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Baron Dezydery Adam Chłapowski (1788 in Turew – 27 March 1879) of the Dryja coat of arms was a Polish general, businessman and political activist.


Early life

His father Józef Chłapowski (born 1756, died 1826) was the baron of Kościan County and his mother Urszula was from the Moszczeńska family. His tutor as a child was the French immigrant priest Steinhoff. He began his education at the Piarist university in
Rydzyna Rydzyna (pronounced ) is a historic town in western Poland, located in the southern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, 10 km south of Leszno, in the Leszno County, close to the main Poznań - Wrocław highway Expressway S5 (Poland), S5. ...
and then in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
.


Napoleonic Wars

At the age of 14, his father placed him in the
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
n
dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...
regiment of General Bruesewitz that was stationed in
Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...
. Simultaneously, the young soldier studied at the Berlin Inspection Officers Institute, from which he graduated in 1805 with a promotion to
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
. In 1806, he sought exemption from participating in the
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
with
Napoleonic France The First French Empire or French Empire (; ), also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from ...
. After the Berlin's occupation by the French, he left for Poznań. Here he joined the hundred-man honor guard of Emperor
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
formed by the local nobility after the Greater Poland uprising under the command of Umiński. During this period he gained favor with Napoleon, who appointed him a lieutenant. During the 1807 campaign, he fought in the voltigeur company of the commanded by General Fr. Antoni Paweł Sułkowski formed in
Gniezno Gniezno (; ; ) is a city in central-western Poland, about east of Poznań. Its population in 2021 was 66,769, making it the sixth-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. The city is the administrative seat of Gniezno County (''powiat'') ...
. Decorated after the battle of
Tczew Tczew (, formerly ) is a city on the Vistula River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland, with 59,111 inhabitants (December 2021). It is the capital of Tczew County and the largest city of the ethnocultural region of Kociewie within th ...
, as a half-company commander, the
Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', ) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was established in 1792 by the last King of Poland Stanislaus II of Poland, ...
cross and the
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
. During the siege of Danzig, he was captured by the Prussians. After the
Treaties of Tilsit The Treaties of Tilsit (), also collectively known as the Peace of Tilsit (; ), were two peace treaties signed by French Emperor Napoleon in the town of Tilsit in July 1807 in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland, at the end of the War o ...
and returning from
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, where he was interned, he was promoted to captain on August 1 and assigned as General
Jan Henryk Dąbrowski Jan Henryk Dąbrowski (; also known as Johann Heinrich Dąbrowski (Dombrowski) in German and Jean Henri Dombrowski in French; 2 August 1755 – 6 June 1818) was a Polish general and statesman, widely respected after his death for his patri ...
's adjutant. In February 1808 he was summoned to Paris, where he became Napoleon's orderly officer. During this stay, he graduated from military studies at the Paris
École Polytechnique (, ; also known as Polytechnique or l'X ) is a ''grande école'' located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris. The school was founded in 1794 by mat ...
. He passed the final exams before General Bertrand. He went through
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
and Austrian campaigns alongside Napoleon. He was awarded the title Baron of the Empire for his participation in the Battle of Regensburg. In January 1811, he was appointed the head of a squadron of the
1st Polish Light Cavalry Regiment of the Imperial Guard The 1st Polish Light Cavalry Lancers Regiment of the Imperial Guard (; ) was a foreign Polish light cavalry lancers regiment which served as part of Napoleon's Imperial Guard during the Napoleonic Wars. The regiment fought in many battles, distin ...
. With it he partook in the
French invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign (), the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812 (), was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of compelling the Russian Empire to comply with the Continenta ...
and
War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition () (December 1812 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation (), a coalition of Austrian Empire, Austria, Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia, Russian Empire, Russia, History of Spain (1808– ...
. During the latter, in Dresden, he asked for dismissal, which he obtained on 19 June. The decision was caused by Chłapowski's bitterness over Napoleon's attitude towards Poland (plans to give the Duchy of Warsaw to the Tsar in exchange for peace) and the hardships of the campaigns he had gone through. Among the Napoleonic veterans, however, this action was badly received with accusations of desertion. As a retired colonel, he left for Paris. After Napoleon's abdication, he went to Great Britain. In 1815, during the
Hundred Days The Hundred Days ( ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition (), marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII o ...
, he returned to Greater Poland through Paris.


