Michał Wielhorski (1755–1805) was a Polish-Lithuanian count. In 1789, he was a brigadier of the Polish

Crown Army The Crown Army (Polish language, Polish: ''Armia koronna'') was the Ground warfare, land Military branch, service branch of the Military of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, military forces of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland in the Polish� ...

. In 1792, he was made a lieutenant general of that army and he fought in the War of 1792. During 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 ...

, he was a lieutenant general of the Grand Ducal Lithuanian army. Son of Michał Wielhorski, brother of General

Józef Wielhorski Józef Wielhorski (1759–1817) was a Polish General officer, general. As an officer (rotmistrz) he fought in the Polish–Russian War of 1792 and later, as a colonel, in the Kościuszko Uprising. Tadeusz Kościuszko sent him to revolutionary F ...

. He was an officer in the Habsburg army. He was in the same regiment as

Józef Poniatowski Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski (; 7 May 1763 – 19 October 1813) was a Polish general, minister of war and army chief, who became a Marshal of the French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. A nephew of the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lit ...

, and was his friend. They fought together in the

Austro-Turkish War (1788–1791) The Austro-Turkish War, also known as the Habsburg–Ottoman War, was fought from 1788 to 1791, between the Habsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire. During the conflict, Habsburg armies succeeded in taking Belgrade (1789) and liberating much o ...

and were both wounded at

Šabac Šabac ( sr-Cyrl, Шабац, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Mačva District in western Serbia. The traditional centre of the fertile Mačva region, Šabac is located on the right banks of the river ...

in 1788. Together they entered service in the Polish Crown Army. Wielhorski was the brigadier of the 2nd Ukrainian National Cavalry Brigade with the rank of colonel. In 1792, he was a lieutenant general as the commander of the 2nd Ukrainian Division. He fought in the Volyn campaign. He was beaten at Boruszkowce. Poniatowski's right hand in the War of 1792, where he distinguished himself in the

battle of Zieleńce The Battle of Zieleńce was a battle in the Polish–Russian War of 1792, in defence of the Polish Constitution of 3 May 1791. The battle took place on 18 June 1792, between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Army of Józef Poniatowski and an ...

(he and Poniatowski were accused of speaking German on the battlefield). After

Stanisław Poniatowski Stanisław Poniatowski was the name of several Polish nobles: * Stanisław Poniatowski (1676–1762), castellan of Kraków * Stanisław August Poniatowski Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 Februa ...

joined the

Targowica Confederation The Targowica Confederation (, , ) was a confederation established by Polish and Lithuanian magnates on 27 April 1792, in Saint Petersburg, with the backing of the Russian Empress Catherine II. The confederation opposed the Constitution of 3 May ...

, he resigned and emigrated. He came to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth again with Poniatowski to join the

in May 1794, where, as a lieutenant general, he was the commander of the Lithuanian army from June 4, after the resignation of Jakub Jasiński. However, the military actions he conducted in Lithuania and in defense of Vilnius were unsuccessful, as he lacked support and his predecessor's energy and charisma. As a result of inaction, he lost Vilnius, then broke down and asked for his resignation. However, he later fought to defend Praga. Being seriously ill with his eyes, he went for treatment, and on August 5, by the decision of

Tadeusz Kościuszko Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko (; 4 or 12 February 174615 October 1817) was a Polish Military engineering, military engineer, statesman, and military leader who then became a national hero in Poland, the United States, Lithuania, and ...

, he was replaced as the commander of the Lithuanian army by Stanisław Mokronowski. After Kościuszko was taken prisoner, the new commander, Tomasz Wawrzecki, proposed Wielhorski as a member of the War Council, which was blocked by the "Jacobite" faction. Wielhorski was one of the main figures of the "court" faction of the insurgents, together with Prince Józef, Stanisław Mokronowski and Eustachy Sanguszko. Suffering for the rest of his life from complications from a head wound near Šabac, he died in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

in 1805. He was the third after Poniatowski and Kościuszko on the original list of awarded the Order of

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, ...

, the highest Polish-Lithuanian military award, in 1792.

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wielhorski, Michal 1755 births 1805 deaths 18th-century Polish nobility Polish generals Recipients of the Virtuti Militari Kościuszko insurgents 18th-century Polish military personnel 19th-century Polish nobility 19th-century Polish military personnel