The suppression of the uprising in Poland. Historical memory in Poland

Polish historians are denouncing the “fourth partition of Poland” with might and main, but can any of them give another example of such a calm existence of Poland in 15 years, as in 1815-1830? Without rokosh, confederations, invasions of foreign troops, "cabal" magnates with the use of artillery, etc. not a single decade has passed since 1700. The rhetorical question is whether people lived in 1815-1830. ethnic Poles in Prussia and Austria better than in the Kingdom of Poland? But the restless gentlemen did not think about such stupid questions, but continued to chat about the great motherland "from mozha to mozha." There were also secret societies. The most famous were the Philomath and Philaret Society at Vilna University (1817), one of which included the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855). In 1821, a Patriotic Society arose among the officers, whose task was to fight for the restoration of an independent Poland on the basis of the Constitution of May 3, 1791.
". What can you do, in Europe the fashion was like this: in Italy - the Carbonari, in Russia - the Decembrists, in France - the Bonapartists, etc. 1830 was marked by revolutionary uprisings throughout Europe. On July 27, Paris revolted. Two days of barricade fighting, and the tricolor flag of the revolution of 1789 was raised over the royal palace. On August 2, King Charles X abdicated and fled to England. A revolution began in Belgium, unrest rose in the German states, and the Carbonari in Italy became more active. The Polish conspirators decided that their hour had come. The overwhelming majority of the lords and some of the burghers were revolutionary. But no one had definite plans. Some demanded the tsar's strict observance of the Constitution of 1815, others - the independence of Poland in full. Then the question arose about the borders of the new Poland, and complete confusion began. Simplifying the situation somewhat, one can compare the conspirators with Vasily Alibabaevich from the movie “Gentlemen of Fortune”: “Why did you run? Everyone ran and I ran.

Uprising in Poland in 1830

The reason for the uprising was the order of Nicholas I on the preparation of the collection of funds and the deployment of Russian troops, scheduled to pass through Poland in order to suppress the revolution in Belgium. On the night of 17 to 18 (from 29 to 30) November 1830, part of the Polish troops mutinied. The rebels captured the arsenal and the Belvedere Palace, where the governor lived. Konstantin Pavlovich slept peacefully after dinner. Apparently he was drunk. True, the attackers were also tipsy. They stabbed General Gendre with bayonets, mistaking him for the Grand Duke. Princess Lovich woke her husband up and hid him in the palace attic, and later they managed to take Konstantin disguised out of Warsaw. I note that several dozen Polish generals and senior officers refused to participate in the rebellion and were killed by the conspirators. After the suppression of the uprising, on the orders of Nicholas I in Warsaw, a large obelisk with eight lions sitting at its foot will be erected to the slain Polish military leaders on Saxony Square in Warsaw. The Russian garrison of Warsaw consisted of two guards infantry regiments, three guards cavalry regiments and two guards artillery battalions, totaling about 7,000 men. They would be enough to suppress the uprising at the initial stage, this, by the way, was asked by the governor of the princes Lyubetsky and Czartorysky. However, Konstantin categorically refused to bring Russian troops into the business: “The Poles have begun, they should also cope with the whole thing!” As a result, the Russian garrison did not offer proper resistance to the Poles and left Warsaw on the afternoon of November 18. On December 2, Konstantin declared: "Every spilled drop of blood will only spoil the matter" and released the Polish units loyal to him, who were in Warsaw, to join the rebels. The fortresses of Modlin and Zamostye were handed over to the Poles, and the Grand Duke with Russian troops fled to Russian borders. A provisional government was formed in Warsaw headed by General Y. Khlopitsky. However, in January 1831, Khlopitsky resigned, and instead of him was the sixty-year-old Adam-Jerzy Czartoryski, the same one who was a friend of Alexander I and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia from 1803 to 1807. Incidentally, Czartoryski was not enough of the post of head of the national government and the President of the Senate, he clearly aimed at kings. After the defeat of the uprising, Adam Czartoryski emigrated to Paris, where until his death in 1861 he was considered the first candidate for the Polish throne. On January 21, 1831 (NS), the Seim officially deposed Nicholas I from the Polish throne. The Seimas proclaimed the slogan “For your and our freedom! » as the motto of solidarity between the Polish and Russian revolutionary movement. But later the Seim "stepped on a rake" - rejected the proposal to abolish serfdom, which deprived itself of the support of the peasantry. By the beginning of hostilities, the Polish army numbered up to 130 thousand people. The artillery of the Poles consisted of 106 field guns. Their number was increased by old Prussian howitzers and museum exhibits, including captured 18th-century Turkish mortars that the tsar had sent earlier for the monument to King Vladislav. The Polish generals Prondzinsky and Kryzhanovsky proposed offensive tactics. They wanted to gather the entire Polish army into a single fist and consistently beat the Russians in parts, preventing them from uniting. In Warsaw, however, only a small garrison of 4-5 thousand people was to remain. In addition, they hoped, when the Polish troops entered Lithuania and Belarus, that the local gentry would revolt and join the Polish troops. However, General Khlopytsky rejected this plan and on December 20, 1830 (n.s.) ordered the entire Polish army to be deployed in two columns along the Brest-Warsaw and Bialystok-Warsaw roads so that there were several echelons in depth along each road, which could , retreating in front of the Russian units, concentrate at one assembly point - Grokhov (5 km southeast of Warsaw), where it was supposed to fight. Having learned about the uprising in Warsaw, Nicholas I gathered guards units in the courtyard of the Engineer's Castle and informed them that there was an uprising in Warsaw. In response to the indignant exclamations of young officers, Nikolai said: “I ask you, gentlemen, not to hate the Poles. They are our brothers. Few malevolent people are guilty of rebellion. I hope that with God's help everything will end for the better. On December 12 (24), the tsar issued a manifesto stating that the Russians should show “justice without vengeance, steadfastness in the struggle for the honor and benefit of the state without hatred of blinded opponents” towards the Poles. Nevertheless, both in the ruling court circles and in Russian society (of course, the nobility) fears were very strong. foreign intervention, that is, the intervention of France and England in the Polish question. In February 1831, a Polish committee was formed in Paris with the participation of General Lafayette. But for the last 40 years this glorious general has been engaged exclusively in chatter, and the matter did not come to intervention. It is worth noting that the Russian liberal nobility, which systematically criticized internal politics Russian government, took a sharp anti-Polish position. So, the Decembrist Alexander Bestuzhev, demoted to the soldiers, wrote on January 5, 1831 from Derbent to his mother: “On the third day I received the Tiflis newspapers and was extremely upset and annoyed by the news of the Warsaw treason. What a pity that I won’t have to exchange bullets with the good lords ... I’ll only note that the Poles will never be sincere friends of the Russians ... No matter how you feed the wolf ... ”A.S. Pushkin about Polish uprising wrote several poems, of which the most famous are "Slanderers of Russia" and "Borodino Anniversary". I note that both poems are addressed not to the Poles, but to those who incited them, sitting in cozy offices in London and Paris. Why are you threatening Russia with an anathema? What angered you? unrest in Lithuania? Leave it: this is a dispute among the Slavs A homely, old dispute, already weighed by fate, A question that you will not resolve. So send us, vitias, Your embittered sons: There is a place for them in the fields of Russia, Among the coffins that are not alien to them. "Slanderers of Russia" Come to us: Russia is calling you! But know, invited guests! Already Poland will not lead you: Bones will step through it! ... "Borodino anniversary"69 The forces that Nicholas I had to pacify Poland included up to 183 thousand people (guards from St. Petersburg, the Grenadier Corps from the Novgorod settlements, I and II corps from the 1st Army, VI Corps - former Lithuanian, III and V reserve cavalry corps). However, it took more than four months to collect all these troops. The Corps of the Guards of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich and II Count Palen II could arrive only in the spring.

