The uprising in Poland in 1830-1831: causes, military actions, results

In 1830 - 1831 years. West of the Russian Empire shook the uprising in Poland. The national liberation war began against the backdrop of an ever-increasing infringement of the rights of its inhabitants, as well as revolutions in other countries of the Old World. The speech was suppressed, but its echoes were spread throughout Europe for many years and had the most far-reaching consequences for the Russian reputation in the international arena.

Prehistory

Most of Poland was annexed to Russia in 1815 according to the decision of the Vienna Congress after the end of the Napoleonic wars. For the purity of the legal procedure, a new state was created. The newly established Kingdom of Poland concluded a personal union with Russia. According to the then ruling Emperor Alexander I, this decision was a reasonable compromise. The country maintained its constitution, army and diet, which was not in other areas of the empire. Now the Russian monarch wore also the title of Polish king. In Warsaw, he was represented by a special governor.

The Polish insurrection was only a matter of time, with the policies pursued in St. Petersburg. Alexander I was known for his liberalism, despite the fact that he could not decide on the cardinal reforms in Russia, where the positions of the conservative nobility were strong. Therefore, the monarch embodied his bold projects on the national roads of the empire - in Poland and Finland. However, even with the most benevolent intentions, Alexander I behaved extremely inconsistently. In 1815, he granted the Kingdom of Poland a liberal constitution, but a few years later he began to oppress the rights of its residents, when they with the help of their autonomy began to put the sticks in the wheel of the policy of Russian governors. So in 1820, the Diet did not abolish the jury trials, which Alexander wanted.

Shortly before that, a preliminary censorship was introduced in the kingdom. All this only brought the uprising nearer in Poland. The years of the Polish uprising occurred during the period of conservatism in the policy of the empire. Reaction reigned throughout the state. When the struggle for independence broke out in Poland, cholera riots, caused by the epidemic and quarantine, were in full swing in the central provinces of Russia.

Approaching the storm

The coming to power of Nicholas I did not promise the Poles any indulgences. The reign of the new emperor began exponentially with the arrest and execution of the Decembrists. In Poland, meanwhile, the patriotic and anti-Russian movement became more active. In 1830, the July Revolution in France overthrew Charles X, which further agitated the proponents of radical change.

Gradually, the nationalists enlisted the support of many famous tsarist officers (among them was General Iosif Khlopitsky). Revolutionary moods also spread to workers and students. For many people who were unhappy with the stone, right-bank Ukraine remained. Some Poles believed that these lands belonged to them by right, as they were part of the Commonwealth, divided between Russia, Austria and Prussia at the end of the XVIII century.

The governor in the kingdom was then Konstantin Pavlovich, the eldest brother of Nicholas I, who refused the throne after the death of Alexander I. The conspirators were going to kill him and thus give a signal to the country about the beginning of the riot. However, the insurrection in Poland was postponed again and again. Konstantin Pavlovich knew about the danger and did not leave his residence in Warsaw.

Meanwhile in Europe the next revolution has flashed - this time the Belgian revolution. The French-speaking Catholic part of the Dutch population advocated independence. Nicholas I, who was called "the gendarme of Europe," in his manifesto announced his rejection of the Belgian events. According to Poland rumors that the king will send her army to suppress the uprising in Western Europe. For those who doubted the organizers of the armed performance in Warsaw, this news was the last straw. The uprising was scheduled for November 29, 1830.

The beginning of the riot

At 6 o'clock in the evening of the appointed day the armed detachment attacked the Warsaw barracks, where the Guards Uhlans were stationed. The massacre of officers who remained faithful to the tsarist regime began. Among the dead was the Minister of War Mauricius Gaucke. Konstantin Pavlovich considered this Pole his right hand. The governor himself was saved. Alerted by security, he fled from his palace shortly before the Polish detachment demanded his head. After leaving Warsaw, Constantine gathered Russian regiments outside the city. So Warsaw was completely in the hands of the insurgents.

