Maciej Dziewoński (died May 31, 1794) was a Polish

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

, noted for his opposition to the

Kościuszko Uprising The Kościuszko Uprising, also known as the Polish Uprising of 1794, Second Polish War, Polish Campaign of 1794, and the Polish Revolution of 1794, was an uprising against the Russian and Prussian influence on the Polish–Lithuanian Common ...

and his espionage for the

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

ns. Dziewoński spoke openly against the uprising and had close ties to the number of

n Army officers, primarily

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Ignacy Parczewski, who dated his sister, Salomea. Dziewoński informed the Russian military about the situation in the Polish camp. After his espionage activity was uncovered, he was arrested on April 24, 1794. The court in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

found him guilty of high treason and sentenced him to death. After he was expelled from the church, Dziewoński was publicly

beheaded Decapitation is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and all vertebrate animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood by way of severing through the jugular vein and common c ...

by the

sword A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...

. His sister was held in prison until the fall of the uprising. Later she married Praczewski.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dziewonski, Maciej 18th-century births 1794 deaths People executed by Poland by decapitation 18th-century Polish–Lithuanian Roman Catholic priests Executed Polish people People executed by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth People executed for treason against Poland