An attempt to suppress the Russian uprising in Warsaw

By December 1830, in place - near Brest and Bialystok - there was only one VI Corps of Baron Rosen in the amount of about 45 thousand sabers and bayonets. On the march were the Grenadier Corps of Prince Shakhovsky and the I Corps of Count Palen 1st with the reserve cavalry of the southern settlements. Field Marshal Count Dibich-Zabalkansky70 was appointed commander-in-chief, and Count Tol was appointed chief of staff. Dibich was subordinated to the provinces: Grodno, Vilna, Minsk, Podolsk, Volyn and Bialystok regions, declared in martial law. By January 20, 1831, the Russian forces at the border of the Kingdom of Poland numbered 114 thousand people. Hoping to quickly defeat the rebels, Dibich did not pay much attention to the supply of his troops and decided not to burden the army with carts and artillery parks. Provisions were taken for only fifteen days, and fodder for twelve. In the artillery, the third divisions of batteries were left, which thus acted as part of eight guns instead of twelve. Infantry regiments acted as part of two battalions. On January 24 and 25, Russian troops crossed the border of the Kingdom of Poland in eleven columns, but in such a way as to be able to concentrate the main forces in the amount of 80 thousand people in twenty hours. The main forces (I, VI Infantry and III Reserve Cavalry Corps) Dibich moved to the area between the rivers Bug and Narew, instructing the V Reserve Cavalry Corps of Baron Kreutz to demonstrate to Lublin. Grenadier Corps, marching on the right flank general location ledge behind and at a considerable distance from the main forces, freedom of action was given. The rains and thaw, which made the wooded and swampy Bugo-Narevsky region impassable, prompted Dibich to concentrate troops at Vengrov, and then turn onto the Brest highway. The field marshal decided to strike at the right flank of the Poles, cutting them off from Warsaw. This flanking march was made on 31 January. In the first days of February, the rapidly advancing Russian columns came into contact with the Polish troops, who were retreating to the Vistula in the Warsaw region. On February 2, an unsuccessful battle for the Russians took place near Stochek, where the cavalry division of General Geismar was defeated by the Polish cavalry of General Dvernitsky. Two Russian cavalry regiments fled, unable to withstand the saber attack of the Poles. The Russians lost 280 men and 8 cannons, while the Poles lost 87 men. On February 5, the Russian army under the command of Field Marshal Dibich set out from Vengrov in two columns. In the right column, along the road to Stanislavov, General Rosen's VI Corps marched, and in the left, along the highway through Kalushin, the 1st Infantry Corps of Count Palen 1st, followed by the reserve. Pushing back the Polish divisions of Skrhynetsky and Zhymirsky, the vanguard of the Palen corps reached Yanovek on February 6, and the vanguard of the Rosen corps was in Okunev. The next day, February 7, it was decided to continue moving towards Warsaw, and the vanguard of Count Palen was to occupy the Vyhodsky Heights, and the main forces of his corps - Milosna. The vanguard of the corps of Baron Rosen also had to reach Vygoda, and his corps should be located in front of Grzhibovskaya Wola. The Polish army was assembled at Grochow under the command of Khlopitsky and consisted of three infantry and three cavalry divisions. In addition, Zhimirsky's division was in the forefront, in the Milosnensky forest. Total in Polish army there were about 54 thousand people with 140 guns.
From Yanovek to Varva Warsaw highway it ran through a forest, which, near Varv, remained only on the right side of the road and continued towards Kavenchin. In front of this forest, for 7 versts to Prague, a plain stretched, covered with sandy hills, bushes, swamps and individual estates. Two versts behind Varv were the villages of Maly and Bolshoi Grochov, and three versts behind them was the Warsaw suburb of Prague. In front of Grokhov there was a small alder grove. Having retreated with his division to Varva, Zhimirsky appreciated the importance of this point and settled down here in order to prevent the Russian troops from debushing from the forest. He deployed his 9 battalions along the sides of the highway, and sent the 28 guns he had to the exits from the forest. By this time, from the main forces of the Poles, the Shembek division was heading towards Zhimirsky. By the time this division arrived at Varvu, the advanced units of Palen's I Corps began to appear from the forest. Shembek placed his division to the right of Zhimirsky, and placed three regiments of Lubensky's cavalry division on the right flank. The vanguard of Count Palen (1st and 2nd Chasseurs and 3rd Cavalry Regiments with sixteen guns under the command of Lieutenant General Prince Lopukhin) was fired upon from forty guns when leaving the forest, but nevertheless lined up in order on both sides of the highway . Fresh troops were brought up, and a heated battle ensued. Commander-in-Chief Khlopitsky arrived at Varv for shots and, convinced of the need to prevent the debushing of Russian troops from the forest, ordered Shembek to push back the Russian troops that had already left it into the forest. And in order to cover his troops from bypassing them from the left flank with a column of the VI Corps, moving along the Okunevskaya road to Vygoda, and to prevent the connection of Russian columns, Khlopitsky sent the Krukovetsky division (13 battalions and 24 guns) there. The rest of the troops were left in reserve near Grokhov. The 1st and 2nd chasseur regiments, under the onslaught of superior Poles, were pushed back to the forest, but the 5th chasseur regiment, which arrived on the run with the 1st cavalry battery of Colonel Paskevich, stubbornly defended its position on the highway. The Black Sea regiment, which rushed to the attack, was overturned. Count Palen and the chief of the main staff of the army, Count Tol, arrived at the vanguard. The Velikolutsky regiment was sent by Palen to the right of the highway, where the Poles advanced strongly. He managed to hold the onslaught of the Poles until 10 o'clock in the morning. Zhimirsky, moving forward through the forest, pressed the weak Russian right flank from two sides. The Novoingermanland regiment, which arrived here to help, was unable to delay the advance of the Poles, and the Russian infantry retreated. Count Tol, fearing that the Poles would be able to cut the Russian army in half, advanced the Staroingermanlandsky regiment and the battalion of the 4th Marine Regiment to the right flank, while he placed the artillery of the 3rd Division in a ledge behind the horse battery, to the left of the highway. The 3rd Naval Regiment was moved to the left. Thanks to these measures, the initiative in battle passed to the Russians. At 11 o'clock in the morning, Field Marshal Dibich arrived on the battlefield with nine battalions of the 2nd Infantry Division. At this time, the Poles reinforced their troops located in the forest, and launched an attack on the flank of the batteries stationed on the highway, trying to cover them. The dense forest hid these movements of the Poles, but Prince Gorchakov nevertheless noticed them and turned the guns of the 1st cavalry battery to the right, with the front parallel to the highway, and then opened grapeshot fire across the highway. The Poles, struck by the suddenness of this fire, retreated into the depths of the forest, but some of their skirmishers rushed to the battery set by Tol. Dibich sent his own convoy and a half-squadron of Lubensky hussars to repel them, and the Poles were overturned.
It was already about noon, and the right Russian column had not yet debouched from the forest. The Poles, realizing the importance of the Russian right flank, directed all their efforts against it. Meanwhile, Dibich sent the Estonian Regiment to reinforce the right flank, called the 2nd Grenadier Division from the reserve, and sent an order to Rosen to speed up the movement. The avant-garde of Rosen under the command of Vlodek was supposed to move at the same height as the vanguard of the 1st Corps, but due to the long distance and bad road, he arrived at Grzhibovska Wola only at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. To delay the movement of Rosen's column, Krukovetsky, having an infantry division and a cavalry regiment, sent one semi-battery with arrows into the forest. The exits from the forest were occupied by Gelgud's brigade with a semi-battery, and the rest of the troops stood in reserve at Vygoda, to the right of the road. Vlodek, hearing strong firing to his left, pushed the 50th Jaeger Regiment and the 1st Battalion of the 49th Jaeger Regiment into the forest to the left of the road, got in touch with the Estland Regiment of the Palen Corps, drove the Poles out of the forest and began to gradually deploy their columns at the edge. Dibich, hearing shots on the right flank, which indicated that Rosen's corps had entered the battle, ordered a general offensive to be launched in the center and on the left flank. The entire line of Russian troops, leaving the forest, began to move forward. Toll overturned Zhimirsky, Palen pushed back Shembek. On our left flank, the Sumy and New Arkhangelsk men, with the assistance of infantry and artillery fire, pushed back the cavalry of Lubensky, who hurried to take cover behind his infantry. The Russian infantry moved forward along the highway and occupied Varv. On our right flank, Krukovetsky stubbornly held out. After a fierce battle, the Russians overturned the 5th Polish Infantry Regiment, which occupied the height. The Russians launched a general offensive, and the left flank of the Poles was pushed back to Grokhov. The villages of Krchma and Benefit were also abandoned by them. Krukovetsky went to the alder grove.
To capture Kavenchin, Rosen sent the Polish and Volynsky Lancers and the Zhytomyr Infantry Regiment, which overturned the Kalish Lancers defending this village. By 4 o'clock in the afternoon, all exits from the forest were in the hands of the Russians. Our troops bivouacked in the places where they found the order. The Poles withdrew behind Maly Grochov without being pursued by the Russians, stopped in front of Bolshoy Grochov and took up position. In this battle, Russian losses amounted to 3,700 people, of which up to 100 officers. The losses of the Poles were no less, only the Russians captured 600 people.
After the battle of Varva, the troops of General Chlopitsky numbered 56 thousand (36 thousand infantry, 12 thousand cavalry, 8 thousand cosigners), and without Krukovetsky - 44 thousand people. The Russians had 72 thousand people (56.5 thousand infantry and 16.5 thousand cavalry) with 252 guns, and without Shakhovsky 59.5 thousand people with 196 guns. Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Dibich intended to give battle on February 14, with the main blow being delivered to the left, most open, flank of the enemy by Shakhovsky's detachment, reinforced by the III Reserve Cavalry Corps, through Belolenka to Brudno and further, cutting off the Poles from Prague. Rosen was to turn around on both sides of Kavenchin; Palen - join his left flank, having the 1st division to the left of the highway; reserve - gather for Kavenchin. At 9:30 am on February 13, Russian artillery opened fire, and the right flank slowly began to advance towards the alder grove. The edge of the grove was occupied by the Polish brigade Goland, behind it was the brigade of Chidevsky, behind the grove was the division of Skrzynetsky. At about 10 a.m. Rosen attacked five battalions of the 24th Division, which broke into the front of the grove, but, having reached the ditch, were driven back. Rosen brought six battalions of the 25th division into action, but Zhimirsky's division forced these units into a gradual retreat. In reinforcements, two regiments of the 25th division were moved to the right, and two regiments of the 1st corps to the left. The second attack was carried out by eighteen battalions, which by 11 o'clock drove Zhimirsky's division out of the grove, while Zhimirsky himself was mortally wounded. The Russians, having occupied the opposite edge, were under canister fire. Khlopitsky advanced Skrzhinetsky's division, followed by Zhimirsky's division. With these twenty-three battalions, eighteen Russian battalions were driven out of the grove. Meanwhile, the Lithuanian Grenadier Brigade and the Lithuanian Lancers Division advanced between Kavenchin and Ząbki. The Nesvizh carabinieri with the Volynsky Lancers drove the Poles out of Zombok and the Macias colony, two Lancers covered the flank to the right of Kavenchin. The cannonade from Belolenka continued, and at 12 noon Dibich sent a third attack on the grove: on the right - Rosen's corps, on the left - the entire 3rd division. The chief of the army headquarters, Count Tol, having attached a battery of the Lithuanian grenadier artillery brigade to the two batteries of the VI Corps on the right flank and taking the Zhytomyr regiment as a cover, began to bypass the grove on the right, and Neidgrad, having moved six battalions of the 3rd division into the grove, with the rest began to bypass her left. In addition to the artillery of the 1st corps, the 20th cavalry artillery company and four gun guard detachments were advanced along the sides of the highway under the cover of the Olviopol hussars. Having captured the edge, parts of the VI Corps were again stopped by fire because of the large ditch. The artillery of Count Toll, which was bypassing the grove, was also stopped by the moat. On the left flank, fresh units of the 3rd division, having overturned the enemy and partly skirted the grove, fell again under buckshot. Khlopitsky brought in the entire division of Zhimirsky, who had previously supported only Skrzhinetsky, and himself, at the head of four battalions of guards grenadiers, led the attack on the right flank. Our tired regiments were forced to retreat, and gradually the Poles again occupied the entire grove. But this was their last success in this battle. The field marshal reinforced the troops with the 3rd brigade of the 2nd grenadier division, deployed part of the III reserve cavalry corps and personally led the troops on the offensive. The Grenadier Brigade went between the VI Corps and the 3rd Division. Having learned at that time about the departure of Prince Shakhovsky from Belolenka, and the Poles could easily retreat to Prague, Dibich decided to support the 3rd brigade of the grenadiers with the 2nd brigade of the same division (in total, 38 battalions participated in the subsequent fourth attack), and to the right of the grove to launch 3 th cuirassier division with the Life Guards Lancers, under the general leadership of Tolya, in order to bypass the cavalry to facilitate the capture of the groves and strike the cuirassiers to break the front of the retreating Poles and at least throw their right flank to the swamps near the Brest highway. The grenadiers broke into the grove first, followed by the rest. The Poles tried to stop behind the moat, but, having no more reserves, they were overturned, and the grove finally remained with the Russians. Artillery (total up to 90 guns) operated on the Polish artillery behind the grove. Tolya's cavalry was forced to overcome obstacles in a column of six and line up under the fire of the Polish battery, and the Poles gained time to build a square. Our 24 Gerstenzweig cavalry guns and 8 foot guns moved forward, under the cover of which the cavalry deployed in battle formation. To ensure cavalry maneuver, the 1st brigade of the 2nd cavalry division, which constituted the right flank of the infantry battle order, advanced to the northern edge of the grove. At the same time, a Lithuanian grenadier brigade with two lancers regiments occupied the colonies of Macias and Elsner, and the Lithuanian lancers regiment contacted Toll's cavalry.

