Count Tadeusz Jordan-Rozwadowski (19 May 1866 – 18 October 1928) was a Polish military commander, diplomat, and politician, a general 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 then the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...

Biography

Youth

Jordan-Rozwadowski was born in Babin, near Kałusz, Galicia, which formed part of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

(

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 ...

from 1867). The Jordan-Rozwadowski family was a member of the

Polish nobility 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 ...

and a part of Traby clan (''see

Trąby coat of arms Trąby (, "French horn, Horns") is a Polish heraldry, Polish coat of arms. It was used by many ''szlachta'' (noble) families under the History of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. History The origin of the horn ...

''). In 1783, the family obtained the title of count from the Habsburg Emperor

Joseph II Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...

in the nobility of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

and the

Austrian nobility The Austrian nobility () is a status group that was officially abolished in 1919 after the fall of Austria-Hungary. Austria's system of nobility was very similar to that of Germany (see German nobility), as both countries were previously part of ...

. Tadeusz came from a family with a long military tradition. The 'Jordan' byname is a memento of a distant ancestor who during the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. F ...

was the first Pole to see the

Jordan River The Jordan River or River Jordan (, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn''; , ''Nəhar hayYardēn''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Sharieat'' (), is a endorheic river in the Levant that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and drains to the Dead ...

. The general's ancestor, Maciej Rozwadowski, showed bravery at the

Battle of Vienna The Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 1683 after the city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarchy) and the Polish–Li ...

in 1683. Tadeusz's great-grandfather, Kazimierz Jordan-Rozwadowski, was a brigadier general under Kościuszko, and fought against the last

partition of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place between 1772 and 1795, toward the end of the 18th century. They ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign ...

. His grandfather, Wiktor, fought 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. ...

and was awarded the War Order of

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, ...

. His uncle Tadeusz was killed in the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

. His father Tomisław fought in the January Uprising as a commander of the insurgent cavalry.

Officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army

Before the outbreak of World War I, Rozwadowski joined the Austro-Hungarian Army as an artillery officer . He and, later, his son were taught to ride at the famous

Spanish Riding School The Spanish Riding School () is an Austrian institution based in Vienna, dedicated to the preservation of classical dressage and the training of Lipizzaner horses, whose performances in the Hofburg are also a tourist attraction. The leading hor ...

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. Rozwadowski also served, for many years, as the Austrian military

attaché In diplomacy, an attaché () is a person who is assigned ("to be attached") to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Although a loanword from French, in English the word is not modified ac ...

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. In 1914, he was appointed to command the 12th Artillery Brigade attached to the

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

-based 12th Infantry Division. A skilled commander, he was then appointed to command the 43rd Infantry Division, which he led during the victorious battle of

Gorlice Gorlice () is a town and an urban municipality ("gmina") in south-eastern Poland with around 29,500 inhabitants (2008). It is situated south east of Kraków and south of Tarnów between Jasło and Nowy Sącz in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (sinc ...

. He was awarded the

Military Order of Maria Theresa The Military Order of Maria Theresa (; ; ; ; ; ) was the highest military honour of the Habsburg monarchy, Austrian Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire. History Founded on 18 June 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolín, by the Empress Mari ...

for his distinguished conduct in that battle. He is also credited with the discovery of an artillery barrage tactic called ''Feuerwalze'' – "Fire-roller". In the Austro-Hungarian Army he rose to the rank of ''

Feldmarschalleutnant Lieutenant field marshal, also frequently historically field marshal lieutenant (, formerly , historically also and, in official Imperial and Royal Austrian army documents from 1867 always , abbreviated ''FML''), was a senior army rank in certai ...

'' (

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Beginnings of the service in Polish forces

On October 26, 1918 Rozwadowski became the

Regency Council In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

-nominated

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the Polnische Wehrmacht. After Poland regained independence, on November 15 of that year he resigned his post – and was assigned to the same duty within the newly restored

a week later. Until March 19, 1919 he was also the commanding officer of the

Polish Eastern Army Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

fighting on the fronts of the Polish-Ukrainian War in Galicia.

Head of the Polish military missions to Paris, London, Rome

He was then dispatched to Paris, where he took part in the Polish delegation to the

Peace Conference A peace conference is a diplomatic meeting where representatives of states, armies, or other warring parties converge to end hostilities by negotiation and signing and ratifying a peace treaty. Significant international peace conferences in ...

and was one of the people to sign the

Versailles Peace Treaty The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace of Versailles, exactl ...

. He also headed numerous Polish military missions to Paris, London and Rome. In June he became the official representative of Polish armed forces in Paris and was influential in obtaining international support for Poland (for example, the volunteers for the Polish-American

Kościuszko's Squadron The Kościuszko Squadron (officially: Polish 7th Air Escadrille) was a Polish Air Force fighter squadron established in late 1919 by Merian C. Cooper, an American aviator who would go on to direct the film King Kong (1933 film), ''King Kong'' in ...

