Wojciech Chrzanowski (14 January 1793 – 26 February 1861) was a Polish general who participated in Napoleon's Russian campaign and in the battles of

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, and Waterloo. After Napoleon's final defeat he served in the national army of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, and served in the Imperial Russian Army under

Hans Karl von Diebitsch Hans Karl Friedrich Anton Graf von Diebitsch und Narten (russian: Ива́н Ива́нович Ди́бич-Забалка́нский, tr. ; 13 May 1785 – 10 June 1831) was a German-born soldier serving as Russian field marshal. Career ...

against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in 1828/29. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the

Order of Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King St ...

. Chrzanowski was born on 14 January 1793 in Biskupice. He was made Governor of

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

in 1831. He was suspected of being untrustworthy in his conduct with the

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

ns and was shunned by many of the people, emigrating to Paris at the end of 1831. In 1841 he was in the service of the British government.

Lord Palmerston Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...

sent him to assist the Ottoman military reforms, acting as a British military attaché in the field.

Charles Albert Charles Albert (; 2 October 1798 – 28 July 1849) was the King of Sardinia from 27 April 1831 until 23 March 1849. His name is bound up with the first Italian constitution, the Albertine Statute, and with the First Italian War of Independenc ...

, King of Sardinia, called Chrzanowski after the armistice that concluded the 1848 campaign of the First Italian War of Independence as Chief of Staff of the Piedmontese army; this caused friction in the ranks, as he was largely seen as the King's creature, and his figure and attitude did not command much respect. After

Eusebio Bava Eusebio Bava (6 August 1790 in Vercelli – 30 April 1854 in Torino) was an Italian general who fought in the First Italian War of Independence. Biography Born at Vercelli, Bava fought as a volunteer under Napoleonic French flag against Prussia ...

was removed as General in Chief, he was officially named ''Generale maggiore'' (

Major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

, not a rank but a title for the head of staff) for the upcoming campaign (although de facto he would lead the army). The 1849 campaign was however a complete failure, as he was outmaneuvered and defeated by Josef Radetzky in the Battle of Novara. General Girolamo Ramorino was blamed for the defeat, and subsequently executed; however Chrzanowski did not escape censure and was dismissed from Sardinian service. He lived for a time in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

but died in

(26 February 1861). He published several works in

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

Publications

* Chesney, ''Russo-Turkish Campaigns of 1828–29'' * Piero Pieri, ''Storia Militare del Risorgimento'', 1962, Giulio Einaudi Editore, Torino

References

Polish generals in other armies Generals of the November Uprising Activists of the Great Emigration Knights of the Virtuti Militari Burials at Montmartre Cemetery 1793 births 1861 deaths Polish generals in the Imperial Russian Army {{Poland-mil-bio-stub