The defeat of the Poles in the Battle of Grochow

General Khlopitsky ordered Krukovetsky's division and Lubensky's cavalry to move to the grove, but at that time he was wounded and carried away from the battlefield. From that moment on, the control of the battle of the Poles disappeared.
Tolya's cavalry lined up in three lines. It was decided to attack simultaneously on a signal, and in order to cut off the Poles from Prague, each subsequent regiment had to take to the right and move forward on the right flank. However, Tol, and with him the head of the cuirassier division, got carried away with a private attack by the lancers against the Polish battalion that had left the grove. The lancers were stopped by a deep ditch under enemy fire. Tol called in a horse battery, which cleared the way for the uhlans. At the same time, Albert's cuirassiers attacked, the attack lasted 20 minutes. The cuirassiers lost about half of their composition, but the Poles began to panic, and the commander-in-chief Mikhail-Gedeon Radziwill himself rode off to Warsaw. Toll, being with the lancers, did not have time to support this attack with the entire division, and then did nothing decisive. Seeing success, the cuirassier Baron Geismar with the cavalry of the left flank hurried up the attack and moved forward the Sumy and Olviopol hussars and Ukrainian lancers with a horse battery, followed by a brigade of rangers. The hussars shot down Shembek's rangers and overturned his division. At this time, Palen also moved the infantry of the left flank: the 1st division - to the left of the highway, and the 2nd - to the right. The Polish chiefs lost their heads, only Skrzyniecki restored order and took up a position on the hills near the monument. On the left, Uminsky's cavalry and the brigade of Krukovetsky's division were attached to him, behind him was Lubensky's cavalry. Only at 4 pm Dibich was finally pleased with the arrival of Shakhovsky and, announcing to the grenadiers that he was giving them the completion of the victory, led them forward, led by the Lithuanian Grenadier Brigade and the lancers advancing from the Elsner colony. When the grenadiers approached the Polish positions, it was about 5 pm. The demoralization of the Poles was complete: Radziwill even ordered to clear Prague and the bridgehead. Then Skrzynetsky was appointed to cover the crossing, which was carried out in disorder from 6 pm to midnight. Protection of the bridgehead was entrusted to Malakhovsky (Krukovetsky division).
The losses of the Poles in this battle amounted to more than 12 thousand people and three guns, the losses of the Russians - 9500 people. The battle near Grokhov was a success for the Russian troops, but a tactical success. Dibich failed to destroy most Polish army. The Poles still had two fortresses on the right bank of the Vistula - Modlin and Prague. Russian troops reached Prague, but failed to capture it. At this time, a series of personnel changes . General Zhymirsky died of wounds received near Grochov, and Radziwill refused to command, General Skrzynetsky was appointed in his place. In the city of Puława on the Vistula, a hundred miles above Warsaw, the townspeople slaughtered a squadron of the Kazan Dragoon Regiment. By order of General Skrzynetsky, the corps of General Dvernitsky, with a total strength of up to 15 thousand people, crossed the Vistula and, having overturned the vanguard of Lieutenant General Baron Kreutz, went to Lublin. Lublin was taken by the Poles, but on February 27 the Russians recaptured it. However, the raid of General Dvernitsky taught Dibich, and he sent his chief of staff, Count Toll, south with the 3rd Reserve Cavalry Corps, part of the 3rd Grenadier Division and the Lithuanian Grenadier Brigade, instructing him to cut off the Poles' corps from the Vistula. Dibich himself with the main forces retreated from Prague to the east. Having replenished his supplies of equipment, the field marshal decided to take Warsaw and in the first days of March 1831 began to concentrate the army at Tyrchin, where he was going to cross the Vistula. The VI Corps of Baron Rosen was left to cover the operation from the rear on the Brest Highway. Skrzynetsky, who managed to raise the spirit of his army, who had fallen after Grochow, was aware of the danger of the Russian forcing the Vistula and decided at all costs to prevent this operation, to distract Dibich from the crossing. Having secretly concentrated up to 40 thousand people near Prague, on March 20 he inflicted a severe defeat on the VI Corps at Dembe-Vilka. In this battle, Skrzyniecki had a large numerical superiority: 33,000 Poles against 18,000 Russians. The Russians lost 2,500 killed and wounded, 3,000 prisoners, five banners and ten cannons. The Poles lost up to 2,000 killed and wounded. As a result of the battle at Dembe-Wilke, Dibich suspended the offensive to the Vistula, postponed the crossing, and, moving to the rescue of Rosen, connected with him on March 31 at Sedlec. An important role in the defense of the Poles was played by the fortress of Zamostye. On February 21, 1831, commandant Krysinsky sent to Ustilug, located 60 versts east of Zamostye, four line companies with four guns, reinforced with cosigniers and krakus (foot and horse volunteers). This detachment unexpectedly attacked the advance detachment of the Zhytomyr regiment and captured the commander of the battalion, Colonel Bogomolets, as well as 5 officers and 370 lower ranks. From March 5 to March 28, the corps of General Dvernitsky was in Zamosc. Then Dvernitsky set out from the fortress to Volhynia. On April 7, near the town of Boremle, Dvernitsky had a battle with the Russian IV Cavalry Corps, Lieutenant General Ridiger. Ridiger had 9,000 men and 36 cannons, while Dvernitsky had 6,000 men and 12 cannons. The Russians lost 700 men and 5 guns, but
Dvernitsky was forced to abandon the campaign in Podolia. In a new battle with the Russians on April 15 at the Ludinskaya tavern, Dvernitsky lost up to a thousand people, including 250 prisoners. After this battle, Dvernitsky crossed the Austrian border with 4,000 Poles and was interned by the Austrians. Field Marshal Dibich expected to go on the offensive from Sedlec on April 12, but was stopped by the order of Nicholas I, who ordered to wait for the arrival of the guard. On April 27, Kreutz alone defeated Khrshanovsky's detachment near Lyubartov. During the stop at Sedlec, cholera broke out in the army, in March there were only two hundred cases, and by the end of April their number had already reached five thousand. Having learned from scouts that Skrzyniecki intended to attack on May 1, Dibich decided to preempt him and pushed the Polish vanguards away from Janov. However, Skrzhinetsky, having concentrated a 45,000-strong army near Serock on May 1, moved in the Lomzhinsky direction against the Guards Corps, in which there were about 27 thousand people with the Saken detachment. After a series of stubborn rearguard battles, Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich withdrew his corps to Snyadov. Skrzhinetsky, despite his superiority in strength, did not dare to attack the Russian guards, but attacked, for a start, the Saken detachment, which occupied Ostrolenka. But Saken promptly retreated to Lomza. During this operation, two Polish divisions (Khlapovetsky and Gelgud) went to the rear of the Guards Corps, which retreated beyond the Narew to the Bialystok region. Attempts by the Poles to cross the Narew were unsuccessful.

Russian victory in the battle of Ostroleka

Dibich stubbornly refused to believe that the Poles were advancing against the guards, but when Lubensky's Polish cavalry ended up at Nur-on-Nareva, the field marshal had to believe. Moving quickly along with the grenadiers, I infantry and III cavalry corps, on May 10 he threw back Lubensky and went to the Polish army. Skrzhinetsky began to retreat, but on May 14 Dibich overtook him and defeated him at Ostroleka. Only the 3rd Grenadier and 1st infantry division(15 thousand people), who had previously walked a little more than a day 70 miles on loose sand. The Poles had 24 thousand. The honor of victory first of all belongs to the Suvorovites - Phanagorians and Astrakhans, who crossed the Narew and for a long time fought with the entire Polish army. In vain Skrzynetsky rushed ahead of the front of his troops, sending them forward: “Napshud Malachowski! Rybinski napshud! Vshisty napshud!" The Russians lost over a third of their troops, and the Poles - 7100 people killed and wounded, 2100 prisoners and three guns. Having withdrawn his defeated army to Warsaw, Skrzynetsky decided to save the situation by diversion to Lithuania and moved Gelgud's division there, consisting of 12 thousand people. But in less than two weeks, the Poles had 24 thousand people in Lithuania, the same number of Russian troops were there by this time. June 7 Gelgud attacked Vilna, but was defeated by Saken and retreated to Prussia, where he was interned. Meanwhile, the most terrible enemy appeared on the battlefield - cholera. in Russian hospitals active army in 1831 27,393 people died of disease, the vast majority from cholera. On May 30, Field Marshal Dibich died of cholera in Pultusk, and on June 17, cholera mowed down Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich in Vitebsk. It must be said that Dibich died “on time” - the emperor was very dissatisfied with him and already in early April 1831 he summoned Field Marshal I.F. from the Caucasus to St. Petersburg. Paskevich (Count of Erivan), with whom he wanted to replace Dibich. On May 8, Paskevich arrived in St. Petersburg, and on June 4 he received the post of army commander in Poland. So that Paskevich could get to the army faster, the tsar specially sent him on the Izhora steamer from Kronstadt to the Prussian port of Memel. From there, by dry route, Paskevich reached the main headquarters in Pultusk. The tsar demanded that Paskevich quickly put an end to the uprising, since France was already about to officially recognize the Polish government.

