#Stanisław Linowski

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When Fucking Spring Is in the Air (2023) Danyael Sugawara

November 15th 2024

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Apart from Marshal Murat, was Prince Poniatowski friends with any other prominent generals in the Grande Armee? I remember reading somewhere that he had a good relationship with Marshal Ney, but not much else besides that. (Also could you perhaps expand on his friendship with Ney?)

Thanks a lot for asking such an interesting question, @historyman101 ! And because I was just about to prepare the post about prince Józef friends and companions in arms I decided to join all in one.

So, please meet a short review of 

Prince Józef’s pals and comrades

(Well, I know that the title may sound a little bit strange, but it was the best I was able to translate the term, so if you are English native speaker - do not hesitate to correct me!)

To start I would like from two Karls, who both were... Austrians. (How could it be otherwise if Pepi spent his youth at court of Holy Roman Empire in Vienna? ;) )

The first “Karl” was prince Charles Joseph Emmanuel de Ligne, who, being born in 1759, was four years older than Pepi. Together with prince Józef, they were the only two members of Viennese high society’s circle called “Indissolubles” (the rest - as you might have guessed, including Poniatowski’s first love Karolina von Thun, were ladies).

And “indissoluble” these two - Józef and Karl - were to such a degree, that when in 1788 the former had to accompany his uncle to the summit with the Russian empress Catherine in Kaniów, the latter decided to join them. (However, de Ligne might have had another reason - namely, he was unhappy with his wife,  Helena Apolonia Massalska, whom he married in 1779.)

Giuseppe Grassi, portrait of Charles de Ligne

Anyway, soon afterwards the “indissoluble” had to “dissolve” - Pepi followed his uncle’s request and went to Poland. Where there were waiting for him, first, parties and other joyful events of the Great Sejm. And then - maneuvers and a war, to defend the newly accepted Constitution. And as for Charles - the year 1792 also brought participation in fighting, with newly created army of the Revolutionary France. During which he was killed.

A small digression - do you remember another de Ligne, an old marshal, who commented in 1814, shortly before his death, the Viennese congress with words:  “The Congress makes no progress; it dances”? This was the above mentioned prince Charles’s father...

The next Karl, prince von Schwarzenberg, was to outlive prince Józef, by seven years. Though everything might have happened differently. Because in 1788, when both Schwarzenberg, that time only 16 years old officer, and Poniatowski, a little bit more experienced colonel, participated in the Austrian-Turkish war, in the battle of Šabac, the latter, launching a decisive attack, saved the life of the former. (After that Pepi himself had to be also rescued, and this was done by one of his soldiers - but this is another story...)

Unknown painter, Portrait of Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg

Little did prince Józef know that time, that in 25 years he would have to fight with Karl “number two” on the opposite sides. Because it was prince von Schwarzenberg who commanded the Austrians in the campaigns of 1812-1813... (A little bit more about these two relationship - here. And here is an image depicting them together.)

As for other Austrians there may also be named Karl Mack von Leiberich (yes, that very Mack who would in 1805 be beaten by Napoleon). During the above-mentioned war, he initiated prince Józef into the principles of tactics and strategy.

But let’s set the Austrians aside and switch to the Poles. Remember the story of prince Józef supposedly riding naked? In one of the versions his did this not alone, but in company of friends. And one of them, is said, was prince Eustachy Sanguszko.

Sanguszko was born in 1768, in 1789 he just joined the army. Later he participated both in Polish-Russian War of 1792, and Kościuszko Uprising. But after the third partition of Poland prince Eustachy became the Russian citizen (because his family lands turned out to be in that part of former Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth), and joined the Russian army.

Jacob Schorn, portrait of Eustachy Erazm prince Sanguszko, 1814

In 1812, however, prince Sanguszko was among those, who joined Napoleon. But in the beginning of 1813, seeing how much the situation changed, he resigned from his duties in the Army of the Duchy of Warsaw and went “home”.

Besides prince Sanguszko among prince Józef friends of that time there may be named such people as Michał Wielhorski (1755-1805), Michał Grabowski (1773–1812, probable illegitimate son of the king Stanisław August), and even… Tadeusz Kościuszko. (Not that Poniatowski was very close with the future leader of the Insurrection, but diarists recall these two were sometimes seen riding together.)

