4th Regiment Of Line Infantry
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 4th Line Infantry Regiment () was a
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
of the
Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...
. Formed in 1815, the regiment distinguished itself in the battles of the
November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31) (), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in Russian Partition, the heartland of Partitions of Poland, partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. ...
and remains one of the best-known units of the Polish Army of the era. The soldiers of the regiment are known in Polish historical works as the ''Czwartacy''.


History

The regiment was directly descended from the Napoleonic
Duchy of Warsaw The Duchy of Warsaw (; ; ), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a First French Empire, French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars. It initially comprised the ethnical ...
's . After Napoleon lost control of Poland in 1812, the regiment remained loyal to the emperor and fought in battles of
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
and Arcis-sur-Aube. After his abdication and exile to the Island of
Elba Elba (, ; ) is a Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National Park, a ...
, the remnants of the regiment returned to Russian-controlled
Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...
with their regimental flags, swore an oath to the Russian Tsar and became the cadre of a newly-formed infantry regiment with the same number. Their old regimental flag was retired and is preserved in the Warsaw-based
Polish Army Museum Museum of the Polish Army () is a museum in Warsaw documenting the military history of Poland. Established in 1920 under the Second Polish Republic, it formerly occupied a wing of the building of the Polish National Museum and now occupies a bui ...
. Like its predecessor, the new regiment was based in Warsaw and its main barracks were in the Sapieha Palace. The regiment was recruited in and around
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
from a broad cross-section of society including noblemen (
szlachta The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the nobility, noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social ...
), burghers, and many
serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed dur ...
and
peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...
s.The matter is discussed in: Kostołowski, pp. 12-25 and onwards Because of the proximity of the barracks to the Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich's palace, the 4th Regiment became one of his favourite military units and its soldiers enjoyed the status of his personal guard. This meant that the Grand Duke, very fond of his military units, while also cruel and brutal in their treatment, would march the regiment's soldiers days and nights, in every weather.Nadolski, p. 102 The maltreated regiment's morale was low, yet any sign of discontent was brutally repressed: among those punished was the regiment's Major, a freemason,
Walerian Łukasiński Walerian Łukasiński (15 April 1786 in Warsaw – 27 January 1868 in Shlisselburg) was a Polish officer and political activist. He was sentenced by Russian Empire, Russian Imperial authorities to 14 years' imprisonment. He died after 46 years of ...
. Denounced as the founder of a
secret society A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence ag ...
, he was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment, but eventually was held without trial for 46 years in Russian prisons, most of that in
solitary confinement Solitary confinement (also shortened to solitary) is a form of imprisonment in which an incarcerated person lives in a single Prison cell, cell with little or no contact with other people. It is a punitive tool used within the prison system to ...
.


November Uprising

Following the outbreak of the
November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31) (), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in Russian Partition, the heartland of Partitions of Poland, partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. ...
, the regiment rebelled against the Russian Tsar together with most of the army of the Kingdom of Poland. It fought from the very first day of the uprising and distinguished itself in the
First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
and Second Battle of Wawer, as well as the battles of Dębe Wielkie,
Ostrołęka Ostrołęka (; ) is a small city in northeastern Poland on the Narew river, about northeast of Warsaw, with a population of 51,012 (2021) and an area of . It is the capital of both Ostrołęka County and Ostrołęka City County in the Masovian V ...
and the final Battle of Warsaw.Gembarzewski, p. 69


Nicknames

Officially named the "4th
Line Infantry Line infantry was the type of infantry that formed the bulk of most European land armies from the mid-17th century to the mid-19th century. Maurice of Nassau and Gustavus Adolphus are generally regarded as its pioneers, while Henri de la Tour d ...
Regiment", the soldiers of the new unit continued to use the nickname of ''Czwartacy'' ("Men of the Fourth"), which had achieved some notoriety. During the uprising the unit also was often referred to as "''Tysiąc Walecznych''" ("A Thousand Brave Men") both by the press and general populace.Krzemicka, pp. 162-163 This nickname was popularised in Europe by a German poet Julius Mosen, who published in 1832 a popular poem idealising the regiment and its actions during the war of 1830-1831.Domański (ed.), p. 1


Decorations

During the November Uprising, the regiment received 214
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, ...
crosses: five 3rd class, 55 fourth class and 154 fifth class. This made it one of the most highly decorated Polish units of the epoch.


Regimental commanding officers

* Ignacy Mycielski * Col. Ludwik Bogusławski (1818 - 1820) * Lt.Col. Wit Czajkowski, (1818, again from 18 March 1831) * Lt.Col. Stanisław Kindler (from 17 April 1831) * Lt.Col. Klemens Jórski (from 22 April 1831) * Lt.Col. Kazimierz Majewski (from 20 June 1831) * Lt.Col. Józef Borzęcki (from 22 September 1831) *
Józef Święcicki Józef Święcicki (Polish pronunciation: ; 9 March 1859 – 3 November 1913) was a designer and builder of Bydgoszcz, under Prussian rule. A vast majority of his eclectic-style works can still be found all around the city. Józef Swiecicki was p ...


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * {{wikiquote Infantry regiments of Poland Congress Poland November Uprising 1815 establishments in Poland Military units and formations established in 1815