Russian victory on the Vistula

Nicholas I personally approved the campaign plan, according to which Paskevich was to cross the Vistula near the Prussian border, near Osek, and from there move to Lowicz-Warsaw, securing his rear with a border, and the left flank with the Vistula. Bridges were built on June 1, and the crossing took place from June 4 to 7. Skrzhinetsky tried to distract Paskevich from the crossing by moving on the weak detachment of General Golovin stationed in Kalushino. But Golovin himself went on the offensive against the Poles and with this bold movement pinned them down, ensuring the deployment of the crossed Russian army on the left bank of the Vistula. Golovin had 5,500 men and 14 cannons, while Skrzyniecki had 22,000 men and 42 cannons. Golovin deployed his detachment on a very wide front, thus misleading the Poles about their numbers. Russian losses were 250 killed, 165 wounded, 700 prisoners (all were wounded) and one cannon. The losses of the Poles are unknown: about 1000 people died, 160 people were taken prisoner. Failing, Skrzyniecki returned to Warsaw. On July 20, Russian troops occupied the city of Lovich, 75 miles west of Warsaw. Fearing that Paskevich would move from there directly to Warsaw, Skrzynetsky took up a position near Bolimov, but on July 25 he was forced to retreat behind Ravka. Panic seized Warsaw, Skrzyniecki was replaced by Dembinsky. On August 3, a coup took place, Krukovetsky was appointed president of the Commonwealth, and the Sejm subordinated the commander-in-chief to the government. But Dembinsky was against this submission and resigned, then Malazovsky was appointed instead.
In the meantime, General Ridiger with a detachment of 11 thousand people crossed the Vistula on July 25 and 26 and took Radom, and then moved most of his detachment to reinforce the main Russian army near Warsaw. Malakhovsky, having concentrated over a third of his forces (20,000 men of General Romarino) in Prague, decided to repeat Skrzynetsky's March maneuver on Dembe-Belka74 and defeat the VI Corps on the Brest Highway. By this he intended to divert the main forces of Paskevich to the right bank of the Vistula. Romarino pressed Rosen, but was ordered not to bury himself in view of the critical situation in Warsaw and not move away from the capital. The demonstration of Lubensky's cavalry to the Russian crossings at Osek was not successful. On August 6, Paskevich's army, whose number was increased to 85 thousand people, surrounded Warsaw, which was defended by 35 thousand Poles, not counting the Romarino corps, which acted independently.
From the spring of 1831, the Poles rapidly fortified their capital. Warsaw was surrounded by three lines of fortifications, and, in addition, the Poles set up separate fortified points near the villages of Krulikarnya, Rakovets, Wola and Paris, which were moved forward one or two versts from the first line. There were up to 100 separate fortifications (redoubts and lunettes) in the two front lines, of which 81 were on the left bank. The role of the third defensive line was played by a solid city rampart, erected much earlier for customs purposes and now only reinforced with redans and flushes. Inside Warsaw, on Motokowska Square and the so-called Place of Armor, two redoubts were built as strongholds for the struggle inside the city. The Mirovsky barracks, connected by barricades and adapted for stubborn defense, also served the same purpose. For the defense of Prague, the Poles also took advantage of the already existing city rampart and built several separate fortifications in front. The strongest on the left bank was the Volya redoubt with bastion and polygon faces and a reduit in the southwestern corner. The parapets were 12 feet (3.66 m) high, and the redoubt was surrounded by a deep ditch with a palisade. Inside the fortification there was a garden and a stone church, surrounded by a stone wall 8 feet (2.44 m) high with loopholes in it. Emperor Nicholas I ordered Paskevich to offer the Warsaw garrison to capitulate, while promising to grant amnesty to all who surrendered. However, Krukowiecki declared that the terms of surrender were humiliating and refused.

Storming of Warsaw final victory over Poland

At dawn on August 25, the first assault on Warsaw took place. The main blow was directed at the Volya redoubt and adjacent fortifications No. 54 and 55. By order of Paskevich, 100 Russian field guns drove up 300 sazhens (640 m) 75 to the Polish fortifications and fired intensely for two hours. Then fortifications No. 54 and 55 were taken by storm.
However, "Will", which had 12 guns and 5 infantry battalions, continued to hold out. Then Paskevich ordered another 70 guns to be brought up and attacked Volya from three sides. By 11 o'clock in the morning "Will" was taken. The Poles threw 12 battalions into a counterattack to recapture the "Will", but failed. By the evening of August 25, the Russians occupied another redoubt and the fortified village of Rakovech near the Yerusalim outpost. The next morning, August 26, the assault on Warsaw resumed. Under the cover of fire of 120 guns, the Russian infantry attacked the suburbs of Volskoye and Chiste and captured two redoubts. Then the Russians captured the Volskaya and Yerusalimskaya outposts and broke through the city rampart. By midnight (from August 26 to August 27), Russian troops captured the rampart for 12 versts. The Poles blocked the streets with barricades and set up in the most dangerous places land mines. However, the Sejm authorized General Krukowiecki to capitulate. Krukowiecki sent a written act to Paskevich, which stated that Warsaw and the entire Polish people "submit unconditionally to the will of the legitimate government." According to the terms of the surrender, the Polish troops were to clear Warsaw and Prague by 5 o'clock in the morning on August 27 and proceed to Plock. At 8 o'clock in the morning, Russian troops entered Warsaw under the command of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, while Paskevich himself had been shell-shocked by a close-flying cannonball the day before. During the two-day assault on Warsaw, the Russians lost 10 thousand people, and the Poles - up to 11 thousand. The Russians took 3,000 men and 132 guns prisoner. On the evening of August 27, Paskevich arrived in Warsaw and occupied the Belvedere Palace. The count decided to become like Suvorov. He sent Nicholas I to St. Petersburg by courier Suvorov's grandson with a brief report: "Warsaw is at the feet of Your Imperial Majesty." Nicholas liked this report, and he rewarded for this feat with royal grace. Count Paskevich-Erivansky was elevated to princely dignity with the name of Warsaw and with the title of His Serene Highness. I note from myself that Suvorov took Warsaw with a completely different balance of power, and received the princely title for the Italian campaign, and, by the way, the French General Moreau is no match for General Krukovetsky. The Polish corps of General Rozmarino (15,000 men and 42 guns), which the Varsovians hoped so much for, was pushed back by Russian troops to the Austrian border. Rosemary's troops crossed the border and were interned by the Austrians.
The Polish troops, who left Warsaw, refused to submit to the terms of surrender three days later. The officers began to argue that Krukowiecki did not have sufficient authority to sign the surrender. Commander-in-Chief Malakhovsky was replaced by General Rybansky. However, Paskevich's troops pursued Rybansky and forced him to leave for Prussia on September 23. There, 20 thousand Poles with 96 guns were interned. Two days later, on September 25 (October 7), the Polish garrison of the Modlin fortress surrendered. The Zamostye fortress was the last to capitulate - on October 9 (21), 1831. After the suppression of the uprising, Nicholas I radically changed the policy towards the Kingdom of Poland. In November 1831, the emperor appointed I.F. Paskevich as his viceroy in Warsaw. The Russian emperor destroyed the Polish constitution. In February 1832, the Organic Statute was published, according to which the Kingdom of Poland was declared an integral part of the Russian Empire, and the Polish crown was hereditary in the Russian imperial house: a separate coronation of the emperor was no longer required. The administration of Poland was entrusted to the Administrative Council, headed by the viceroy of the emperor. The Sejm was abolished. The Polish constitutional charter, together with the captured banners of the Polish army, was ordered by Nicholas to be kept in the Armory in Moscow as historical relics. An indemnity in the amount of more than 20 million rubles was imposed on the Kingdom of Poland. The Polish national troops were abolished, and several thousand soldiers and officers who participated in the uprising were exiled to Siberia and the Caucasus. In the Kingdom of Poland, an all-imperial system of recruiting for the Russian army was introduced. In Poland, the number of troops was increased. The organic statute limited the competence of the State and Administrative Councils, but separate administration and laws were retained. was also saved Polish language as the language of internal administration and education, but all correspondence with St. Petersburg now had to be conducted in Russian. The statute provided for gentry and city self-government, but it was never introduced. Paskevich began to gradually replace positions in the administration with Russian officials. The authorities supported class privileges of the gentry and encouraged conservative and clerical sentiments. In competence catholic church returned marriage affairs, was canceled civil marriage. The number of general education secondary schools, primarily gymnasiums, was reduced. The development of primary schools and special educational institutions, such as real gymnasiums, was encouraged. All schools compulsory subject was the history of Russia. The teaching of subjects in Polish, as well as teaching it as a separate subject, was reduced. History, geography and statistics were to be taught in Russian. By personal order of Nicholas I, the program of gymnasiums was included Church Slavonic, which was seen as a means to facilitate the transition to Russian-language teaching in various subjects.

