Misplaced Pages

#487512

90-439: [REDACTED] Congress Poland The November Uprising (1830–31), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution , was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire . The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when young Polish officers from the military academy of the Army of Congress Poland revolted, led by Lieutenant Piotr Wysocki . Large segments of

180-573: A namestnichestvo under the control of a namiestnik until 1875, when it became a Guberniya . The government of Congress Poland was outlined in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland in 1815. The emperor of Russia was the official head of state, considered the king of Poland , with the local government headed by the viceroy of the Kingdom of Poland ( Polish : Namiestnik ), Council of State and Administrative Council , in addition to

270-533: A sovereign state in 1831 and the administrative divisions were reorganized. It was sufficiently distinct that its name remained in official Russian use, although in the later years of Russian rule it was replaced with the " Vistula Land " (Russian: Привислинский Край). Following the defeat of the November Uprising its separate institutions and administrative arrangements were abolished as part of increased Russification to be more closely integrated with

360-510: A lack of concord" among people were the causes of Poland's national downfall. Thus, when the rising finally began, the insurgents demanded absolute power for their leaders and tolerated no criticism for fear that discord would again prove ruinous for all. However, the men chosen to lead, because of their past achievements, proved unable to perform the great task expected of them. Moreover, many apparently had little faith that their joint effort could succeed. Militarily, Poland might have succeeded if

450-520: A large public demonstration on 3 December in Warsaw, he denounced the negotiations between the government and Grand Duke Constantine, who was encamped outside the city. Mochnacki advocated a military campaign in Lithuania to spare the country from the devastation of war and to preserve the local food supply. The meeting adopted a number of demands to be communicated to the administrative council, including

540-658: A personal union with the Tsar as King of Poland, could elect its own parliament (the Sejm ) and government. The kingdom had its own courts, army and treasury. Over time, the freedoms granted to the Kingdom were gradually taken back, and the constitution was progressively ignored by the Russian authorities. Alexander I of Russia never formally crowned himself as King of Poland. Instead, in 1815, he appointed his brother, Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich as de facto viceroy and disregarded

630-834: A practical expression in the foundation in London of the Association of the Friends of Poland . The November Uprising was also supported in the United States. Edgar Allan Poe was sympathetic to the Polish cause and volunteered to fight the Russians during the November Uprising (Bobr-Tylingo 1982, 145). Despite Poland's deep connection to Catholicism and the fact that many participants in the rebellion were Catholic,

720-534: A result of the efforts of Adam Jerzy Czartoryski , a Pole who aimed to resurrect the Polish state in alliance with Russia . The Kingdom of Poland was one of the few contemporary constitutional monarchies in Europe, with the emperor of Russia serving as the self-proclaimed king of Poland . Theoretically, the Polish Kingdom in its 1815 form was a semi-autonomous state in personal union with Russia through

810-520: A result, after 1825, sessions of the Polish Sejm were conducted in secret. Nicholas I of Russia formally crowned himself as King of Poland on 24 May 1829 in Warsaw. Despite numerous protests by various Polish politicians who actively supported the "personal union", Grand Duke Constantine had no intention of respecting the Polish constitution, one of the most progressive in Europe at that time. He abolished Polish social and patriotic organizations and

900-724: A small part of the Grodno District of Belarus. The Kingdom of Poland effectively came to an end with the Great Retreat of Russian forces in 1915 and was succeeded by the Government General of Warsaw , established by the Germans. In 1917, part of this was renamed as the short-lived Kingdom of Poland , a client state of the Central Powers , which had a Regency Council instead of a king. Although

990-565: Is mostly remembered. The first Polish steam mill was built in 1828 in Warsaw - Solec ; the first textile machine was installed in 1829. Greater use of machines led to production in the form of workshops. The government was also encouraging foreign specialists, mostly Germans , to upkeep larger establishments, or to undertake production. By 1887, 550 of the 29,000 Prussian landowners in Poland were manufacturers. The Germans were also relieved of

SECTION 10

#1732765752488

1080-550: The Administrative Council . He could veto the councils' decisions; other than that, his decisions had to be countersigned by the appropriate government minister . The viceroy exercised broad powers and could nominate candidates for most senior government posts (ministers, senators , judges of the High Tribunal, councilors of state, referendaries , bishops , and archbishops ). He had no competence in

