Napoleon’s Last Allies: The Poles in 1814

Abstract

Abstract After the death of the Polish Army’s commander-in-chief, Prince Józef Poniatowski, at the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813, Polish troops were leaderless. Although Gen. Sokolnicki and Prince Sułkowski assumed successive command, neither proved capable of fulfilling the contradictory demands of their subordinates and Napoleon’s direction. At Schlüchtern, on the retreat to France, Napoleon spoke to the Polish officers, appealing to their sense of honor and assuming direct command of the Polish troops. The Poles accepted the French emperor’s appeal and fought well for him in the 1814 campaign. However, in agreeing to Napoleon’s terms, the Polish military placed its professional role above its patriotic roots. This shift was demonstrated when Napoleon abdicated: the Polish military sought aid from the most likely source in order to maintain its position. The Russian emperor, Alexander I, eagerly accepted the Polish offer, despite Poniatowski’s longstanding opposition to collaboration with the Russians. This episode in its history transformed the Polish military; it abandoned its role as nation builder to become a professional force that relied on and accepted orders from whomever commanded it.