The state structure of Poland after joining the Russian Empire

In 1837, the voivodships were renamed into provinces, the voivodship commissions began to be called provincial boards, and their chairmen became civil governors. In general, local authorities received Russian names, which expressed their dependence on the central organs of the empire. In order to erase all signs of the isolation of the kingdom, the customs border separating it from the Russian Empire was destroyed. Since the mid 30s. 19th century in the Kingdom of Poland, the volume of construction of horse-drawn roads increased sharply. In 1845, the first railway in Russian Poland, Warsaw - Skierniewice, 55 versts long, was put into operation, and in 1848, the Lovich - Czestochowa - Austrian border railway (262 versts long). On February 15, 1851, the Highest Decree was issued on the construction of the Petersburg-Warsaw railway line. The route of this highway passed through Gatchina, Luga, Pskov, Ostrov, Dvinsk, Vilna, Grodno, Bialystok. The design length was 1280 km. In 1859, trains from St. Petersburg went to Pskov, in 1860 - to Dinaburg, and in 1862 - to Warsaw. In the same 1862, the Vilna railway line was put into operation - the Verzhbolovo border station, where it was connected to the Prussian railway system. By 1831, the western fortresses of Russia - Zamostye, Modlin, Brest and others - eked out a miserable existence. The uprising of 1831 radically changed the views of the Military Department on the fortress defense of the western regions of Russia. At the same time, there was also a subjective factor - Emperor Nicholas I, while still a Grand Duke, was in charge of engineering and fortresses. Nicholas I ordered the construction of three lines of fortresses to protect the western border. The first line included fortresses located in the Kingdom of Poland: Modlin, Warsaw, Ivan Gorod and Zamosc. On February 19, 1832, Nicholas I personally approved the plan for the overhaul of the Modlin fortress, drawn up by Major General Den. On March 14, 1834, the fortress was renamed Novogergievsk. In 1836, the construction of the fortress was close to completion, and 495 guns and 122 fortress guns were assigned to its armament. The garrison of the fortress was to consist of eight battalions of infantry, two squadrons of cavalry, seven companies of fortress artillery and one company of sappers. In 1841 the construction of Novogeorgievsk was completed. At the beginning of 1863, according to the state, the fortress should have had 709 guns, but in fact there were 683. The most powerful guns of the Novogeorgievsk fortress were 79 one-pound (196-mm) unicorns, 49 96-pound (229-mm) carronades, 15 five-pound (334 -mm) mortar and 22 two-pound (245 mm) mortars. All of these tools were cast iron. Especially for strengthening the capital of Poland, almost within the city on the left bank of the Vistula, Major General Den designed the Alexander Citadel. It had a dual purpose: together with other fortresses, it formed the first line of defense, and also kept the capital under fire. So, part of the one-pood unicorns received a large elevation angle, as stated in the statement, "on the elution machines for the bombardment of the city." On the right bank of the river there was a bridgehead - the fort "Slivitsky", named in memory of the colonel of the general staff Slivitsky, who in 1831, during the capture of Warsaw, set fire to the Prague bridge. The fortress was founded on May 19, 1832. In 1835, Nicholas I arrived in Warsaw and examined the commissioned fortress. Receiving a deputation from the aristocracy of Warsaw at the Lazenkovsky Palace, he said among other things: “If you persist in dreams of an independent Poland and other similar fantasies, you will bring upon yourself the greatest misfortunes. I built a citadel here. I warn you that at the slightest disturbance I will order to shoot at the city, I will turn Warsaw into ruins and will not rebuild it any more. At the beginning of 1863, it was supposed to have 341 guns in the Alexander Citadel, but in fact there were 335. The most powerful guns were 40 one-pound unicorns, twelve 96-pound carronades, 16 five-pound and 16 three-pound mortars. In 1837, the Ivangorod fortress76 was founded at the confluence of the Veprzh River with the Vistula. The fortress was built by Major-General The plan of the Alexander citadel and its advanced forts Den. By the beginning of 1863, according to the state, the fortress was supposed to have 328 guns, but in fact it consisted of 326. The most powerful guns of Ivangorod were 43 one-pood unicorns, four 96-pound carronades, three five-pood and 22 three-pood mortars. The weakest fortress of the Kingdom of Poland was Zamosc. Her in the 1830s. almost never rebuilt. In 1833, it was armed with 257 guns and 50 fortress guns. The garrison had three infantry battalions, one cavalry squadron, four artillery companies and one sapper company. After the uprising of 1863, the Zamostye fortress was abolished, and the fortifications were demolished. The second line of fortresses was outside the Kingdom of Poland. The main fortress in it was Brest-Litovsk. The construction of the Brest-Litovsk fortress began in June 1833 under the leadership of the same Major General Den, and 5 years later the fortress was put into operation. By the beginning of 1863, the fortress was supposed to have 442 guns, but actually consisted of 423. The most powerful guns of Brest-Litovsk were 112 one-pound unicorns, nine 96-pound carronades, two five-pound and 25 three-pound mortars. In the rear there was a third line of fortresses, the main of which were Kyiv, Bobruisk and Dinaburg. The system of Russian fortresses was continuously improved from 1830 to 1894. In the West, the state of engineering defense of the Russian border was rather highly appreciated. Based on the data of German experts, Friedrich Engels wrote: “The Russians, especially after 1831, did what their predecessors missed doing. Modlin (Novogeorgievsk), Warsaw, Ivangorod, Brest-Litovsk form a whole system of fortresses, which, by the combination of its strategic capabilities, is the only one in the world. In my opinion, here the classics can be trusted: firstly, he was well versed in military affairs, and secondly, he hated Russia very much, and it is difficult to accuse him of embellishment.

The Polish uprising of 1863-1864 (January uprising of 1863) is a national liberation uprising of the Poles against Russia, which covered the territory of the Kingdom of Poland, Lithuania and partly Belarus and Right-Bank Ukraine.

The reason for the uprising was the desire of the advanced part of Polish society to gain national independence and restore statehood. The rise of the Polish national movement was facilitated by successes in liberation and unification, the growth of democratic forces in European countries, the creation and activities of secret radical democratic organizations in Russia. Polish patriotic organizations that arose in the late 1850s among students and officers of the Russian army began preparing an uprising in agreement with the Russian conspirators.

At the end of 1861, two main political camps had developed in the national movement, which were called the “white” and “red” parties. The “Whites” represented mainly moderate noble and bourgeois circles, advocated the tactics of “passive opposition”, which made it possible to obtain political autonomy for the Kingdom and, additionally, according to the borders of 1772, Lithuanian, Belarusian and Ukrainian lands. The "Reds" included diverse socio-political elements (mainly the gentry, the bourgeoisie, the intelligentsia, and partly the peasantry), who were united by the desire to obtain complete independence of Poland by force of arms and restore the state within the borders of 1772 (only a part of the "Reds" recognized the rights of Lithuanians, Belarusians and Ukrainians to self-determination).

Conservative-aristocratic circles, headed by Margrave A. Wielopolsky, advocated reaching an agreement with tsarism through certain concessions in favor of the autonomy of the Kingdom. In June 1862, the "Reds" created the Central National Committee (CNC), in which J. Dombrovsky, Z. Padlevsky, B. Schwartz, and A. Giller played a leading role (he developed a plan for an armed uprising). Members of the “Committee of Russian Officers in Poland” took part in the preparations for the uprising, one of the founders and leaders of which was the Ukrainian A. Potebnya. The Committee foresaw that the uprising in Poland would give impetus to the all-Russian revolution. The beginning of the uprising was scheduled for the spring of 1863.

The CNC formed secret committees in the Kingdom, as well as in Lithuania, Belarus and Right-Bank Ukraine, and had its representatives in European countries. Trying to weaken the organizations of the "Reds", the government, on the initiative of A. Velopolsky, announced an extraordinary recruitment according to pre-prepared lists, in which there were many conspirators, which served as a pretext for the uprising, on 10 (22) .01.1863, the Central Committee of People's Commissars proclaimed the beginning of a national uprising, and called itself temporary by the national government. At the call of the CNC, rebel detachments attacked the royal garrisons.

The CNC issued a manifesto to the Polish people and decrees on the abolition of corvee and the proclamation of the peasants as the owners of their allotments, with subsequent compensation to the landowners for the lost lands. In February 1863, the CNC appealed to the Ukrainian peasants to join the uprising. However, the peasants did not support the performance, not sharing the encroachments of the Polish gentry on Ukrainian lands. In the armed detachments in the Kiev region and Volhynia, mainly the Polish gentry participated. The largest of these detachments, under the leadership of V. Rudnitsky, E. Ruzhitsky, tried to resist the tsarist troops, but at the end of May they were forced to cross the Austrian border.

In May 1863, the CNC became the National Government (NU), created an extensive underground administrative network (police, taxes, post office, etc.), and for a long time successfully operated in parallel with the tsarist administration. From the beginning of the uprising, there were significant differences between the "whites" and the "reds". The "Whites" counted on the intervention of the Western powers and opposed the radical socio-political plans of the "Reds". Attempts to put dictators at the head of the uprising - first L. Meroslavsky from the "Reds", and then M. Lyangevich from the "Whites" - did not bring the desired results. The Western powers limited themselves to diplomatic demarches.

On October 17, 1863, the Reds, having taken possession of NU, appointed a new dictator, General R. Traugutt. The latter's attempts to intensify the uprisings failed. As early as the summer of 1863, the tsar appointed M. Muravyov governor-general of Lithuania and Belarus (North-Western Territory), and F. Berg the governor of the Kingdom, who resorted to cruel repression and terror in order to suppress the uprising. At the same time, at the beginning of March 1864, the government announced decrees on the peasant reform, which was carried out on more favorable terms for the peasants than in other lands of the empire.

By September 1864 the uprising was crushed, only separate detachments held out until the beginning of 1865. The Russian government brutally cracked down on the participants in the uprising: hundreds of Poles were executed, thousands were deported to Siberia or given into the army, and their property was confiscated. The Russian government abolished the remnants of the Kingdom's autonomy. The January Uprising, having become the most massive and democratic of all the Polish national liberation uprisings of the 19th century, contributed to the growth of the national consciousness of ever wider sections of Polish society.

(CP), which spread to a number of western provinces of the Russian Empire.