1170-689: The Battle of Olszynka Grochowska . Both armies withdrew after almost two days of heavy fighting and with considerable losses on both sides. Over 7,000 Poles fell on that field, and the number of killed in the Russian army was slightly larger. Diebitsch was forced to retreat to Siedlce and Warsaw was saved. Chłopicki, whose soldierly qualities reasserted themselves by military activity, was wounded in action and his place taken by General Jan Skrzynecki , who, like his predecessor, had won distinction under Napoleon for personal courage. Disliked by Grand Duke Constantine, he had retired from service. He shared with Chłopicki

1260-656: The Grand Duchy of Posen outside of German Confederation , but later was demoted to merely a Prussian province (the Province of Posen ), and was subsequently annexed in 1866 into the North German Confederation , the predecessor of the German Empire . The Congress Kingdom of Poland was theoretically granted considerable political autonomy by the liberal constitution . However, its rulers,

1350-539: The January Uprising broke out but lasted only two years before being crushed. As a direct result, any remaining separate status of the kingdom was removed and the political entity was directly incorporated into the Russian Empire. The unofficial name Privislinsky Krai ( Russian : Привислинский Край ), i.e., 'Vistula Land', replaced 'Kingdom of Poland' as the area's official name and the area became

1440-616: The Napoleonic wars . The kingdom was created from parts of the Polish territory that had been partitioned between Austria and Prussia which had been transformed into the Duchy of Warsaw by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807. After Napoleon's 1812 defeat, the fate of the Duchy of Warsaw was dependent on Russia. Prussia insisted on the duchy being completely eliminated. After Russian troops reached Paris in 1812, Tsar Alexander I intended to annex

1530-462: The Polish nobility deeply valued personal freedom. In reality, the kings had absolute power and the formal title of Autocrat , and wanted no restrictions on their rule. All opposition to the emperor of Russia was suppressed and the law was disregarded at will by Russian officials. Though the absolute rule demanded by Russia was difficult to establish due to Poland's liberal traditions and institutions,

1620-502: The Russian emperors , generally disregarded any restrictions on their power. It was, therefore, little more than a puppet state in a personal union with the Russian Empire. The autonomy was severely curtailed following uprisings in 1830–31 and 1863 , as the country became governed by viceroys , and later divided into governorates (provinces). Thus, from the start, Polish autonomy remained little more than fiction. The capital

1710-518: The Sejm . In theory, Congress Poland possessed one of the most liberal governments of the time in Europe , but in practice, the area was a puppet state of the Russian Empire. The liberal provisions of the constitution, and the scope of the autonomy, were often disregarded by the Russian officials. Polish remained an official language until the mid-1860s when it was replaced by Russian. This resulted in bilingual street signs and documents, however,

1800-497: The Warsaw Military District ( Polish : Warszawski Okręg Wojskowy , Russian : Варшавский Военный Округ ). The governor-general answered directly to the emperor and exercised much broader powers than had the "namiestnik". In particular, he controlled all the military forces in the region and oversaw the judicial systems (he could impose death sentences without trial). He could also issue " declarations with

1890-556: The Congress, Russia gained a larger share of Poland (with Warsaw) and, after crushing an insurrection in 1831 , the Congress Kingdom's autonomy was abolished. Poles faced confiscation of property, deportation, forced military service, and the closure of their own universities. The Congress was important enough in the creation of the state to cause the new country to be informally named for it. The kingdom lost its status as

SECTION 20

#1732765752488

1980-518: The Kingdom of Poland lost its semi-independent status and was integrated much more closely with the Russian Empire. This was formalized through the issuing of the Organic Statute of the Kingdom of Poland by the Emperor in 1832, which abolished the constitution, army and legislative assembly. Over the next 30 years, a series of measures bound Congress Poland ever more closely to Russia. In 1863

2070-495: The Polish aspirations reverberated throughout Europe. Enthusiastic meetings had been held in Paris under Lafayette's chairmanship, and money for the Polish cause was collected in the United States. The governments of France and Britain, however, did not share the feelings of some of their people. King Louis-Philippe of France thought mainly of securing for himself recognition on the part of all European governments, and Lord Palmerston

