Antoni Paweł Sułkowski | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Antoni Paweł Sułkowski |
| Born | (1785-12-31)31 December 1785 |
| Died | 13 April 1836(1836-04-13) (aged 50) Rydzyna, Poland (then part of thePrussian partition) |
| Allegiance |  Duchy of Warsaw |
| Service years | 1806–1818 |
| Rank | Division general |
| Unit | Legia Poznanska |
| Awards | Virtuti Militari Légion d'honneur Order of the White Eagle |
PrinceAntoni Paweł Sułkowski (born 31 December 1785 inLeszno,[1] died 13 April 1836 inRydzyna), of theSułkowski family, was a Polishdivision general (who also spent time in French service) and later overall commander of the armed forces of theDuchy of Warsaw.
He began his military service in 1806 during theWielkopolska Uprising when he personally funded the formation of thefirst regiment [pl] ofLegia Poznanska [pl] (Poznań Legion), and took the command of the unit. He took part in theNapoleonic Wars and specifically, the first Polish campaign (1806–1807), where he fought with the French at theSiege of Gdańsk (Danzig) andSiege of Kołobrzeg (Kolberg). Between 1808 and 1809 hefought in Spain, including at theBattle of Almonacid andBattle of Ocana. He was appointed as the governor ofMálaga, and in 1810 was promoted toBrigadier General.[1]
In the1812 War against Russia (which Napoleon referred to as his "Second Polish Campaign") he commanded acavalry brigade in CountJózef Poniatowski's5th Corps. The Polish poet and playwrightAleksander Fredro, who served under him, recalled that while Sułkowski was courageous and honorable, he had trouble acquiring the full confidence of his men, partly because he tended to use infantry tactics (Sułkowski's previous command) when in charge of a cavalry unit.[2]
In theWar of the Sixth Coalition he was a division general and led the 4th Cavalry Corps ofMichał Sokolnicki. After the death of Poniatowski on 19 October 1813, Sułkowski was briefly the main commander of the Polish Corps, even though he was only twenty eight years old at the time. Sułkowski however, did not wish to fight outside of Poland again, and acting on behalf of his unit's sentiment, vowed that Polish troops would not cross theRhine. After Napoleon made a personal appeal to Polish soldiers they became willing to follow the emperor which put Sułkowski in a difficult position; if he continued to lead his troops he would have to break the oath he made earlier.[3] As a result, he submitted his resignation which was accepted byNapoleon and returned to Poland. The remaining Polish forces from then on were commanded byJan Henryk Dąbrowski.
After theCongress of Vienna Antoni supportedCongress Poland (saying that it was a "small and poor version of Poland but Poland nonetheless, and it had that holy name") and TsarAlexander I of Russia, even becoming hisaide-de-camp in September 1815. However, by 1818 he became disillusioned with the political situation, lack of real autonomy or independence for the quasi-Polish state, and the tsar's refusal to join lands of theRussian partition to Congress Poland. As a result, he resigned his official posts and began focusing on personal matters.[4]
In 1818 he settled permanently in Rydzyna (part of thePrussian partition of Poland) and became active in politics. Sułkowski was made a member of thePrussian State Council, byKing Frederick William and later was a Marshall of theSejm of the Grand Duchy of Posen and participated in the two founding sejms ofthe grand duchy in 1827 and 1830. As a prominent politician in the Grand Duchy he tried to protect the use ofPolish language and Polish education against forcedGermanization and discrimination by the Prussian authorities.
During theNovember Uprising against Russia inCongress Poland in 1830, Sułkowski considered joining the insurrection but made a condition of his involvement that he be given his own separate military unit to command. However, personal and family considerations precluded him from following through on this commitment. Nonetheless after the uprising was suppressed he actively campaigned against repression of the insurrectionists and advocated for a general amnesty.
He received the Cavalier's CrossVirtuti Militari[5] as well as the Officer's Cross ofLégion d'honneur.[6]
He was the son ofVoivode ofKaliszAntoni Sułkowski (1735–1796) and Karolina Bubna-Littitz, from aGermanizedCzechHouse of Bubna-Litic.[2][7] His father was an associate of the Russian general and ambassador,Nicholas Repnin, who was sent to Poland byCatherine the Great. During theSejm of the First Partition, the elder Sułkowski actively supported Russian, Prussian and Austrianpartition of Poland and for his service was awardedOrder of St. Andrew byEmpress Catherine the Great of Russia. Unlike his parents, however, the younger Sułkowski became a Polish patriot, supposedly after witnessing theWarsaw Uprising of 1794 against Russian rule as an eight-year-old.
He studied inWrocław and at theUniversity of Göttingen.
In 1808 he married Ewa Kicka, the daughter ofOnufry Kicki [pl], the formerChamberlain to the last king of Poland,Stanisław August Poniatowski. The couple had three daughters; Helena (married CountHenryk Potocki), Ewa (married CountWładysław Potocki) and Teresa (marriedHenryk Wodzicki [pl]) and one son, Antoni, who marriedMaria Mycielska (Antoni's wife Ewa died soon after childbirth).
In 1836 he caughtscarlet fever from one of his children and died. He was buried in a family crypt in the Church of Saint Stanisław in Rydzyna.[2]
Today, in the city ofKołobrzeg a major street is named after Sułkowski in commemoration of his part in the Siege of the city in 1807. There are also streets and plazas, as well as schools named after him throughout Poland, including in his home town of Rydzyna.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), last accessed, 3/25/2011