Flashed-well-lo in connection with the revolutionary upsurge in Western Europe - the July re-in-lu-qi-ey of 1830 in France and Belgium -sky re-vo-lu-qi-ey of 1830. Ve-che-rum 17 (29). -skim, by order of in-st-ruk-to-ra of the Warsaw school of under-ho-run-zhih ne-ho-you P. You-sots-to-on-pa- la on the palace of Bel-ve-der - re-si-den-tion of the actual on-me-st-no-ka in the CPU of the Grand Duke Kon-stan-ty-on Pav-lo-vi-cha. With the support of the city-ro-zhan for-go-vor-schi-ki for-hwa-ti-li ar-se-nal (about 40 thousand guns), killed 7 Polish military-on- chal-ni-kov, who kept their loyalty to Ni-ko-lai I, including the military mini-ni-st-ra of the Central Command of the infantry general Count M.F. Gau-ke. Under the influence of these events, instead of Co-ve-ta management Go-su-dar-st-ven-no-go co-ve-ta Tsar-st -va Pol-sko-go after-before-va-tel-but about-ra-zo-va-ny our National Council (December 1830 - January 1831) and the National Government (January - September 1831), headed by Prince A.A. Char-to-ryi-skim (replaced in August by Lieutenant General Count Y.S. Kru-ko-vets-kim). Temporary pra-vi-tel-st-vo-na-zna-chi-lo chief-but-ko-man-duyu-shchim of the Polish army lieutenant-general Yu. -go, you-sa-zav-she-go-sya in the us-lo-vi-yah from-the-day-st-via of the military aid of the Western European states at a time- re-she-nie con-flik-ta pu-tem per-re-go-vo-ditch. One-to-be-zhav-shi from Var-sha-you Kon-stan-tin Pav-lo-vich on the pre-lo-s-the-same Chlo-pits-to-go back from-ve- teal from-ka-zom. Wishing to hold back from military clashes, the Grand Duke, fak-ti-che-ski, handed over the main fortresses to the new Polish ruler according to Mod-lin (we are not in the city of No-you-Dvur-Ma-zo-vets-ki Ma-zo-vets-ko-vo-vod-st-va, Poland) and Za-most-tye (now-not the city of Za-most Lub-lin-sko-go-voo-vo-vo-va) with weapons depots and zero CPU along with Russian gar -ni-zo-nom Var-sha-you. Then Chlo-pits-kim in St. Petersburg on the right-le-on de-le-ga-tion, led by K.F. (F.K.) Druts-kim-Lyu-bets-kim. Before her arrival, Ni-ko-lai I in the “Invocation to the troops and the people of the Tsar-st-va of Poland” dated December 5 (17) and in Ma-ni -fe-ste dated December 12 (24), ras-ra-dil-sya-sta-no-twist Council of administration, residents of the CPU called for non-med-len- but move away “from the pre-stup-to-go, but mi-nut-to-go-to-le-che-niya”, and the Polish army - follow-to-vat with-sya-ge, dan- noy to the Russian im-pe-ra-to-ru as the Polish tsar. Nevertheless, the Polish de-le-ga-tion to-ve-la to the news of Count K. V. Nes-sel-ro-de, and then Ni-ko-lai I, his tre-bo-va-nia: re-re-da-cha in the composition of the CPU ter-ri-to-rii of the former of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Ma-lo-Polish province of the Polish-ko-ro-lev-st-va; co-blu-de-nie im-pe-ra-to-rum Kon-sti-tu-tion of the Tsar-st-va of Poland 1815 -ny, including two-zh-dy pre-vy-she-na time-ki so-zy-va Sei-ma, in 1825 from-me-not-to the publicity of his for-se-yes- niy, in 1819, introduced a pre-variant censor-zu-ra); am-ni-stiya teaching-st-ni-kam of the Polish uprising; Russian diplomatic support for the Polish ok-ku-pa-tion Ga-li-tion. No-ko-bark I from-clo-nil pain-shin-st-in tre-bo-va-niy, but promised to am-ni-sti-ro-vat “me-tezh-ni-kov” . After the weight of the firm on the zi-tion im-pe-ra-to-ra and under the pressure of the o-g-ni-zo-van-noy “Pat-rio -ti-che-soc-sche-st-vom ”street ma-ni-fe-sta-tion 13 (25). of the year I announced the downfall of Ni-ko-lai I as the king of the Polish, but kept the constitutional-mo-nar-chic device -state of the CPU, declaring that the Polish people are "free-on-chi-she", having the right to give the Polish co-ro-nu to-mu, whom "her dos-that-nym respects." Soon, the Seim appointed Prince M. Rad-zi-vil-la as the new chief-but-commander of the Polish army but changed, in part-no-sti in February - brigade general Y. Skzhi-nets-kim, in July - di-vi-zi-on General G. Dembinsky).

In February 1831, military operations began between the Russian and Polish armies. Under the pressure of the Russian troops under the command of Field Marshal I.I. Di-bi-cha after the first battles near Wav-r and Gro-hu-vom (now-not in the black of Var-sha-you) Polish army from-stu-pi- la to Prague - strong-but uk-re-p-lyon-no-mu eastern near-go-ro-du of Var-sha-you, and then beyond the Vistula River (one-but-time- men-but in February / March, the Russian troops under the command of the chief of staff of the army, infantry general K.F. To-la for-nya-whether the city of Lub-lin). The Russian army on-cha-la under-go-tov-ku to storm Var-sha-you from behind-pa-yes. Two-well-dy Di-beach from-kla-dy-shaft assault; in part, at the order of Ni-ko-lai I, he was waiting for the approach of the Guards Corps of the Grand Duke Mi-khai-la Pav-lo-vi-cha, one -to soon you-drank on the help of your own Guards cor-pu-su and won 2 victories over the Polish army, including 14 (26) May near the city of Ost-ra-len-ka Ma-zo-vets-ko-go voo-vod-st-va. 4-8 (16-20) July Russian troops under the command of Field Marshal I.F. Pas-ke-vi-cha, for-me-niv-she-go from ho-le-ra Di-bi-cha, at the Polish-Prussian frontier for-si -ro-wa-whether the river Vi-s-la and moved-well to Var-sha-ve, someone took the helm on August 26-27 (September 7-8). Pas-ke-vich pre-lo-lived os-tat-kam of the Polish army ka-pi-tu-li-ro-vat, ra-zo-ru-living in Plots-ke and from-right-viv from-to-yes No-to-bark I de-pu-ta-tion with wine-noy (condition-lo-via with-nya-you Y.S. Kru-ko-vets-kim, but from- verg-well-you Se-mom). In September-Tyab-re, the cor-pus of the brig-gad-no-go general J. Ra-mo-ri-no crossed the Austrian border, and in September / October the main part of the Polish army - Prussian gra-ni-tsu, in-ki-nuv ter-ri-to-riyu CPU. Polish uprising for-the-top-shi-elk surrender-whose Russian how-to-skam cre-po-stay Mod-lin (September 26 (October 8) and Za-most-tie (October 9 (21)). Spring - le -that is, the re-stand-ing is also for-tro-well-lo Li-tov-sko-Vi-Len-skaya, Grod-Nen-skaya, Minsk, Vo-lyn-skaya, Po-dol-skaya gu-ber-nii and the Be-lo-sto-kskaya region of the Russian Empire.

Ma-ni-fe-stom dated 20.10 (1.11).1831 Emperor Ni-ko-lai I am-ni-sti-ro-val most of the teaching-st-ni-kov of the Polish uprising, then from-me- neil con-sti-tu-tion of 1815 and introduced the Or-ga-ni-che-sky statute of the Tsar-st-va of Poland of 1832, declaring the CPU part of the Russian im -pe-rii. Ucha-st-ni-ki on-press-le-tion of re-stand-on-gra-g-yes-were “Polish sign from-li-chia for military sub-vi- gi”, uch-re-zh-den-nym in 1831/1832 and is the exact copy of the Polish op-de-na “Virtuti militari”.

The events of the Polish uprising from-ra-zhe-na in verse-ho-two-re-ni-yah by K. De-la-vin-nya “Var-sha-vyan-ka”, V.A. Zhu-kov-sko-go “Old song in a new way”, A.S. Push-ki-on “Before the coffin-ni-tseyu saint ...”, “Kle-vet-ni-kam of Russia”, “Bo-ro-din-skaya year-dov-schi-na”, musical pro-from-ve-de-nii by F. Sho-pe-na - “Re-vo-lu-qi-on-nom” etude de for piano (orchestra 10, c-moll) (all 1831) and others . In memory of those who were killed by the rebels on the first day of the Polish uprising, the military commander of the Polish army in Var-sha-ve us-ta-nov-len pa- mint-nick (1841, author of the project - A. Ko-rats-tsi; destroyed-to-women in 1917).

Historical sources:

War-on with the Polish ski-mi me-tezh-ni-ka-mi 1831 ... // Russian old-ri-na. 1884. Vol. 41, 43;

Mokh-nats-kiy M. Polish revolt in 1830-1831. // There. 1884. T. 43; 1890. T. 65; 1891. T. 69;

Go-li-tsy-na N.I. [Remembrance of the Polish Restoration of 1830-1831] // Russian Ar-Khiv: Is-to-ria Ote-che-st-va in the -de-tel-st-wah and do-ku-men-tah XVIII-XX centuries. M., 2004. Issue. 13.

Having entered Poland as a "liberator" in 1807, Napoleon turned it into the Duchy of Warsaw, dependent on France. But after its defeat in 1815, a new partition of Poland was carried out at the Congress of Vienna - already the fourth in a row, in which four-fifths of the Duchy of Poland was transferred to Russian citizenship. Russia created the Kingdom of Poland on this territory with its own constitution and Sejm. The rest of Poland was divided between Austria and Prussia.

The Russian emperor Alexander I forgave the Poles for their action against Russia: in 1812, Poland fielded its 80,000-strong army as part of the Napoleonic army. Order and tranquility were restored in the country, the material well-being of the people began to develop rapidly, which gave impetus to the rapid growth of the population. Russia also did not forget about the public education and cultural growth of the Kingdom of Poland - a university was founded in Warsaw, "two military academies, a women's institute, a school of agriculture and agriculture and other educational institutions." The brother of Emperor Alexander I, Konstantin Pavlovich, loved Poland, knew its language perfectly, and, since 1814, being the commander-in-chief of the Polish army, strengthened it in every possible way. Later, after the first governor - General Zayonchek, becoming the governor of the Kingdom of Poland himself, he married the Polish countess I. Grudzinskaya and even stood for the complete independence of Poland. Konstantin was quite pleased with his fate and, perhaps, therefore, in 1823 he abdicated the Russian throne in favor of his younger brother Nikolai Pavlovich.

Documents on this case were prepared in advance by Alexander I and secretly kept one copy in the Synod, the Senate, in the State Council and in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, the sealed envelopes had the royal signature in their own hand: to reveal, before any action, in an emergency assembly. So Constantine finally broke with the succession to the throne and devoted himself to Poland. The Poles themselves spoke of their well-being with great satisfaction: “... Poland has never been as happy as in the time of Alexander I, and if it continued to follow this path, it would soon forget 200 years of its anarchy and would become along with the most educated states of Europe ".

Even after the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Alexander I granted the Poles a constitution. The manifestation of the opposition began with the fact that Poland, having, thanks to the efforts of Constantine, its own national army, began to strive for secession from Russia and even intended to annex to itself a huge part of the territory of the Russian lands that made up Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania. Such a statement at the Seimas outraged the Russian emperor, and he began to limit his activities, stretch out the terms between his meetings, and then the publicity of the meeting of the Seimas was canceled, and basically its meetings began to be held behind closed doors. Such a violation of the constitution led to the organization of a network of secret societies, which took up the special education of the younger youth and preparation for a future uprising.

Over time, two main parties were formed: the aristocratic one, led by Prince Adam Chertoryisky, and the democratic one, led by Lelewel, professor of history at Vilna University. They were separated by plans for the future reorganization of Poland, but united by the current ones - to prepare as soon as possible for an uprising to fight for the national independence of Poland. They even tried to contact the Decembrists in Russia, but the negotiations did not lead to the desired results.