The next day, reshuffles began in the Polish government - the Administrative Council. He left all pro-Russian officials. Gradually formed a circle of military leaders of the uprising. One of the main characters was Lieutenant-General Iosif Khlopitsky, who was elected for a short time as dictator. Throughout the confrontation, he could try to come to terms with Russia through diplomatic methods, as he understood that the Poles could not cope with the entire imperial army, in case it was sent to suppress the mutiny. Khlopitsky represented the right wing of the insurgents. Their demands were reduced to a compromise with Nicholas I, based on the constitution of 1815.

Another leader was Mikhail Radziwill. His position remained exactly the opposite. More radical rebels (including him) planned to win Poland, divided between Austria, Russia and Prussia. In addition, they viewed their own revolution as part of a pan-European uprising (their main focus was the July Revolution). That is why the Poles had many connections with the French.

Conversation

The priority for Warsaw was the issue of the new executive power. On December 4, the uprising in Poland left an important milestone behind - a Provisional Government consisting of seven people was created. His head was Adam Czartoryski. He was a good friend of Alexander I, was a member of his private committee, and also served as Russia's foreign minister in 1804-1806.

Contrary to this, the next day Khlopitsky declared himself a dictator. The Saeima opposed him, but the figure of the new leader was extremely popular among the people, so the parliament had to retreat. Khlopitsky did not stand on ceremony with his opponents. He concentrated all power in his hands. After the events of November 29, negotiators were sent to St. Petersburg. The Polish side demanded compliance with its constitution, as well as increases in the form of eight voivodships in Belarus and Ukraine. Nikolay did not agree with these conditions, promising only an amnesty. This response led to an even larger conflict.

On January 25, 1831, a resolution was adopted on the detonization of the Russian monarch. According to this document, the Kingdom of Poland no longer belonged to the Nicholas titulature. A few days before, Khlopitsky had lost power and remained in the army. He understood that Europe would not openly support the Poles, which meant that the defeat of the insurgents was inevitable. The Sejm was more radical. Parliament passed the executive power to Prince Mikhail Radziwill. Diplomatic tools were discarded. Now the Polish uprising of 1830 - 1831 gg. Was in a situation where the conflict could be resolved only by force of arms.

Relation of forces

By February 1831, the rebels managed to draft about 50,000 people. This figure was almost the same as the number of servicemen sent to Poland by Russia. However, the quality of volunteer detachments was noticeably lower. Particularly problematic was the situation in artillery and cavalry. Suppress the November uprising in St. Petersburg sent Count Ivan Dibich-Zabalkansky. Events in Warsaw became unexpected for the empire. In order to concentrate all loyal troops in the western provinces, the count needed 2 to 3 months.

It was a precious time, which the Poles did not have time to use. Khlopitsky, put at the head of the army, did not advance first, but dispersed his forces along the most important roads in the controlled territories. Meanwhile, Ivan Dibich-Zabalkansky was recruiting more and more troops. By February, he had about 125 thousand people under arms. However, he made unforgivable mistakes. In a hurry to deal a decisive blow, the Count did not waste time organizing the delivery of food and ammunition to the active army, which eventually affected her fate.

Battle of Grochov

The first Russian regiments crossed the Polish border on February 6, 1831. Parts moved in different directions. The cavalry under the command of Cyprian Creutz went to the Lublin Voivodeship. The Russian command planned to arrange a diversionary maneuver, which was to finally disperse the enemy forces. The national liberation uprising really began to develop according to the plot, convenient for the imperial generals. Several Polish divisions went to Serock and Pultusk, breaking away from the main forces.

But suddenly the weather interfered in the campaign. The mudslides began, which prevented the main Russian army from going along the planned route. Dibich had to make a sharp turn. On February 14, a skirmish between the troops of Jozef Dvernitsky and General Fyodor Geismar occurred. The Poles won. And although it did not have a particularly strategic significance, the first success greatly encouraged the militias. The Polish uprising took an uncertain character.