One more person, whom I can’t help mentioning, is Aleksander Linowski. (I wasn’t able to find a portrait of him, so let me give you a link to Mateyko’s famous painting Constitution of 3 May 1791 where among others Linowski is depicted. Yes, Aleksander Linowski was one of its co-authors.) And no doubts that Aleksander and prince Józef get acquainted already that time, though it looks like they were not very close then.

But in the end of life prince Józef’s undoubtedly had trust in Aleksander, because in his will, written in 1812 Poniatowski made Linowski his main executor.

Linowski at the prince Józef’s premises before dawn May 7, 1813 (drawing by Andrzej Kowalczyk)

And it is due Linowski we know about the doubts Poniatowski had about Napoleon (more on the topic - here), because in the morning after that very night the former visited the latter, and the latter confided in him.

Ok, let’s move further. In 1798, having accepted the legacy of the deceased uncle, king Stanisław August, Pepi settled in Warsaw. In the time when the former Polish capital belonged to Prussians it wasn’t such a lively and jubilant city it used to be during the Great Sejm. A lot people left it, life slowed down, and there was not much to do for a person of prince Józef’s type. (Not without reason biographers often called eight years of Poniatowski’s life - from 1798 to 1806 - as “compulsory vacations”.)

And prince Józef’s close environment of that time differed a lot from what it used to be. Pepi’s “friends” of that time were younger than him, and were notorious because of dandyism (to distinguish themselves from other these youths even wore a kind of uniform - green tailcoats with gilded buttons where there were depicted a horse's head and an inscription "Yablonna") and loud parties (which often ended with duels or fighting with the Prussian police). Their common name was “Blacha’s people” - a derisive from Poniatowski’s palace’s name - “Pod Blachą”.

“Blacha’s people” accosts Prussian officers inside an inn (painting by Wojciech Kossak)

Wanna exact names? There a lot of them. The above mentioned Michał Grabowski and his brother Józef, brothers Cichockis (who, btw, also might have been illegitimate sons of Stanisław August), brothers Matuszewicz, a lot of Potockis (Stanisław, Marceli, Aleksander, Michał, Artur and Antoni), Józef Rautenstrauch, Filip Friebes, Kajetan Hebdowski, Ludwik Kamieniecki, Michał Brzostowski, Ludwik Kicki...

But all that “gang” wasn’t as bad as you, having read the above mentioned, might think. Because in 1807, with the creation of the Duchy of Warsaw, almost all of them joined the army and had a chance to distinguish themselves on the battlefield.

And besides them there were in prince Józef’s closest circle people, who had had real military experience. For example, Józef Szumlański (1769 - 1839), who, having graduated the Knight's School of Knights, participated not only in campaigns of 1792 and 1794 on the Polish soil, but also joined the Polish Legions and then took part in Napoleon’s Egypt expedition. 

Portrait of Colonel Józef Jerzy Szumlański, unknown painter, circa 1815

In 1805, however, Szumlański fought against French, with Russians. But in 1806 he left the tsarist service and went to his motherland. In the Army of the Duchy of Warsaw prince Józef’s namesake first served in the cavalry staffs (rising to the rank of colonel in 1809), then was made Poniatowski's adjutant, and later - the commander of his headquarters. And, in comparison with many other - this namesake of prince Józef stayed with him till Poniatowski’s death.

Can’t help but mention that diarists recalled, that after 1809, when Pepi became involved in liaison with Zofia Czosnowska, his another mistress Henriette de Vauban “found consolation” in arms of Szumlański. (More about Poniatowski’s women I wrote here.)

And one person I would like to mention here is general Stanisław Fiszer. He also graduated from  the Knight's School of Knights, fought in the Uprising (and was captured together with Kościuszko), then in the Polish Legions. After resignation in 1801 he lived for some time in Paris, then moved to his wife’s estate to Poland. And with the establishment of the Duchy of Warsaw returned to military service.

Portrait of general Stanisław Fiszer, anonymous author, 19th century

In 1808 Fiszer was mad a brigadier general and chief of staff of the army. In the famous battle of Raszyn in 1809, he was wounded, and later received the Virtuti Militari Cross.

In 1812, General Fiszer participated in Napoleon's Moscow campaign as part of Prince Józef's corps. And on October 18, on the first day of the retreat, when the 5th Polish Corps, protecting the center of Murat's forces, drew enemy fire on itself, Stanisław Fiszer was killed.