By this time, the flames of revolution had begun to flare up in the West. In France, the Bourbon dynasty was swept away, Belgium was indignant, a breeze of unrest of the Russian peasantry blew from the east. Preparations for the uprising in Poland began to overripe - denunciations and arrests began. It was impossible to postpone the performance any longer. The last, decisive impetus for the uprising was the inclusion of Polish troops in the Russian army for a campaign in Belgium to suppress the revolutionary movement.

On a cold autumn night on November 17, a group of conspirators from young officers and pupils of military schools, led by Nabelyak, Trzhaskovsky and Goshchinsky, broke into the Belvedere country palace shouting: "Death to a tyrant!" Sleepy Konstantin was pushed aside by the valet, and he managed to escape, and then go to the Russian army. But many Russian generals, officers, close associates of Constantine and servants, along with Poles loyal to Russia, were killed.

The conspirators broke the doors of the arsenal and began to arm the rebel army, who were kindled with anger with provocative cries, "... that the Russians are cutting the Poles and burning the city." At this time, another group tried to capture the barracks, but the skirmish dragged on, and the case fell through. The military forces for the coup were clearly not enough, since a small number of units were involved. Then the organizers rushed to the workers' quarters with an appeal, and the entire population of the city was raised. Crowds of people rushed to the arsenal. In a short time, the uprising engulfed the whole of Warsaw. Constantine at this time, having released the Polish detachments loyal to him, withdrew with his Russian troops from the city, giving the Poles the opportunity to understand that the Russians were peacefully disposed. He considered the moment the uprising began to be a small flash and waited for it to go out by itself. But as a result of such inaction, the uprising engulfed all of Poland. Rapidly developing events frightened the top of the Polish aristocracy. An interim government was urgently created, headed by the former minister and friend of Emperor Alexander I, Adam Chertoryisky. He persuaded General Khlopitsky, who had once served in the Napoleonic army, to take over the leadership of the uprising in order to prevent it from developing spontaneously. And then the new government and the Sejm sent to St. Petersburg their demands for the observance of the constitution and the restoration of Poland within the borders before its first partition, that is, with the annexation of "Western Russian regions" to it. In response to the “daring” statement, Nicholas I did not negotiate, but stated: “... that he promises an amnesty to the Poles if they immediately submit; but if they dare to take up arms against Russia and their lawful sovereign, then they themselves and their cannon shots overthrown Poland.

But the rebels did not lay down their arms. Then the Russian emperor sent his troops to tame the "rebels" under the command of Field Marshal Johann Dibich-Zabalkansky. But since the uprising in Poland was unexpected for Russia, it took about 3.5 months to prepare the army for hostilities. In the meantime, only one corps of Baron Rosen was operating there, which, under the pressure of the Poles, was gradually losing its positions.

The new year 1831 has come. The Russian emperor was declared deposed in Poland, the people took to the streets and demanded the complete separation of Poland from Russia. As a sign of solidarity with the Russian revolutionaries of 1825, they defiantly served a memorial service for the executed Decembrists and "... put forward a slogan addressed to the Russian people -" For our and your freedom "".

Russian punitive troops were on their way. Poland was intensively preparing for hostilities. Its initial army of 35 thousand grew to 130, but hardly half was suitable for real action. In Warsaw itself, up to four thousand national guardsmen were under arms. Having great experience, General Khlopitsky already foresaw the outcome of the uprising. From the very beginning, he did not want to take on leadership and refused the role of dictator. He led a wait-and-see policy in order to get out of the game if necessary. Khlopitsky did not even take advantage of the absence of the main forces of the Russian army to defeat the 6th Lithuanian Corps of General Rosen. In the end, he was replaced by Prince Mikhail Radziwill.

The Russian army numbering 125.5 thousand entered Poland. On January 24, Dibich wedged it in several columns between the Narew and the Bug in order to cut the Polish army and break it piece by piece with one decisive blow. But the mudslide interfered with his plans. In order not to get stuck in the swamps of the interfluve, he went to the Brest highway. On February 13, Dibich defeated the army of the Poles near Grochow, but did not finish them off when crossing the Vistula and made it possible to leave for Prague. The next day, approaching the fortress, which Suvorov once took, he was convinced that it was impossible to take it without special siege weapons.

Having secured the base and strengthened the rear, on April 12, Dibich launched a decisive offensive. Upon learning of this, the commander-in-chief of the Polish forces, Skrzynetsky, began to leave with his troops from the blow, but on May 14 he was overtaken and defeated at Ostroleka. After the defeat, the Polish army concentrated at Prague. Dibich moved towards it, but on the way he died of cholera, which raged not only in Poland, but also in the central regions of Russia.

On June 13, General I.F. Paskevich-Erivansky took command of the Russian troops. General N. N. Muravyov moved with his army to the Brest highway. The Poles pulled an army of 40 thousand people to Warsaw, in addition, a general conscription into the militia was announced. But it was all in vain. By August 1, Skrzynetsky left the post of commander in chief. He was replaced by Dembinsky - the fourth leader of the Polish army. All three previous commanders-in-chief - Khlopnitsky, Radziwill and Skrzhinetsky were accused of treason and imprisoned. The Poles demanded their execution, but the government remained silent. Then a crowd of angry citizens broke into the prison by force and executed the arrested generals by lynching. Popular uprisings began against the government, which, in turn, was confused. Adam Chertoryisky left the post of chief ruler and fled from Warsaw to Paris. The Sejm urgently appointed General Krukovetsky instead of him, and the massacre of popular protests began. Some participants in demonstrations against the Polish government and the most ardent participants in the massacre of former commanders in prison were executed. There were attempts to start new negotiations with Paskevich, but he did not accept any conditions, categorically stating that the rebels lay down their arms and cease resistance. The statement of the Russian commander was rejected. The Poles decided to fight to the end.

On September 25, Paskevich, with decisive actions of the army, struck at the western suburbs of Warsaw and captured its suburban part - Wola, and the whole of Warsaw was surrendered the next day. Part of the Polish troops under the command of Rybinsky, who did not want to lay down their arms, retreated to the north of Poland. Pursued by Paskevich's army, the Polish detachments crossed the border of Prussia on September 20 and were disarmed there. Soon the military garrison of Medlin surrendered, followed on October 9 by Zamosc. The instigators and active participants were exiled to Siberia, the Polish Sejm was dispersed, the constitution was abolished. It was replaced by the "Organic Statute", according to which from now on and forever Poland was to be an integral part of the Russian Empire. The name of the Kingdom of Poland was retained, but it ceased to exist as an independent state. General Paskevich, who received the title of Prince of Warsaw, was appointed governor of this Russian province. Under him, a council was established of the chief officials of the region, who replaced the former ministers. Instead of the Sejm, the State Council of the Kingdom of Poland was approved from dignitaries appointed by Emperor Nicholas I himself. In all official areas of activity, the Russian language was introduced without fail.

Three years later, the Russian emperor himself showed up in Warsaw and, at the reception of a delegation from the population, bluntly stated: “... By my command, a citadel was erected here (the Aleksandrovskaya fortress for the Russian garrison), and I announce to you that at the slightest indignation I will order to destroy your city ... " .

In order to prevent the future organization of Polish secret societies and the ideological influence of the Poles on the western regions of Russia, the universities in Warsaw, Vilna, and the Krmenets Lyceum were closed, and instead of them, the University of St. Vladimir.

With great sympathy, the Russian Synod accepted the petition of the Uniate Bishop Joseph Semashko to reunite with the Russian Orthodox Church the Uniate churches of the Russian population of the western regions, under the influence of Polish Catholicism. A significant role in this matter was played by the highest hierarch and an outstanding theologian of that time, Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow.

Such an event as the defeat of the Polish uprising did not go unnoticed in the history of awards. All participants in the hostilities against the Polish rebels were awarded a special award - a special cross minted in the manner of the Polish military order "Virtuti Militari". This Russian sign - "werewolf" - of the Polish Order of Distinction for Military Merit was specially introduced by Emperor Nicholas I to insult the national dignity of the Polish people. It, like the Polish order, has broadened ends and an image in the rosette of the front side of the Polish single-headed eagle, around which a continuous wreath of laurel leaves is placed around the circumference. On the ends of the cross there are inscriptions: on the left "VIR", on the right "TUTI", on the top - "MILI", on the bottom - "TARI". On the reverse side, in exactly the same rosette with a wreath, a three-line inscription: "REX - ET - PATRIA" (Ruler and Fatherland); below, under the spherical bar, the date is "1831". At the ends of the cross - the image of the monograms of the initial letters - SAPR ( Stanislav August Rex Polonia), but the order of their arrangement is unusual: on the top - "S", on the left - "A", on the right - "R" and on the bottom - "P". This inscription recalls the last Polish king, Stanislaw August Poniatowski, who once reigned with the support of the Russian Empress Catherine II and was oriented towards Russia in Polish politics. He died in St. Petersburg in 1798 after renouncing the Polish crown.

The cross of Russian coinage was divided into five classes:

badge of the 1st class - gold, with enamel, issued with a shoulder ribbon and a star to the army commander and corps commanders;

badge of the 2nd class - gold, with enamel, on a neck ribbon - for generals with a rank below the corps;

badge of the 3rd class - gold, with enamel, to be worn on a chest ribbon - for staff officers;

badge of the 4th class - gold, but without enamel - like a soldier, 28x28 mm in size - for chief officers;

badge of the 5th class - silver, size 28x28, intended for rewarding the lower ranks.

Establishing this cross in 1831, Emperor Nicholas I "... commanded to consider it as a medal ...". The ribbon for all crosses was adopted the same (colors of the Polish national order) - blue with black stripes along the edges. After the appearance of the Russian sign, resembling the Polish order in form, it actually ceased to exist. And only a few decades later it was again revived by the Polish bourgeois government.

In addition to these signs, a special silver medal was also established on December 31, 1831, with a diameter of 26 mm. On its front side, in the entire field, there is an image of the Russian State Emblem (double-headed eagle), in the center of which under royal crown porphyry with the image of the Polish coat of arms (one-headed Lithuanian eagle); on top, along the side of the medal, a small inscription: "BENEFITS OF HONOR AND GLORY."

On the reverse side, inside a wreath of two laurel branches tied at the bottom with a ribbon, there is a four-line inscription: "FOR THE CAPTURE - ATTACK - WARSAW - August 25 and 26"; below, at the sling, the year is "1831". At the very top, between the ends of the branches (above the inscription), a radiant six-pointed cross is placed.