2160-557: The Polish committees all over Germany were be closed. Adam Czartoryski remarked that the war with Russia, precipitated by the rising of young patriots in November 1830, came either too early or too late. Puzyrewski argued that the rising should have been initiated in 1828, when Russia was experiencing reversals in Turkey and was least able to spare substantial forces for war with Poland ( Lewinski-Corwin , 1917). Military critics, such as

2250-635: The Polish constitution. The rebels managed to enter the Belweder, but Grand Duke Constantine had escaped in women's clothing. The rebels then turned to the main city arsenal and captured it after a brief struggle. The following day, armed Polish civilians forced the Russian troops to withdraw north of Warsaw. That incident is sometimes called the Warsaw Uprising or the November Night . ( Polish : Noc listopadowa ). Taken by surprise with

2340-415: The Polish crown to him whom it may consider worthy, from whom it might with certainty expect faith to his oath and wholehearted respect to the sworn guarantees of civic freedom." On 29 January, the national government of Adam Jerzy Czartoryski was established, and Michał Gedeon Radziwiłł was chosen as successor to Chłopicki, who was persuaded to accept active command of the army. It was too late to move

2430-402: The Polish forces. Mistakes on the part of the commanders, constant changes and numerous resignations, and the inactivity of the commanders, who continued to hope for foreign intervention, added to the feeling of despair. The more radical elements severely criticized the government not only for its inactivity but also for its lack of land reform and its failure to recognize the peasants' rights to

2520-512: The Polish frontiers and prevented the transportation of munitions of war or supplies of any kind. Under those circumstances, the war with Russia began to take on a somber and disquieting aspect. The Poles fought desperately and attempts were made to rouse Volhynia , Podolia , Samogitia and Lithuania . With the exception of the Lithuanian uprising in which the youthful Countess Emilia Plater and several other women distinguished themselves,

2610-555: The Polish national epic. A 1937 German film, Ride to Freedom was partly shot on location in Poland. The Scottish poet Thomas Campbell , who had championed the cause of the Poles in The Pleasures of Hope , was affected by the news of the capture of Warsaw by the Russians in 1831 as if it had been the deepest of personal calamities. "Poland preys on my heart night and day", he wrote in one of his letters, and his sympathy found

2700-650: The Prussian government frustrated his plans. The immigrants left Prussia in bands of between fifty and a hundred, and their journey through the various German principalities was greeted with enthusiasm by the local populations. Even German sovereigns such as the King of Saxony , the Princess of Weimar and the Duke of Gotha shared in the general demonstration of sympathy. It was only upon the very insistent demands of Russia that

2790-453: The Russian Empire. However, even after this formalized annexation, the territory retained some degree of distinctiveness and continued to be referred to informally as Congress Poland until the Russian rule there ended as a result of the advance by the armies of the Central Powers in 1915 during World War I . The kingdom was 128,500 km in area and originally had a population of approximately 3.3 million. The new state would be one of

November Uprising - Misplaced Pages Continue

2880-628: The Russian Empire. Warsaw became little more than a military garrison, and its university closed. After the Partitions of Poland by Austria, Germany, and Russia, Poland ceased to exist as an independent political entity at the end of 1795. However, the Napoleonic Wars and Polish participation in the wars against Russia and Austria resulted in the creation of the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807. The Congress of Vienna brought that state's existence to an end in 1815, and essentially solidified

2970-477: The Russian division of Teodor Geismar. However, the victory had mostly psychological value and could not stop the Russian advance towards Warsaw. The subsequent Battles of Dobre, Wawer and Białołęka were inconclusive. The Polish forces then assembled on the right bank of the Vistula to defend the capital. On 25 February, a Polish contingent of approximately 40,000 met a Russian force of 60,000 east of Warsaw at

3060-557: The Russian forces from joining, and the Sejm responded to popular clamor for his deposition by appointing General Dembinski to temporary command. The atmosphere was highly charged. Severe rioting took place and the government became completely disorganized. Count Jan Krukowiecki was made President of the Ruling Council. He had little faith in the success of the military campaign but believed that when passions had subsided he could end