). Janusz Cisek, ''Kosciuszko, We Are Here: American Pilots of the Kosciuszko Squadron in Defense of Poland, 1919–1921'', McFarland & Company, 2002,
Google Print, p.9-18 and further
/ref>

Chief of Staff during the Battle of Warsaw

At the height of the Bolshevist Russian offensive in the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

, on July 22, 1920, he returned to Poland and assumed the post of the Chief of General Staff and a member of the State Defence Council. Opinions among historians vary as to the extent to which he was responsible for developing the extremely successful plan for the battle of Warsaw that turned the tide of that war, also known as the "Miracle on the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

". Janusz Szczepański
KONTROWERSJE WOKÓŁ BITWY WARSZAWSKIEJ 1920 ROKU
(Controversies surrounding the Battle of Warsaw in 1920). ''Mówią Wieki'', online version. He was certainly considering a similar plan. John Erickson, ''The Soviet High Command: A Military-Political History, 1918–1941'', Routledge,
Google Print, p.95
/ref>Cisek,

op cit ''Op. cit.'' is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase ' or ''opere citato'', meaning "the work cited" or ''in the cited work'', respectively. Overview The abbreviation is used in an endnote or footnote to refer the reader to a cited work, standing ...

Google Print, p.140
/ref> Some argue, however, that his input was even more important than that of

Marshal of Poland Marshal of Poland () is the highest rank in the Polish Army. It has been granted to only six officers. At present, Marshal is equivalent to a field marshal or general of the army (OF-10) in other NATO armies. History Today there are no living ...

Józef Piłsudski Józef Klemens Piłsudski (; 5 December 1867 – 12 May 1935) was a Polish statesman who served as the Chief of State (Poland), Chief of State (1918–1922) and first Marshal of Poland (from 1920). In the aftermath of World War I, he beca ...

, who is most often credited with turning the tide of the war.''Conceptions of National History: Proceedings of Nobel Symposium 78'', Walter de Gruyter, 1994,
Google Print, p.230
/ref> For his part in the war, Rozwadowski was awarded the

(Classes II and V) and the Cross of the Valorous (four times). After the end of hostilities he became the inspector-general of

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 ...

units and authored the 1924 reform of the

cavalry tactics For much of history, humans have used some form of cavalry for war and, as a result, cavalry tactics have evolved over time. Tactically, the main advantages of cavalry over infantry were greater mobility, a larger impact, and a higher riding pos ...

and organization. He was also one of the early proponents of Polish tanks and airpower. In March 1921, Jordan-Rozwadowski made use of his contacts in

to help start the Polish–Romanian alliance, by negotiating a ''Convention on Defensive Alliance''.

Imprisoned after Piłsudski's coup

During the May Coup d'État of 1926 he was the commander of the forces loyal to the legal government and assumed the role of the military governor of

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 ...

. He was responsible for all military actions of the government forces, including airstrikes that resulted in heavy casualties, including many fatal injuries (most victims were civilians). Air raids were ordered by Rozwadowski and organised by General Zagórski. After the victory of

Rozwadowski was arrested in Warsaw on May 15, 1926 and transferred with four other detained generals to a military prison in

Antakalnis Antakalnis (''literally'' ) is an elderships of Lithuania, eldership in Vilnius, Lithuania. Antakalnis is one of the oldest, and largest historical suburbs of Vilnius. It is in the Eastern section of Vilnius, along the left bank of the Neris, ...

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, where he was detained in very strict conditions, in an unheated cell, for more than a year, until May 18, 1927. General Zagórski, the most important witness, disappeared in unknown circumstances in 1927. The press of the time repeated imprecise and false accusations of improper financial dealings during his service in the army. These allegations were never presented to him and remained only unsubstantiated rumors. Oleksa Pidlutskyi, ''Postati XX stolittia'', (Figures of the 20th century),

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, 2004, , . Chapter ''"Józef Piłsudski: The Chief who Created Himself a State"'' reprinted in

Zerkalo Nedeli ''Dzerkalo Tyzhnia'' (, ), usually referred to in English as the ''Mirror of the week'', is a Ukrainian online newspaper; it was one of Ukraine's most influential analytical weekly-publisher newspapers, founded in 1994.Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, February 3–9, 2001
in Russian
an
in Ukrainian
.

Death and the aftermath

Soon after his release and retirement general Rozwadowski died in mysterious circumstances in a hospital in Warsaw. He was buried, amid rumours of poisoning, with full military honours at the

Łyczaków Cemetery Lychakiv Cemetery (; ), officially State History and Culture Museum-Reserve "Lychakiv Cemetery" (), is a historic cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine. History Since its creation in 1787 as Łyczakowski Cemetery, it has been the main necropolis of the c ...

Lwów Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

(Lviv), among his fallen soldiers of the 1918–1919 Polish–Ukrainian War. In the years following his death, the official Polish media sought to erase Tadeusz Rozwadowski's memory. This policy also prevailed under communist rule in Poland after World War II. Only since the fall of communism have historians in Poland been able to objectively examine the circumstances of the Battle of Warsaw, as well as Rozwadowski's life and contributions to the history of Poland and Europe. In 2019, he was named the patron of the 23rd Artillery Regiment, and in 2024 the 4th Logistic Center.

