Joseph Antoine Ernest, Comte de Lipowski was a French general of Polish origin that served the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

and was notable for being the main French commander of several battles of the war.

Biography

Early life and family

Ernest was born on 12 June 1843 in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

as the son of Pierre Nicolas Joseph Albert de Lipowski and Marguerite Sophie Laroche. He had two marriages with his first wife being Marie Eggerickx who died within a few years, and then with Marianne Eastwood in 1876.

Military career

After graduating from the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, he became an officer but initially resigned this position due to several financial embarrassments. He later returned to military service when the

broke out and commanded the French forces at the battles of

Châteaudun Châteaudun () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It was the site of the Battle of Châteaudun during the Franco-Prussian War. Geography Châteaudun is located about 45 ...

and Varize. For his service at Châteaudun, he was awarded the

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 ...

, knight class. He was sidelined in the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

due to his friendship with Napoléon La Cécilia who was a communard and who had also served at Châteaudun. Lipowski also participated in the Siege of Paris on 8 October 1870 as the main commander of 130 ''

Francs-tireurs (; ) were irregular military formations deployed by France during the early stages of the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71). The term was revived and used by partisans to name two major French Resistance movements set up to fight against Nazi G ...

'' from Denonville as they attacked the 4th Squadron of the 16th Cavalry Regiment from

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

and the 11th Cavalry Regiment from

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

that were stationed at Albis. The snipers fell back, taking 70 prisoners and 200 horses. In retaliation for this attack, known as the Ablis surprise, the Germans burned 120 houses, shot 6 residents and took 22 hostages to their headquarters in Le Mesnil-Saint-Denis who were finally released the next day.

Later years

In his later years of military service, he served in the armies of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

and the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

simultaneously when in 1873, he was caught committing '' escroquerie'' as Lipowski had a large amount of unpaid bills but avoided prosecution in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

due to being a French citizen but was removed from the records of the Legion due to this. His service at Austria-Hungary isn't well known but it was documented that he briefly served in the 41st regiment of the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

and during his final years, served as a commander in the Russian Empire until his death on 23 February 1904 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

References

Bibliography

* Alphonse Halter, ''Joseph Antoine Ernest Lipowski'', in '' New Dictionary of Alsatian Biography'', vol. 24, {{DEFAULTSORT:Lipowski, Ernest de 1843 births 1904 deaths French military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War French generals Knights of the Legion of Honour People of the Paris Commune Military personnel from Strasbourg