Józef Bielak ( – 11 June 1794) was a

Lipka Tatar The Lipka Tatars are a Turkic ethnic group and minority in Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus who originally settled in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the beginning of the 14th century. The first Tatar settlers tried to preserve their Pagan tradi ...

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

, who fought in the

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

, the

Polish–Russian War of 1792 The Polish–Russian War of 1792 (also, War of the Second Partition, and in Polish sources, War in Defence of the Constitution) was fought between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth on one side, and the Targowica Confederation (conservativ ...

and the

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 ...

of 1794. He commanded the 4th Lithuanian Advance Guard Regiment from 1763 to his death in 1794.

Early life

He was the son of Samuel Osman Bielak and Regina née Rudnicka.

Military career

Seven Years' War (1761–1763)

In 1761 he became a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in general Czymbaj Murza Rudnicki's regiment, which was assigned to the

Royal Saxon army The Royal Saxon Army () was the military force of the Electorate (1682–1807) and later the Kingdom of Saxony (1807–1918). A regular Saxon army was first established in 1682 and it continued to exist until the abolition of the German monarchies ...

until 1764. With it, he fought in

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

and Czechia during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. In 1763 he was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

and a year later he became the commander of the 4th Lithuanian Vanguard Regiment.

Bar Confederation (1768–1772)

During the

he fought on the side of the Confederates, under the command of

Casimir Pulaski Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski (; March 4 or 6, 1745 October 11, 1779), anglicised as Casimir Pulaski ( ), was a Polish nobleman, soldier, and military commander who has been called "The Father of American cavalry" or "The So ...

against the Russians. In 1771, however, he passed over to the king's side. However, he soon returned to the Confederates and fought in the Battle of Stołowicze. In 1772 he became a major general of the Lithuanian army. After the fall of the confederation, he returned to Koszoły, which was granted to him by King

Augustus III Augustus III (; – "the Saxon"; ; 17 October 1696 5 October 1763) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1733 until 1763, as well as Elector of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire where he was known as Frederick Augustus II (). He w ...

for his war merits in 1763.

Four Years' Sejm (1788–1792)

In the years 1788-1789, he suppressed Ukrainian peasant revolts. He distinguished himself in the War in Defence of the Constitution, commanding the Lithuanian Vanguard corps. He participated, among others in the battles of

Mir ''Mir'' (, ; ) was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, first by the Soviet Union and later by the Russia, Russian Federation. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to ...

, Zelwa and Lietuvos Brasta. He was one of the most talented commanders of this campaign, for which he was decorated with the

Knight's Cross Knight's Cross (German language ''Ritterkreuz'') refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that often denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield. Most frequently the term Knight's Cross is used to refer to the Knight's Cro ...

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, ...

Kościuszko Uprising (1794)

During the Kościuszko Uprising, he led the Lithuanian corps formed in Gardinas. He died of natural causes during the uprising. He was buried in Studzianka.

Family

He had thirteen children from two

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

s. With Urszula née Łosiów he had a son Abraham, and with Kunegunda née Tuhan-Baranowska: Samuel ( lieutenant colonel), Mustafa (

), Machmet (lieutenant), Albrycht (

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

), Osman (

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

), Soliman (lieutenant), Bohdan (killed in 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. ...

), Bekier, Elijah, Elżbieta, Ewa and Felicjan. After Józef's death in 1794, his wife Kunegunda married his adjutant, also Tatar, Tupalski.

References

Sources

* * * * 1730s births 1794 deaths People from Novogrudok People from Nowogródek Voivodeship (1507–1795) Recipients of the Virtuti Militari Generals of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Polish generals Polish Muslims Lipka Tatars of Poland {{Poland-mil-bio-stub