Marian Langiewicz, full name Marian Antoni Melchior Langiewicz (; 5 August 1827 – 11 May 1887), was one of the leaders of the Polish

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 ...

against the Russian Empire in 1863.

Biography

He was born in the

province of Posen The Province of Posen (; ) was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1848 to 1920, occupying most of the historical Greater Poland. The province was established following the Greater Poland Uprising (1848), Poznań Uprisi ...

, as the son of Wojciech (1793-1831) and Eleonora née Kluczewska (1795-1861). His father Wojciech was local doctor. In turn his mother Eleonora was noblewoman from the prominent Kluczewski family. His maternal great-uncle was diplomat and royal secretary Ignacy Kluczewski. Langiewicz was educated at Posen, Breslau, and

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, and was compelled to earn his daily bread by giving lectures. He subsequently entered the Prussian

Landwehr ''Landwehr'' (), or ''Landeswehr'', is a German language term used in referring to certain national army, armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large-scale, low-strength fo ...

and served for a year in the royal guard. In 1860 he migrated to Paris and was for a time professor in the high school founded there by Ludwik Adam Mieroslawski. The same year he took part in

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...

's Neapolitan campaign, and was then a professor in the military school at

Cuneo Cuneo (; ; ; ) is a city and in Piedmont, Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the fourth largest of Italy’s provinces by area. It is located at 550 metres (1,804 ft) in the south-west of Piedmont, at the confluence of the ri ...

till the establishment was closed. In 1862 he entered into communication with the central Polish committee at

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, and on the outbreak of the insurrection, 22 January 1863, he took the command of the armed bands. He defeated the Russians at

Wąchock Wąchock is a town in Starachowice County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland, near Starachowice, within the historical region of Lesser Poland. In 2006, it had 2,777 inhabitants. History Wachock received its town charter in 1 ...

and Słupia (February), capturing 1000 muskets and 8 cannon. This victory drew hundreds of young recruits to his standard, till at last he had 12,000 men at his disposal. On 23 February he again defeated the Russians, at

Małogoszcz Małogoszcz is a town in the Jędrzejów County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in southern Poland. The Battle of Małogoszcz. one of the biggest battles of the 1863 January Uprising, took place there. Małogoszcz belongs to Lesser Poland; the nam ...

, and captured 500 muskets and 2 cannons. On 10 March he proclaimed himself Dictator and attempted to form a regular government; but either he had insufficient organizing talent, or had not time enough to carry out his plans, and after a fresh series of engagements at the battle of Chrobrze on 17 March and battle of Grochowiska on 18 March he took refuge in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n territory and was interned at

Tarnów Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east– ...

. He was subsequently transferred to the fortress of Josephstadt, from which he was released in 1865. He then lived at Solothurn as a citizen of the Swiss Republic, and subsequently entered the Turkish service as Langie Bey. He died in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

on 10 May 1887 and is buried at the Haidar Pasha Cemetery with his English wife Suzanne (2 February 1837 - 24 November 1906).

References

* * See Boleslaw Limanowski, ''The National Insurrection of 1863-64'' (Pol.) (Lemberg, 1900); Paulo Mazzolcni, ''I Bergamaschi in Polonia net 1863'' (Bergamo, 1893); W. H. Bavink, ''De Poolsche opstand 1863, &c.'' (Haarlein, 1864). {{DEFAULTSORT:Langiewicz, Marian 1827 births 1887 deaths People from Krotoszyn 19th-century Ottoman military personnel Generals of the January Uprising Polish generals Polish participants of the January Uprising Burials at Haydarpaşa Cemetery Polish emigrants to the Ottoman Empire