3150-424: The Russian pundit General Puzyrevsky, maintained that in spite of the inequality of resources of the two countries, Poland had had every chance of holding her own against Russia if the campaign had been managed skillfully. Russia sent over 180,000 well-trained men against Poland's 70,000, 30% of whom were fresh recruits entering the service at the opening of hostilities. "In view of this, one would think that not only

3240-600: The Vistulan Country and made part of the Southwestern Krai of the Russian Empire . Despite the fact that the economic situation varied at times, Congress Poland was one of the largest economies in the world. In the mid 1800s the region became heavily industrialized , however, agriculture still maintained a major role in the economy. In addition, the export of wheat , rye and other crops

3330-598: The administrative structure of Poland (now de facto the Vistulan Country ) closer to that of the Russian Empire. It divided larger governorates into smaller ones, introduced the gmina (a new lower-level entity), and restructured the existing five governorates into 10. The 1912 reform created a new governorate – Kholm Governorate – from parts of the Sedlets and Lublin Governorates . It was split off from

3420-412: The army because of the chicanery of Constantine. He overestimated the power of Russia and underestimated the strength and the fervor of the Polish revolutionary movement. By temperament and conviction, he was opposed to a war with Russia and did not believe in a successful outcome. He accepted the dictatorship essentially to maintain internal peace and to save the constitution. Believing that Tsar Nicholas

3510-676: The army. The armed struggle began when a group of conspirators led by a young cadet from the Warsaw officers' school, Piotr Wysocki , took arms from their garrison on 29 November 1830 and attacked the Belweder Palace , the main seat of the Grand Duke. The final spark that ignited Warsaw was a Russian plan to use the Polish Army to suppress France's July Revolution and the Belgian Revolution , in clear violation of

3600-446: The beginning of Polish sugar refineries. The use of iron cutters and plows was also favoured among the farmers. During the January Uprising the occupying authorities sought to deprive peasant insurgents of their popularity among landed gentry . Taxes were raised and the overall economic situation of commoners worsened. The noblemen and landowners were, on the other hand, provided with more privileges, rights and even financial support in

3690-421: The company FOS ( Fabryka Przyrządów Optycznych -"Factory of Optical Equipment") in Warsaw. It was the only firm in the Russian Empire which crafted and produced cameras , telescopes , objectives and stereoscopes . Following the outbreak of World War I the factory was moved to St. Petersburg . In the late 1890s and early 1900s, Russia experienced a coal crisis marked by coal shortages and high prices. This

November Uprising - Misplaced Pages Continue

3780-486: The complete liberation of Poland. On 13 December, the Sejm pronounced the National Uprising against Russia, and on 7 January 1831, Prince Drucki-Lubecki returned from Russia with no concessions. The Tsar demanded the complete and unconditional surrender of Poland and announced that the "Poles should surrender to the grace of their Emperor". His plans foiled, Chłopicki resigned the following day. Power in Poland

3870-484: The constitution. Soon after the Congress of Vienna resolutions had been signed, Russia ceased to respect them. In 1819, Alexander I abandoned liberty of the press in the Congress Kingdom and introduced censorship. The Russian secret police, commanded by Nikolay Nikolayevich Novosiltsev , started to infiltrate and persecute Polish clandestine organizations, and in 1821, the Tsar ordered the abolition of Freemasonry . As

3960-400: The construction of railway lines and bridges, gained priority in the entire Russian market. Although the economic and industrial progress occurred rapidly, most of the farms, called folwarks , chose to rely on serfs and paid workforce. Only a few experimented by obtaining proper machinery and plowing equipment from England . New crops were being cultivated like sugar beet , which marked

4050-400: The conviction that war with Russia was futile but with the opening of hostilities took command of a corps and fought creditably at Grochov. When the weak and indecisive Michał Radziwiłł surrendered the dictatorship, Skrzynecki was chosen to succeed him. He endeavored to end the war by negotiations with the Russian field commanders and hoped for benign foreign intervention. Sympathetic echoes of

4140-498: The council that Constantine was ready to forgive the offenders and that the matter would be amicably settled, Maurycy Mochnacki and other radicals angrily objected and demanded a national uprising. Fearing an immediate break with Russia, the government agreed to let Constantine depart with his troops. Mochnacki did not trust the newly-constituted ministry and set out to replace it with the Patriotic Club, organized by him. At

4230-690: The duchy and parts of Lithuanian lands which were historically in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . Both Austria and the United Kingdom , however, disapproved strongly of the idea, Austria issuing a memorandum on returning to the 1795 resolutions with support from the United Kingdom under George IV , Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson and the British delegate to the Congress, Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh . Following

4320-632: The end of the 18th century, Poland ceased to exist as an independent nation for 123 years. The territory, with its native population, was split among the Habsburg monarchy , the Kingdom of Prussia , and the Russian Empire. After 1804, an equivalent to Congress Poland within the Austrian Empire was the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria , also commonly referred to as " Austrian Poland ". The area incorporated into Prussia initially also held autonomy as

4410-460: The establishment of a revolutionary government and an immediate attack upon the forces of Constantine. The Polish army, with all but two of its generals, Wincenty Krasiński and Zygmunt Kurnatowski , now joined the uprising. The remaining four ministers of the pre-revolutionary cabinet left the administrative council, and their places were taken by Mochnacki and three of his associates from the Patriotic Club, including Joachim Lelewel . The new body

4500-467: The force of law," which could alter existing laws. The Administrative Council ( Polish : Rada Administracyjna ) was a part of the Council of State of the kingdom. Introduced by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland in 1815, it was composed of five ministers, special nominees of the king and the viceroy of the Kingdom of Poland. The council executed the king's will and ruled in the cases outside

4590-426: The form of bribery . The aim of this was to weaken their support for the rebellion against the Russian Empire. Congress Poland was the largest supplier of zinc in Europe. The development of the zinc industry took place at the beginning of the 19th century. It was mostly caused by the significant increase of demand for zinc mainly in industrialized countries of Western Europe . In 1899, Aleksander Ginsberg founded

SECTION 50

#1732765752488

4680-427: The full implementation of Cyrillic script into the Polish language failed. The office of " namiestnik " was introduced in Poland by the 1815 constitution of Congress Poland . The viceroy was chosen by the king from among the noble citizens of the Russian Empire or the Kingdom of Poland. The viceroy supervised the entire public administration and, in the monarch's absence, chaired the Council of State , as well as

4770-583: The government withdrew to the Modlin fortress , on the Vistula, subsequently renamed Novo-Georgievsk by the Russians, and then to Płock . New plans had been adopted when the news arrived that the Polish crack corps under Ramorino, unable to join the main army, had laid down its arms after crossing the Austrian frontier into Galicia. It became evident that the war could be carried on no longer. On 5 October 1831,

4860-542: The guerilla warfare carried on in the frontier provinces was of minor importance and served only to give Russia an opportunity to crush local risings. Notorious was the slaughter of the inhabitants of the small town of Ashmiany in Belarus. Meanwhile, new Russian forces under Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia arrived in Poland but met with many defeats. Constant warfare, however, and bloody battles such as that at Ostroleka in which 8,000 Poles died, considerably depleted

4950-494: The independence of the kingdom lasted only 15 years; initially Alexander I used the title King of Poland and was obligated to observe the provisions of the constitution. However, in time the situation changed and he granted the viceroy, Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich , almost dictatorial powers. Very soon after Congress of Vienna resolutions were signed, Russia ceased to respect them. In 1819, Alexander I abolished freedom of

5040-477: The legitimate authority of the princes, they filled their fatherland, which they loosed from due obedience to authority, with mourning. We shed abundant tears at the feet of God, grieving over the harsh evil with which some of our flock was afflicted. Afterward We humbly prayed that God would enable your provinces, agitated by so many and so serious dissensions, to be restored to peace and to the rule of legitimate authority. Frédéric Chopin's "Fantasy in F minor Op. 49"

5130-528: The liberal opposition of the Kaliszanie faction, and replaced Poles with Russians in important administrative positions. Although married to a Pole ( Joanna Grudzińska ), he was commonly considered an enemy of the Polish nation. Also, his command over the Polish Army led to serious conflicts within the officer corps. The frictions led to various conspiracies throughout the country, most notably within

5220-521: The line of battle had been established in Lithuania , wrote Lewinski-Corwin, and if the Russian forces, arriving in Poland progressively, had been dealt with separately and decisively, one unit after another. After the end of the November Uprising, Polish women wore black ribands and jewellery as a symbol of mourning for their lost homeland. Such images can be seen in the first scenes of the movie Pan Tadeusz , filmed by Andrzej Wajda in 1999, based on

5310-604: The long-term division of Poland between Russia, Prussia and Austria. The Austrian Empire annexed territories in the south, Prussia took control over the semi-autonomous Grand Duchy of Poznań in the west and Russia assumed hegemony over the semi-autonomous so-called Congress Kingdom . Initially, the Russian-formed Congress Kingdom enjoyed a relatively large amount of internal autonomy and was only indirectly subject to imperial control. It had its own constitution . The province, united with Russia through

5400-467: The minister's competence and prepared projects for the Council of State. The administrative divisions of the kingdom changed several times over its history, and various smaller reforms were also carried out which either changed the smaller administrative units or merged/split various subdivisions. Immediately after its creation in 1815, the Kingdom of Poland was divided into departments , a relic from

5490-421: The official name of the state was the Kingdom of Poland ( Polish : Królestwo Polskie ; Russian: Царство Польское ), in order to distinguish it from other Kingdoms of Poland , it is often referred to as "Congress Poland". The Congress Kingdom of Poland was created out of the Duchy of Warsaw , a French client state, at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 when the great powers reorganized Europe following

SECTION 60

#1732765752488

5580-487: The peoples of Lithuania , Belarus , and Right-bank Ukraine soon joined the uprising. Although the insurgents achieved local successes, a numerically superior Imperial Russian Army under Ivan Paskevich eventually crushed the uprising. The Russian Emperor Nicholas I issued the Organic Statute in 1832, according to which, henceforth Russian-occupied Poland would lose its autonomy and become an integral part of

5670-491: The press and introduced preventive censorship . Resistance to Russian control began in the 1820s. Russian secret police commanded by Nikolay Nikolayevich Novosiltsev started the persecution of Polish secret organizations and in 1821 the King ordered the abolition of Freemasonry , which represented Poland's patriotic traditions. Beginning in 1825, the sessions of the Sejm were held in secret. Alexander I's successor, Nicholas I

5760-525: The rapidly unfolding of events during the night of 29 November 1830, the local Polish government ( administrative council ) assembled immediately to take control and to decide on a course of action. Unpopular ministers were removed and men like Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski , the historian Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz and General Józef Chłopicki took their places. Loyalists led by Prince Czartoryski initially tried to negotiate with Grand Duke Constantine and to settle matters peacefully. However, when Czartoryski told

5850-433: The realms of finances and foreign policy; his military competence varied. The office of "namiestnik" or viceroy was never abolished; however, the last "namiestnik" was Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg , who served from 1863 to his death in 1874. No "namiestnik" was named to replace him; however, the role of "namestnik"— viceroy of the former kingdom passed to the governor-general of Warsaw —or, to be more specific, of

5940-487: The rebellion was condemned by the Church. Pope Gregory XVI issued an encyclical letter in the following year on the subject of civil disobedience. Cum Primum stated: When the first report of the calamities, which so seriously devastated your flourishing kingdom reached our ears, We learned simultaneously that they had been caused by some fabricators of deceit and lies. Under the pretext of religion, and revolting against

6030-511: The remainder of the Polish army of over 20,000 men crossed the Prussian frontier and laid down their arms at Brodnica in preference to submission to Russia. Only one man, a colonel by the name of Stryjenski, gained the peculiar distinction of giving himself up to Russia. Following the example of Dąbrowski a generation before, General Bem endeavored to reorganize the Polish soldiers in Prussia and Galicia into Legions and lead them to France, but

6120-406: The rule of the Russian emperor. The state possessed the Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland , one of the most liberal in 19th-century Europe, a Sejm (parliament) responsible to the king capable of voting laws, an independent army , currency , budget , penal code and a customs boundary separating it from the rest of Russian lands. Poland also had democratic traditions ( Golden Liberty ) and