Family

General Rozwadowski left behind a wife, a daughter, and a son. The greater part of his fortune was lost in a business venture to benefit the soldiers who fought under his command. His daughter, Melania Josefina, seems to have died under mysterious circumstances in the 1970s and never married. His son, Jozef, was an artillery officer in the Polish Army and was also awarded the

. In the 1930s, he was forced to resign his commission and emigrate to the United States due to his continued support for the pro-democratic and anti-Piłsudski forces in Poland. He emigrated to the United States and worked as an engineer and designed the elevators in the

Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story, Art Deco-style supertall skyscraper in the Midtown South neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its n ...

. He also contributed to the design of the Polish Pavilion in the

1939 New York World's Fair The 1939 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York, United States. The fair included exhibitio ...

and the

1964 World's Fair The 1964 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair) was an international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, United States. The fair included exhibitions, activities, perform ...

. He was survived by one daughter, Melanie Josephine, one granddaughter, Calia Brencsons-Van Dyk (see List of Latvians), and one great-grandson, Joseph, all living in the United States.

Promotions

Leutnant ( Second lieutenant) - 18 August 1886 * Kuk Oberleutnant

Oberleutnant (

First lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

) - 1891 * Kuk Hauptmann

Hauptmann (

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 ...

) - May 1894 * Kuk Major

Major (

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

) - 1 November 1900 Jerzy Sewer Dunin Borkowski: Almanach błękitny. Genealogia żyjących rodów polskich. Lwów / Warszawa: 1908, s. 1-1127., s. 815. * Kuk Oberstleutnant

Oberstleutnant ( Lieutenant colonel) - 1905 * Kuk Oberst

Oberst (

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 ...

) - May 1908 * Kuk GenMaj 1918

Generalmajor ( Major general) - May 1913 * Kuk Feldmarschall-Lt 1918

Feldmarschallleutnant (

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

) - 1916 * PL Epolet gen dyw

Generał porucznik (

) - 1918 * PL Epolet gen broni

Generał broni (

General of the branch A general of the branch, general of the branch of service or general of the ... (where instead of the ellipsis an appropriate name of the military branch is being put) is a three-star rank, three or four-star rank, four-star general officer rank i ...

) - 1 April 1921

Honours and awards

* Commander's Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari (previously awarded the Silver Cross – 1921) * Cross of Valour – four times * Commander's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

* Commander of 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 ...

(France) * Grand Cross of the

Order of the Crown of Romania The Order of the Crown of Romania is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania. It was awarded as a state order until the end of the Romanian monarchy in 1947. ...

* Cross of Liberty, Class I (Estonia) * Star of the

Order of the White Lion The Order of the White Lion () is the highest order of the Czech Republic. It continues a Czechoslovak order of the same name created in 1922 as an award for foreigners (Czechoslovakia having no civilian decoration for its citizens in the 192 ...

Order of Maria Theresa The Military Order of Maria Theresa (; ; ; ; ; ) was the highest military honour of the Habsburg monarchy, Austrian Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire. History Founded on 18 June 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolín, by the Empress Maria ...

Knight's Cross * Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold with war decoration and swords * Order of the Iron Crown 1st Class *

Order of Franz Joseph The Imperial Austrian Order of Franz Joseph () was founded by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria on 2 December 1849, on the first anniversary of his accession to the imperial throne. Classes The order was originally awarded in three classes: ''G ...

Officer * Military Merit Cross 3rd Class with war decoration and swords * Bronze Military Merit Medal with swords * Long Service Cross for Officers * 1908 Jubilee Cross *

1898 Jubilee Medal The 1898 Jubilee Medal () was a military and civil decoration 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 C ...

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

2nd Class

References

* Tadeusz Kryska-Karski, Stanisław Żurakowski, ''Generałowie Polski niepodległej'' (Generals of independent Poland), Warszawa 1991 * Andrzej Suchcitz, ''Generałowie wojny polsko-sowieckiej 1919–1920. Mały słownik biograficzny'' (Generals of Polish-Soviet War 1919–1920. Small biographical dictionary), Białystok 1993

External links

Chief of General Staff of Polish Army, General Tadeusz Rozwadowski Papers. Description of archival collection in the Jozef Pilsudski Institute in New York
*
Tadeusz Jordan-Rozwadowski
Extensive site with large gallery. *

(Destroyed during life) by Jan Engelgard *

by Lech Maria Wojciechowski *
Nasz Generał – Tadeusz Jordan Rozwadowski
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rozwadowski, Tadeusz 1866 births 1928 deaths Military personnel from Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Military personnel of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Clan of Trąby Polish generals Austro-Hungarian Army officers Diplomats of the Second Polish Republic Polish people of World War I Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Polnische Wehrmacht personnel Polish people of the Polish–Ukrainian War Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War People of the Polish May Coup (pro-government side) Commanders of the Virtuti Militari Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Commanders of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Recipients of the Order of the White Lion Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa