecki. On 21 February Mierosławski's forces lost another battle at Nowa Wieś, and the Polish leader decided to give up his post, going to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Sources

Stefan Kieniewicz Stefan Kieniewicz (20 September 1907, in Dereszewicze – 2 May 1992, in Konstancin-Jeziorna, Konstancin) was a Polish historian and university professor, notable for his works on the 19th-century history of Poland. During his work at various uni ...

: Powstanie styczniowe. Warszawa:

Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN (''Polish Scientific Publishers PWN''; until 1991 ''Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe'' - ''National Scientific Publishers PWN'', PWN) is a Polish book publisher, founded in 1951, when it split from the Wydawnictwa Szkolne i ...

, 1983. . Conflicts in 1863 1863 in Poland Krzywosadz History of Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship February 1863 Warsaw Governorate {{Russia-battle-stub