The medal was awarded to the lower ranks who participated in the assault on the Polish capital, as well as priests and medical personnel who performed their duties in a combat situation.

Such medals were also smaller in diameter - 22 mm. They were intended to reward cavalrymen. This is the last - the fifth - in a series of similar cavalry awards. They were worn on the same ribbon as the Polish signs - blue with black stripes along the edges.

There is a minting of the medal "For the Capture of Warsaw" made of white metal, 26 mm in diameter, somewhat different in image. This is one of the first medals made of white metal.

Polish uprising of 1830-1831. they call the rebellion organized by the nobility and the Catholic clergy in the Kingdom of Poland and the neighboring provinces of the Russian Empire.

The rebellion was aimed at separating the Kingdom of Poland from Russia and tearing away from Russia its original western lands, which were part of the 16th-18th centuries. part of the former Commonwealth. The constitution, granted by Emperor Alexander I to the Kingdom (Kingdom) of Poland in 1815, provided Poland with wide sovereign rights. The Kingdom of Poland was a sovereign state that was part of the Russian Empire and associated with it by a personal union. The All-Russian Emperor was at the same time the Tsar (King) of Poland. The Kingdom of Poland had its own bicameral parliament - the Sejm, as well as its own army. The Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland was solemnly opened in 1818 by Emperor Alexander I, who hoped to receive in his person proof of the possibility of the peaceful development of the Polish nation within the framework of the Empire as a link connecting Russia with Western Europe. But in subsequent years, the implacable anti-government opposition intensified in the Seimas.

In the 1820s in the Kingdom of Poland, in Lithuania and on the Right-Bank Ukraine, secret conspiratorial, Masonic societies arose, which began to prepare an armed rebellion. Guards lieutenant P. Vysotsky in 1828 founded a union of officers and students of military schools and entered into an agreement with others secret societies. The uprising was scheduled for the end of March 1829 and timed to coincide with the proposed coronation of Nicholas I as the king of Poland. But the coronation took place safely in May 1829.

The July Revolution of 1830 in France gave rise to new hopes for the Polish "patriots". The immediate cause for the uprising was the news of the imminent dispatch of Russian and Polish troops to suppress the Belgian revolution. The viceroy in the Kingdom of Poland, Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, was warned by the Polish ensign about the conspiracy existing in Warsaw, but did not attach any importance to this.

On November 17, 1830, a crowd of conspirators led by L. Nabelyak and S. Goszczyński broke into the Belvedere Palace, the Warsaw governor's residence, and carried out a pogrom there, injuring several people from among the Grand Duke's close associates and servants. Konstantin Pavlovich managed to escape. On the same day, an uprising began in Warsaw, led by the secret gentry officer society of P. Vysotsky. The rebels seized the arsenal. Many Russian generals and officers who were in Warsaw were killed.

In the context of the outbreak of the rebellion, the behavior of the governor looked extremely strange. Konstantin Pavlovich considered the uprising a mere outburst of anger and did not allow the troops to come out to suppress it, saying that "the Russians have nothing to do in a fight." Then he sent home that part of the Polish troops, which at the beginning of the uprising still remained loyal to the authorities.

November 18, 1830 Warsaw passed into the hands of the rebels. With a small Russian detachment, the governor left Warsaw and left Poland. The powerful military fortresses of Modlin and Zamostye were surrendered to the rebels without a fight. A few days after the flight of the governor, the Kingdom of Poland was left by all Russian troops.

The Administrative Council of the Kingdom of Poland was transformed into the Provisional Government. The Sejm elected General Yu. Khlopitsky as commander-in-chief of the Polish troops and proclaimed him a "dictator", but the general refused dictatorial powers and, not believing in the success of the war with Russia, sent a delegation to Emperor Nicholas I. The Russian tsar refused to negotiate with the rebellious government and on January 5 1831 Khlopitsky resigned.

Prince Radziwill became the new Polish commander-in-chief. On January 13, 1831, the Sejm announced the deposition of Nicholas I - depriving him of the Polish crown. The National Government headed by Prince A. Czartoryski came to power. At the same time, the "revolutionary" Seimas refused to consider even the most moderate projects of agrarian reform and improving the situation of the peasants.

The national government was preparing to fight with Russia. The Polish army grew from 35 to 130 thousand people, although only 60 thousand of them could participate in hostilities with combat experience. But the Russian troops stationed in the western provinces were not ready for war. Here, the vast majority of military garrisons were the so-called. "disabled teams". The number of Russian troops here reached 183 thousand people, but it took 3-4 months for their concentration. Field Marshal Count I.I. was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian troops. Dibich-Zabalkansky, and the chief of staff, General Count K.F. Tol.

Dibich hurried the troops. Without waiting for the concentration of all forces, without providing the army with food and not having time to equip the rear, on January 24-25, 1831, the commander-in-chief, together with the main forces, began an invasion of the Kingdom of Poland between the Bug and Narew rivers. A separate left column of General Kreutz was to occupy the Lublin Voivodeship in the south of the Kingdom and divert enemy forces. The spring thaw that began soon buried the original plan of the military campaign. On February 2, 1831, in the battle at Stochek, the Russian brigade of horse rangers under the command of General Geismar was defeated by the Polish detachment of Dvernitsky. The battle between the main forces of the Russian and Polish troops took place on February 13, 1831 near Grokhov and ended with the defeat of the Polish army. But Dibich did not dare to continue the offensive, expecting a serious rebuff.

Soon Radziwill was replaced as commander-in-chief by General J. Skshinetsky, who managed to raise the morale of his troops after the defeat at Grokhov. The Russian detachment of Baron Kreutz crossed the Vistula, but was stopped by the Polish detachment of Dvernitsky and retreated to Lublin, which was hastily abandoned by the Russian troops. The Polish command took advantage of the inaction of the main forces of the Russian troops and, trying to gain time, began peace negotiations with Dibich. Meanwhile, on February 19, 1831, Dvernitsky's detachment crossed the Vistula at Puławy, overthrew small Russian detachments and tried to invade Volhynia. The reinforcements that arrived there under the command of General Tol forced Dvernitsky to take refuge in Zamosc. A few days later, the Vistula cleared of ice and Dibich began to prepare a crossing to the left bank near Tyrchin. But the Polish detachments attacked the rear of the main forces of the Russian troops and thwarted their offensive.

In the areas adjacent to the Kingdom of Poland - Volhynia and Podolia, unrest broke out, an open rebellion broke out in Lithuania. Lithuania was guarded only by a weak Russian division (3200 people), stationed in Vilna. Dibić sent military reinforcements to Lithuania. In March, the Polish detachment of Dvernitsky set out from Zamosc and invaded Volhynia, but was stopped by the Russian detachment of F.A. Rediger and thrown back to the Austrian border, and then went to Austria, where he was disarmed. The Polish detachment of Hrshanovsky, who moved to help Dvernitsky, was met by a detachment of Baron Kreutz at Lyubartov and retreated to Zamosc.

However, successful attacks by small Polish units exhausted the main forces of Dibich. The actions of the Russian troops, moreover, were complicated by the cholera epidemic that broke out in April, there were about 5 thousand patients in the army.

In early May, the 45,000-strong Polish army of Skshinetsky launched an offensive against the 27,000-strong Russian guards corps, commanded by Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, and threw it back to Bialystok - outside the Kingdom of Poland. Dibich did not immediately believe in the success of the Polish offensive against the guards, and only 10 days after it began, he threw the main forces against the rebels. On May 14, 1831, a new major battle took place at Ostroleka. The Polish army was defeated. The military council, assembled by Skshinetsky, decided to retreat to Warsaw. But a large detachment of the Polish general Gelgud (12 thousand people) was sent to the rear of the Russian army, to Lithuania. There he united with Khlapovsky's detachment and local bands of rebels, his numbers doubled. Russian and Polish forces in Lithuania were approximately equal.

On May 29, 1831, Dibich fell ill with cholera and died the same day. Command was temporarily taken over by General Tol. June 7, 1831 Gelgud attacked the Russian positions near Vilna, but was defeated and fled to the Prussian borders. Of the troops under his command, only the detachment of Dembinsky (3800 people) was able to break through from Lithuania to Warsaw. A few days later, the Russian troops of General Roth defeated the Polish gang of Pegs near Dashev and at the village. Maidanek, which led to the suppression of the rebellion in Volhynia. New attempts by Skshinetsky to move behind the lines of the Russian army failed.

On June 13, 1831, the new commander-in-chief of the Russian troops, Field Marshal Count I.F., arrived in Poland. Paskevich-Erivansky. Near Warsaw was the 50,000th Russian army, it was opposed by 40,000 rebels. The Polish authorities declared a total militia, but the common people refused to shed blood for the power of the greedy gentry and fanatic priests.

Paskevich chose Osek near Torun, near the Prussian border, as the place of crossing to the left bank of the Vistula. From July 1, 1831, the Russians built bridges near Osek, along which the army safely crossed to the enemy coast. Skshinetsky did not dare to interfere with the crossing, but the dissatisfaction of the Warsaw society forced him to move towards the main Russian forces. Under their onslaught, the Polish troops rolled back to the capital. At the end of July, Skshinetsky was removed and Dembinsky became the new commander-in-chief of the Polish army, who wanted to give the Russians a decisive battle right at the walls of Warsaw.

On August 3, 1831, unrest broke out in Warsaw. The Seimas dissolved the old government, appointed General J. Krukovetsky as head of government (president) and endowed him with emergency rights. On August 6, Russian troops began to besiege Warsaw, and commander-in-chief Dembinsky was replaced by Malakhovych. Malakhovych again tried to attack the Russian rear in the north and east of the Kingdom of Poland. The Polish detachment of Romarino attacked the Russian troops of Baron Rosen, stationed on the Brest highway - east of Warsaw, and on August 19, 1831 pushed them back to Brest-Litovsk, but then hastily retreated to protect the capital.

Paskevich's troops, having received all the necessary reinforcements, numbered 86 thousand people, and the Polish troops near Warsaw - 35 thousand. In response to the proposal to surrender Warsaw, Krukovetsky stated that the Poles had raised an uprising in order to restore their fatherland within its ancient borders, i.e. . to Smolensk and Kyiv. On August 25, 1831, Russian troops stormed Wola, a suburb of Warsaw. On the night of August 26-27, 1831, Krukowiecki and the Polish troops in Warsaw capitulated.