Początki kariery wojskowej księcia Antoniego Pawła Sułkowskiego

Abstract

The Napoleonic period was the period when turbulent political and military careers were made. In the substitute of Polish statehood that was constituted by the Duchy of Warsaw, established by Napoleon, along with the reconstruction of the Polish Army there appeared the opportunity of starting a career in the army. The most brilliant career in the Polish Army of the Napoleonic period was made by prince Antoni Paweł Sułkowski, which began in 1806 when he was promoted to the rank of a colonel. In order to understand the factors which influenced this turn of events, one must examine prince Sułkowski’s attitude during the campaign of 1807 in Pomerania. During the campaign of 1807 the young Sułkowski became the leader of the 1st infantry regiment that he established himself and that became a part of the Poznań division, commanded by General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski. Pomerania, which saw the most bitter fighting, was the theatre of war for this division. Prince Sułkowski, who was the leader of his regiment, participated in the battles in Tczew, Gdańsk and Kołobrzeg, manifesting considerable valour. His dedication was recognised both by Polish and French supervisors. Despite the praise that was lavished on prince Sułkowski, the campaign failed to satisfy his great ambition to be nominated a general at such a young age – 22. However, the military campaigns in which prince Sułkowski participated as the leader of his regiment, constituted the initial stage of his career which was to develop very rapidly. In 1810 Antoni Paweł Sułkowski received nomination to become a brigadier general, and in 1813 he was nominated a major general. Thus he became the youngest person in this rank in the Duchy of Warsaw.