Dominik Dziewanowski ( Płonne, 1759–1827, Płonne) was a Polish military officer, a general in the

Army of the Duchy of Warsaw The Army of the Duchy of Warsaw ( Polish: ''Armia Księstwa Warszawskiego'') refers to the military forces of the Duchy of Warsaw. The Army was significantly based on the Polish Legions; it numbered about 30,000 and was expanded during wartime t ...

."Dziewanowski, Dominik (1759–1827)", ''Generałowie Księstwa Warszawskiego'' (Generals of the Duchy of Warsaw)
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Life

Family

Dominik Dziewanowski was a Polish nobleman who came from a

Mazowsze Mazovia or Masovia ( ) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the largest city and Płock being the capital of the region . Throughout the ...

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 ...

family of the

Jastrzębiec coat of arms Jastrzębiec () is one of the most ancient Polish heraldry, Polish coat of arms. Dating back to the 10th century, it has been used by Poland's oldest szlachta families — Poland's Immemorial nobility — and remains in use today. History Legend ...

. His father was the

Castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

Chełmno Chełmno (; older ; , formerly also ) is a town in northern Poland near the Vistula river with 18,915 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the seat of the Chełmno County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Due to its regional importance ...

, Juliusz Dziewanowski, and his mother was Ludwika, ''née'' Pawłowska.

Friendship with Fredrick Chopin

Dominik Dziewanowski's family was closely befriended with

Fryderyk Chopin The Fryderyk is the annual award in Polish music. Its name refers to the original Polish spelling variant of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin's first name. Its status in the Polish public can be compared to the US Grammy and British BRIT Awar ...

's since the years that Fryderyk's father, Mikołaj Chopin, worked as a tutor to the Dziewanowski family's children. Dominik Dziewanowski's father became godfather to Ludwika Chopin, Fryderyk's sister. Dominik become one of young Fryderyk Chopin's closest childhood friends, in a Warsaw boarding school and in the summer vacations of 1825 and 1826, which Fryderyk spent on the Dziewanowski estate, Szafarnia. It was around Dominik Dziewanowski's family estate that Chopin's music was influenced by folk music of the countryside.

Military career

Dominik Dziewanowski served in the Prussian Army, then in the Polish Army, where he was adjutant to Prince

Stanisław Poniatowski Stanisław Poniatowski was the name of several Polish nobles: * Stanisław Poniatowski (1676–1762), castellan of Kraków * Stanisław August Poniatowski Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 Februa ...

. In the 1794

Kościuszko Uprising The Kościuszko Uprising, also known as the Polish Uprising of 1794, Second Polish War, Polish Campaign of 1794, and the Polish Revolution of 1794, was an uprising against the Russian and Prussian influence on the Polish–Lithuanian Common ...

, he fought at

Rypin Rypin is a town in north-central Poland, in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, about 50 km east of Toruń. It is the capital of Rypin County. Population is 16,528 (2010). History Rypin was founded in the Middle Ages, and was part of Poland ...

and

Łabiszyn Łabiszyn is a small town in Żnin County, in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland, with 4,452 inhabitants (2010). It is located on the Noteć river near Żnin, on the border between the historic regions of Pałuki and Kuyavia. History ...

. After the suppression of the

, he settled on his country estate but nevertheless maintained contact with the Polish Legions and supported them financially. In 1806, he formed the 6th Lancers Regiment and joined the

. At the head of his regiment he fought in Napoleonic campaigns: in 1807, in

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

, at

Tczew Tczew (, formerly ) is a city on the Vistula River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland, with 59,111 inhabitants (December 2021). It is the capital of Tczew County and the largest city of the ethnocultural region of Kociewie within th ...

and

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

, and in 1809 at

Sandomierz Sandomierz (pronounced: ; , ) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (), situated on the Vistula River near its confluence with the San, in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy ...

. During the second campaign, he also took

Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...

and took part in the capture of

Zamość Zamość (; ; ) is a historical city in southeastern Poland. It is situated in the southern part of Lublin Voivodeship, about from Lublin, from Warsaw. In 2021, the population of Zamość was 62,021. Zamość was founded in 1580 by Jan Zamoyski ...

. In 1810, he was promoted brigadier general and appointed military commandant of the

Łomża Department Łomża Department (Polish: ''Departament Łomzyński'') was an administrative division and local government in the Polish Duchy of Warsaw in the years 1807–15. The department comprised 10 counties and had its capital at Łomża. From January ...

. He did not assume the

post, as he went on sick leave, which he spent in Teplitz and Karlsbad. In 1810–12, he was military commandant of the Lublin Department; and in 1812, of the Radom Department. In

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's 1812

Russian Campaign The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign (), the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812 (), was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of compelling the Russian Empire to comply with the continent ...

, he commanded the 28th Light Cavalry Brigade of the 4th Cavalry Division (4th Cavalry Reserve Corps) and fought at Mir and Romanov. During the defense of

Barysaw Barysaw or Borisov (, ; , ) is a city in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Barysaw District. It is located on the Berezina, Berezina River and north-east from the capital Minsk. As of 2025, it has a population of 1 ...

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

he was seriously wounded and was taken prisoner by the Russians. In 1814, he settled back in his rural estate, where he spent the rest of his life. Military historian writes of Dziewanowski:

Distinctions

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, ...

, 1808 *

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, 1809

Writings

Dziewanowski translated a number of French military writings into Polish, wrote an interesting memoir, and left a manuscript work on the

Polish cavalry The Polish cavalry () can trace its origins back to the days of medieval cavalry knights. Poland is mostly a country of flatlands and fields and mounted forces operate well in this environment. The knights and heavy cavalry gradually evolved in ...