Ok, and what about Fiszer relations with Poniatowski and the rest of the officers from the “Blacha’s people”, to whom Fiszer never belonged? Well, the latter didn’t like the pedantic general of German origins much. They liked to prank (like, for example, in 1809 in Kraków, when, having got drunk, the young staff of Poniatowski - Potocki, Kamieniecki etc - took Austrian documents to the market square, set them on fire and, after taken off their clothes, started jumping over the blaze), and Fiszer always required discipline.

As for prince Józef - he once made a prank on general Fiszer himself. Namely - as Fiszer’s wife recalled in her memoires - one morning when the chief of staff came to his commander with a report the latter received him, being seated on the night pot! (This, of course, made Fiszer to retire with a promise to come later, when Poniatowski would be ready, and prince Józef thus “saved himself” from the talk he wanted to avoid )))

However, despite the all above mentioned it looked like that these two men at least liked each other. Because Fiszer, as diarists recalled, copied prince Józef style and manners - he was often seen wearing a hat just like Poniatowski had, and having it just the same way aslant. And as well - just like prince Józef - Stanisław smoked a pipe.

Ok, and what about the Frenchmen, you may ask? Being a high military commander of French friendly state prince Poniatowski definitely must have acquired some acquaintance in that area?

The answer will be yes, he did, though marshal Ney, as it was assumed in the question, it looks like that wasn’t among them.

Who was, in that case? Murat, of course. (Just for the record - let me leave here a link to the chain of posts on the topic of Poniatowski and Murat’s friendship.)

And Davout.

Because it was “the Iron Marshal” who was left by Napoleon as governor-general of the newly created Duchy of Warsaw.

Pierre Claude Gautherot, portrait of marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout, 1805.

And though at first the future Duke of Auerstädt had a lot of prejudice towards a nephew of the last Polish king, after a year spent in the Polish capital, the former left it having a complete trust to the latter.

(In order not to repeat I’d rather give the link to the post of @histoireettralala where this story is described in details.)

And I myself would better write more about others, less known French possible friends of Poniatowski.

The first of them will be Charles Antoine Morand, a division general of Davout’s corps.

Equestrian portrait of General Charles Antoine Morand, unknown author, 19th century

And this will be a story not devoid of a romantic note.

Because at a ball organized by Duke of Warsaw in December 1807, general Morand spotted Emilia, the sixteen-year-old daughter of count Parys, and fell in love with her at first sight. Soon afterwards he proposed, and was accepted. The wedding took place in January of the next year, and prince Józef played a role of the best man on that ceremony.

This acquaintance, however - as well as with Davout, didn’t last very long, because in autumn of 1808 the French Army leaved the Duchy.

Nevertheless, some Frenchmen still stayed in Warsaw, and prince Józef definitely had to communicate with them. These people were, as you might have guessed, French ambassadors to the Duchy.

First of them was Louis-Etienne Vincent de Marniola (1807 - 1809), then he was replaced by Jean-Charles Serra (1809 - 1811), in 1812 the ambassador was a clergyman, abbot de Pradt.

But besides them there was one more person, who hold the office in 1811 and 1813, Louis Pierre Edouard Bignon.

Portrait of Louis Pierre Edouard Bignon

As Bignon recalled in his memoires, he got acquainted with prince Józef back in Berlin in 1801. (And already that time it became obvious to the future ambassador, how much Poniatowski was worth as a patriot and as a friend.)

So no wonder, that when Bignon arrived to Warsaw as a French resident, their friendship was “renewed”. And in 1813, when after a year of abbot de Pradt unsuccessful mission baron Bignon returned (the most of the year 1812 he spent in Wilno, playing the role of Napoleon’s ambassador to Lithuania), prince Józef was very glad to see his old friend again.

And later Bignon accompanied the Army of the Duchy first from Warsaw to Kraków, the from Kraków to Drezden. And there in Saxony, as the Frenchman recalled, they “constantly saw each other or corresponded with each other”. Almost till “the unfortunate battle of Leipzig”.

So, together with Murat, Louis Edouard Bignon may be, in my opinion, called the friend who was with prince Józef till the end...

And and on that note I would like to end the post, which, as usual, being promised a short one, turned again into a log read... (I hope the pictures made it a little less boring? ))) But if I recall something else, I would definitely add it!

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Stanisław Linowski, laureat PPA: "Śpiewam trochę o Polsce, ale śpiewam też o relacjach."

from Najnowsze audycje - Radio TOK FM http://bit.ly/2GhrbAi via TOK FM