R-97 JÓZEF PONIATOWSKI

Józef Antoni Poniatowski was born in May 1763 and died in October 1813. He was an officer in the Austrian, Polish and French armies, the commander-in-chief of the troops of the Duchy of Warsaw and the marshal of France during the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815). Prince Pepi from his youth was prepared for a career in the army. At an early age he joined the Austrian army, where in 1780 he obtained the rank of lieutenant, and in 1788 the rank of colonel, becoming an adjutant of Emperor Joseph II. A year later (1789) he came to Poland, where he became an officer in the Polish army. It is worth adding that his uncle was Stanisław August Poniatowski - the king of Poland at the time. He became famous for his great victory at Zieleniec in 1792, during the war in defense of the Constitution of May 3. He took part in the Kościuszko Uprising in 1794, but was more successful in it. The years 1795-1806 were time lost for the prince from a military point of view. In 1806, he supported the anti-Prussian uprising in Poland and Siudo quickly joined him. After the establishment of the Duchy of Warsaw in 1806, he became the minister of war, and in 1809, the commander-in-chief of his troops. In the same year he campaigned brilliantly against the Austrian army, defeating them, gaining recognition of the French generals and Napoleon himself. In 1812, he took an active part in the Russian campaign and the Battle of Borodino. Despite his defeat in Russia, he remained loyal to Napoleon, and with the remnants of the Principality's troops, he went to Germany, where he joined the French troops. He took part in the Battle of Leipzig in 1813, during which he was appointed Marshal of France. Prince Poniatowski died shortly after, on October 19, 1813, while covering the retreat from Leipzig. His name was engraved on the Triumphal Arch in Paris, and Józef Poniatowski himself is considered one of the best Polish commanders of the 19th century.