Józef Sawa-Caliński (about 1736 – May 1771) was a Polish noble and a prominent leader of the

Confederation of Bar The Bar Confederation ( pl, Konfederacja barska; 1768–1772) was an association of Polish nobles ( szlachta) formed at the fortress of Bar in Podolia (now part of Ukraine) in 1768 to defend the internal and external independence of the Pol ...

, a movement aimed against the Polish king and his close relations with

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-ei ...

. Born in Stepashky on

Southern Bug , ''Pivdennyi Buh'' , name_etymology = , image = Sunset S Bug Vinnitsa 2007 G1.jpg , image_size = 270 , image_caption = Southern Bug River in the vicinity of Vinnytsia, Ukraine , map = PietinisBu ...

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Sawa a

Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

and a Polish noble, little is known of his early life. After the outbreak of hostilities following the proclamation of the

in 1768, Sawa-Caliński organized a partisan unit of roughly 2000 armed men. He then engaged in partisan warfare in various parts of Poland, mostly against Russian garrisons and units. He successfully evaded being captured and styled himself a Cossack, which added to his popularity among the gentry, who even elected him a marshal of the land of

Wyszogród Wyszogród is a town in central Poland, in Masovian Voivodeship, in Płock County, by the Vistula River. The population of Wyszogród was 2,793 in 2004. History The settlement dates back to the 7th century, when there was a Slavic pagan temp ...

Antoni Madaliński Antoni Madaliński (1739–1805) – Polish Lieutenant General, commander of 1st Greater Polish National Cavalry Brigade during Kościuszko Uprising. He was Bar Confederation participant. In 1786 was elected deputy and soon after deputy on G ...

and Józef Kuźma were belong to his partizan unit. However, on 26 April 1771 his troop was finally surrounded near Szreńsk and defeated by the Russians. Józef Sawa-Caliński was heavily wounded in the battle, yet he avoided being captured and hid himself in the forests and villages nearby. Sold to the Russians by one of the peasants, he was imprisoned and perished soon afterwards. Died in

Przasnysz Przasnysz (; yi, פראשניץ, russian: Прасныш) is a town in north-central Poland. Located in the Masovian Voivodship, about 110 km north of Warsaw and about 115 km south of Olsztyn, it is the capital of Przasnysz County. It ...

after a few days. His life was immortalized by

Juliusz Słowacki Juliusz Słowacki (; french: Jules Slowacki; 4 September 1809 – 3 April 1849) was a Polish Romantic poet. He is considered one of the "Three Bards" of Polish literature — a major figure in the Polish Romantic period, and the father of mod ...

in his ''Beniowski'' (poem based on

Maurice Benyovszky Count Maurice Benyovszky de Benyó et Urbanó ( hu, Benyovszky Máté Móric Mihály Ferenc Szerafin Ágost; pl, Maurycy Beniowski; sk, Móric Beňovský; 20 September 1746 – 24 May 1786) was a renowned military officer, adventurer, and writ ...

's life), ''Sen srebrny Salomei (en: The Silver Dream of Salomea")'',

Henryk Rzewuski Henryk Rzewuski (3 May 1791 – 28 February 1866) was a Polish nobleman, Romantic-era journalist and novelist. Life Count Henryk Rzewuski was a scion of a Polish magnate family in Ukraine. He was the son of Adam Wawrzyniec Rzewuski, a Russian s ...

, ''Pamiątki Soplicy''.

References

* 1730s births 1771 deaths People from Vinnytsia Oblast Polish nobility Polish Cossacks Bar confederates Military personnel of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth {{Poland-noble-stub