Congress Poland

He settled in his hometown Turwia, which he and Rąbin bought back from the debtor father of a professor, and then tidied up the property and began introducing a modern economy. To deepen their knowledge once again went on a trip to England ( 1818 - 1819 ), where among other things practiced physically working on the farm. Upon his return, he introduced solutions observed in England. Thanks to this, he repaid debts within 15 years and the property in Turwia quickly became one of the best farms in the Grand Duchy of Poznań . Chłapowski among others he introduced crop rotation instead of three- crop, used an iron plow and sowed soil enrichmentclover . As a result, Chłapowski was one of the guests invited to a conference in Berlin, where a plan of enfranchisement of peasants in the Grand Duchy was developed. He, for his part, allocated some of his land to parcel among peasants. In 1821 he married Antonina née Grudziński, sister of the Łowicz duchess Joanna, wife of the grand prince Konstanty . He was a deputy from the knighthood from the Kościan poviat to the provincial parliament of the Grand Duchy of Poznań in 1827 and in 1830 . He was a co-founder and activist of Credit Land and Fire Insurance Association. Palace in Turwia


November uprising

When the November Uprising broke out, he put on his uniform again and crossed the border, reporting to the Polish insurgent army. He has developed a bold and interesting offensive plan, including capture of Lithuania's Brest, but it was not approved by Józef Chłopicki, the uprising's dictator, who preferred defensive tactics. It was only after Chłopicki's removal that Chłapowski received the command of a brigade. He took part in the
battle of Grochów The Battle of Olszynka Grochowska, or the battle of Grochów, was fought on 25 February 1831 Olszynka Grochowska, in the woods near Grochów, on the eastern outskirts of Warsaw. The Polish army, commanded by Jozef Chlopicki, Józef Chłopicki, ...
, in which he led a cavalry charge, holding back Russian infantry after the withdrawal of Polish infantry. Then, under the command of the inept general Antanas Gelgaudas, he partook in the expedition to Lithuania during which he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. Despite a number of minor victories, Giełgud's indecision about Chłapowski's offensive plans for a quick attack on Vilnius before the arrival of major Russian forces led to the defeat of the expedition. By decision of the National Council, Chłapowski was finally promoted to the rank of division general and was entrusted with the supreme command in Lithuania, but it did not arrive in time (Chłapowski found out about it only in Prussia). The unit was forced to cross the Prussian-Russian border, where Chłapowski, as a Prussian subject, was sentenced to one year in
prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...
. He avoided the confiscation of property and the punishment was instead converted into a large fine. He served his sentence in the
Stettin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major seaport, the largest city of northwestern Poland, and se ...
fortress, where he wrote a textbook On agriculture.


After the failed Uprising

After release, he returned to Turwia. He was politically associated with his former subordinate Karol Marcinkowski. In the years 1838 - 1845 worked with the Guide Agricultural and Industrial, which posted articles of agriculture. He intended to set up an Agricultural University, which was to educate numerous apprentices at the Turkish estate. Among them were later activists such as Maksymilian Jackowski. He was also a co-founder and publisher of Przegląd Poznański and Sunday School. Throughout his activities he laid the foundations of organic work, thereby resisting
Germanization Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, German people, people, and German culture, culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nati ...
. He supported enterprises such as the Poznań Bazaar and the Scientific Assistance Society as well as credit societies. He was a member of the national parliament. Correspondent member of the Galician Economic Society (1846-1879). During the Greater Poland Uprising, he organized insurgent troops in his
powiat A ''powiat'' (; ) is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture (Local administrative unit, LAU-1 ormerly Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, NUTS-4 ...
. After the fall of the
Spring of Nations The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...
, in Greater Poland, he became a member of the upper house of the
Prussian Parliament The Landtag of Prussia () was the representative assembly of the Kingdom of Prussia implemented in 1849, a bicameral legislature consisting of the upper House of Lords (''Herrenhaus'') and the lower House of Representatives (''Abgeordnetenhaus'') ...
, the
House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
. Despite his strictness and
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
views, which discouraged some liberals, his achievements made him a widely respected person with a great impact on the community of
Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...
. He died on March 27, 1879, and was buried in Rąbin next to the local church. In 1899, his son, Kazimierz, published his father's diaries. Major General from April 25, 2014 Dezydery Chłapowski is the patron of the Ground Forces Training Center in Wędrzyn . The general was also a promoter of mid-field tree plantings in Poland, which contributed to the economic success of his property and is still favorable to agriculture in this area In order to preserve his agricultural and natural heritage, in 1992 and again in 2014, a Landscape Park was created around his estate in Turwia. Its special purpose is to preserve the system of mid-field plantings with "(...) high natural, landscape, scientific, didactic and cultural values."


See also

*
History of Poland (1795–1918) From 1795 to 1918, Poland was split between Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and Russia and had no independent existence. In 1795 the third and the last of the three 18th-century partitions of Poland ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuani ...


References

*
Witold Jakóbczyk Witold Jakóbczyk (; 15 January 1909 in Sosnowiec – 3 October 1986 in Poznań) was a Polish historian and professor at Poznań University, specializing in the history of Greater Poland in the 19th century. Publications * * * * Witold Ja ...
, ''Przetrwać na Wartą 1815-1914'', ''Dzieje narodu i państwa polskiego'', vol. III-55, Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, Warszawa 1989


External links


Dynastic genealogy
1788 births 1879 deaths People from Kościan County Members of the Prussian House of Lords Members of the Sejm (Provinziallandtag) of Posen Polish generals People from the Grand Duchy of Posen People from the Province of Posen Greater Poland Uprising (1848) participants Polish barons Recipients of the Virtuti Militari Polish commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Generals of the November Uprising Barons of the First French Empire 19th-century agronomists Polish recipients of the Legion of Honour {{Poland-noble-stub