6210-536: The smallest Polish states ever, smaller than the preceding Duchy of Warsaw and much smaller than the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth which had a population of over 10 million and an area of 1 million km . Its population reached 6.1 million by 1870 and 10 million by 1900. The majority of ethnic Poles within the Russian Empire lived in the Congress Kingdom, although some areas outside its borders were also inhabited by strong Polish and Roman Catholic minorities. The Kingdom of Poland largely re-emerged as

6300-443: The soil they tilled, but the Sejm, fearing that the governments of Europe might regard the war with Russia as social revolution, procrastinated and haggled over concessions. The initial enthusiasm of the peasantry waned, and the ineptitude of the government became more apparent. In the meantime, the Russian forces, commanded after the death of Diebitsch by General Paskevich, were moving to encircle Warsaw . Skrzynecki failed to prevent

6390-443: The structure of the Russian Empire , with the introduction of guberniyas ( governorate , Polish spelling gubernia ). In 1842 the powiats were renamed okręgs , and the obwóds were renamed powiats. In 1844 several governorates were merged with others, and some others were renamed; five governorates remained. In 1867, following the failure of the January Uprising , further reforms were instituted which were designed to bring

6480-491: The tax burden. This allowed to create one of the largest European textile centres in Łódź and in surrounding towns like Ozorków and Zduńska Wola . These small and initially insignificant settlements later developed into large and multicultural cities, where Germans and Jews were the majority in the population. With the abolition of border customs in 1851 and further economic growth, Polish cities were gaining wealth and importance. Most notably, Warsaw , being associated with

6570-470: The theatre of hostilities to Lithuania. On 4 February 1831, a 115,000-strong Russian army under Field Marshal Hans Karl von Diebitsch crossed the Polish borders. The force included the Finnish Guards' Rifle Battalion . The first major battle took place on 14 February 1831, close to the village of Stoczek near Łuków . In the Battle of Stoczek , Polish cavalry under Brigadier Józef Dwernicki defeated

6660-490: The times of the French-dominated Duchy of Warsaw . On 16 January 1816 the administrative division was reformed, with the departments being replaced with more traditionally Polish voivodeships (of which there were eight), obwóds and powiats . On 7 March 1837, in the aftermath of the November Uprising earlier that decade, the administrative division was reformed again, bringing Congress Poland closer to

6750-468: The war on what seemed to him advantageous terms. Despite a desperate defence by General Józef Sowiński , Warsaw's suburb of Wola fell to Paskevich's forces on 6 September. The next day saw the second line of the capital's defensive works attacked by the Russians. During the night of 7 September Krukowiecki capitulated, although the city still held out. He was immediately deposed by the Polish government and replaced by Bonawentura Niemojowski . The army and

6840-512: Was Roman Catholicism and the official language used within the state was Polish until the failed January Uprising (1863) when Russian became co-official as a consequence. Yiddish and German were widely spoken by their native speakers. The territory of Congress Poland roughly corresponds to modern-day Kalisz Region and the Lublin , Łódź , Masovian , Podlaskie and Holy Cross Voivodeships of Poland as well as southwestern Lithuania and

6930-515: Was a Polish captain and leader of the Polish conspiracy against Russian Tsar Nicolas I . He was a nobleman ( szlachcic ) who bore the Odrowąż coat of arms . On 29 November 1830, he raised military insurgents, starting the November Uprising against Russia. In 1831, he was sentenced to death by Russians, but his sentence was commuted to a 20 years exile in Siberia . On 3 March 1831, he was awarded

7020-670: Was attributed to the dramatic increase of industrial output and a still nascent coal mining industry. In 1900, because of coal shortages in the Warsaw industrial region, the Minister of Finance approved the duty-free import of 125,000,000 poods of coal. According to the Russian Empire Census of 1897 , Congress Poland had a population of 9,402,253: 4,712,090 men and 4,690,163 women. Piotr Wysocki Piotr Wysocki (10 September 1797 in Warka – 6 January 1875 there),

7110-473: Was completed and published in 1841, and many performers regard this work as an “Ode to the Fallen,” in which Chopin is reminiscing about family and friends killed or missing as a result of the 1831 rebellion. Aleksander Chodźko composed the song "Herby" about this uprising. The remix created by Dawid Hallmann gained popularity. General: Congress Poland Following the partitions of Poland at

7200-507: Was crowned King of Poland on 24 May 1829 in Warsaw, but he declined to swear to abide by the Constitution and continued to limit the independence of the Polish kingdom. Nicholas' rule promoted the idea of Official Nationality, consisting of Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality. In relation to Poles, those ideas meant assimilation: turning them into loyal subjects through gradual religious and cultural conversion. The principle of Orthodoxy

7290-504: Was intent on maintaining friendly relations with Russia. Britain regarded with alarm the reawakening of the French national spirit and did not wish to weaken Russia, "as Europe might soon again require her services in the cause of order, and to prevent Poland, whom it regarded as a national ally of France, from becoming a French province of the Vistula". Austria and Prussia adopted a position of benevolent neutrality towards Russia. They closed

7380-450: Was known as the "provisional government". To legalize its actions the provisional government ordered the convocation of the Sejm and on 5 December 1830 proclaimed General Chłopicki as "dictator of the uprising". Chłopicki considered the uprising an act of madness but bowed to pressure and consented to take command temporarily in the hope that it would be unnecessary to take the field. An able and highly-decorated soldier, he had retired from

7470-415: Was located in Warsaw , which towards the beginning of the 20th century became the Russian Empire's third-largest city after St. Petersburg and Moscow . The moderately multicultural population of Congress Poland was estimated at 9,402,253 inhabitants in 1897. It was mostly composed of Poles , Polish Jews , ethnic Germans , Ukrainians , Lithuanians , and a small Russian minority. The predominant religion

7560-544: Was not until 1822 when Prince Francis Xavier Drucki-Lubecki negotiated to open the Polish market to the world. He also tried to introduce appropriate protective duties. A large and profitable investment was the construction of the Augustów Canal connecting Narew and Neman Rivers, which allowed to bypass Danzig (Gdańsk) and high Prussian tariffs . Drucki-Lubecki also founded the Bank Polski , for which he

7650-601: Was now in the hands of the radicals united in the Towarzystwo Patriotyczne ('Patriotic Society'), directed by Joachim Lelewel . On 25 January 1831, the Sejm passed the Act of Dethronization of Nicholas I , which ended the Polish-Russian personal union and was equivalent to a declaration of war on Russia. The proclamation declared that "the Polish nation is an independent people and has a right to offer

7740-448: Was put in place, and efforts were made to change the relations between the state and the individual. All of this led to discontent and resistance among the Polish population. In January 1831, the Sejm deposed Nicholas I as King of Poland in response to his repeated curtailing of its constitutional rights. Nicholas reacted by sending Russian troops into Poland, resulting in the November Uprising . Following an 11-month military campaign,

7830-511: Was significant in stabilizing the financial output. An important trade partner of Congress Poland was Great Britain , which imported goods in large amounts. Since agriculture was equivalent to 70% of the national income, the most important economic transformations included the establishment of mines and the textile industry; the development of these sectors brought more profit and higher tax revenues. The beginnings were difficult due to floods and an intense diplomatic relationship with Prussia . It

7920-477: Was the result of the special role it played in the Russian Empire, as the Church was in fact becoming a department of state, and other religions discriminated against; for instance, papal bulls could not be read in the largely Catholic kingdom of Poland without agreement from the Russian government. The rule of Nicholas also meant the end of political traditions in Poland; democratic institutions were removed, an appointed—rather than elected—centralized administration

8010-420: Was the result of the struggle undoubted, but its course should have been a triumphant march for the infinitely stronger party. Instead, the war lasted eight months, with often doubtful success. At times the balance seemed to tip decidedly to the side of the weaker adversary who dealt not only blows but even ventured daring offensives." It had long been argued, as Edward Lewinski-Corwin in 1917, that "anarchy and

8100-434: Was unaware of his brother's actions and that the uprising could be ended if the Russian authorities accepted the constitution, Chłopicki's first move was to send Prince Franciszek Ksawery Drucki-Lubecki to Saint Petersburg to negotiate. Chłopicki refrained from strengthening the Polish army and refused to initiate armed hostilities by expelling Russian forces from Lithuania. However, the radicals in Warsaw pressed for war and

#487512