The main army of the insurgents rose near the city of Grochov, defending the approaches to Warsaw. It was here on February 25 that the first general battle took place. The Poles were commanded by Radzville and Khlopitsky, by Russians - by Dibich-Zabalkansky, who became a field-marshal a year before the campaign began. The battle lasted all day and ended only late in the evening. The losses were approximately the same (for Poles 12 thousand people, for Russians 9 thousand). The rebels had to retreat to Warsaw. Although the Russian army achieved a tactical victory, its losses exceeded all expectations. In addition, ammunition was wasted, and a new lift was not possible because of bad roads and disorganization of communications. In these circumstances, Dibich did not dare to storm Warsaw.

Maneuvers of the Poles

Over the next two months, the army almost did not move. On the outskirts of Warsaw, daily clashes broke out. In the Russian army, due to poor hygienic conditions, the cholera epidemic began. At the same time, guerrilla warfare was going on all over the country. In the main Polish army, the command of Mikhail Radzvil was transferred to General Jan Skryzynetsky. He decided to attack the detachment under the command of the brother of Emperor Mikhail Pavlovich and General Karl Bistrom who was in the vicinity of Ostroleka.

At the same time, an 8,000-strong regiment was sent to meet Dibić. He had to divert the main forces of the Russians. The brave maneuver of the Poles became a surprise for the enemy. Mikhail Pavlovich and Bystrom with their guards retreated. Dibich did not believe for a long time that the Poles decided to advance until he finally learned that they had captured Nur.

The battle of Ostroleka

On May 12, the main Russian army left its apartments to overtake the Poles who had fled Warsaw. The persecution took two weeks. Finally the avant-garde overtook the Polish rear. So on the 26th the battle began at Ostroleka, which became the most important episode of the campaign. Polyakov shared the river Narew. The first superior force of the Russians was attacked by a detachment on the left bank. The rebels began to retreat hastily. Dibich's forces crossed Narew in Ostroleka itself, after they finally cleared the city of the rebels. They made several attempts to attack the adversaries, but their efforts ended in nothing. Walking forward Poles time after time beat off the detachment under the command of General Karl Mandershtern.

With the approach of the second half of the day, reinforcements joined the Russians, who finally decided the outcome of the battle. Of the 30,000 Poles, about 9,000 were killed. Among the dead were Generals Heinrich Kamensky and Ludwik Katsky. The coming darkness helped the remnants of the broken rebels to flee back to the capital.

The fall of Warsaw

On June 25, Count Ivan Paskevich became the new commander-in-chief of the Russian army in Poland. He had 50 thousand people at his disposal. In St. Petersburg, the Count was required to complete the rout of the Poles and beat off Warsaw from them. The rebels in the capital left about 40 thousand people. The first serious test for Paskevich was crossing the Vistula River. It was decided to overcome the water boundary near the border with Prussia. By July 8, the crossing was completed. At the same time, the rebels did not obstruct the advancing Russians, making a bet on the concentration of their own forces in Warsaw.

In early August, another castling took place in the Polish capital. This time, instead of the defeated defeat under Osterlenko Skryntsy, Henryk Dembinsky became the commander-in-chief. However, he resigned after the news came that the Russian army had already crossed the Vistula. In Warsaw, anarchy and anarchy reigned. Pogroms began, perpetrated by an angry mob demanding the extradition of military men responsible for fatal defeats.

August 19, Paskevich approached the city. The next two weeks were spent preparing for the assault. Separate detachments seized nearby cities in order to finally encircle the capital. The assault on Warsaw began on September 6, when the Russian infantry attacked a line of fortifications erected in order to detain the adversaries. In the ensuing battle, the commander-in-chief Paskevich was wounded. Nevertheless, the victory of the Russians was obvious. On the 7th, General Krukovetskii withdrew from the city a 32,000-strong army, with which he fled to the west. On September 8, Paskevich entered Warsaw. The capital was captured. The rout of the remaining scattered squads of rebels has become a matter of time.

Results

The last armed Polish formations fled to Prussia. October 21 surrendered to Zamosc, and the rebels lost their last stronghold. Even before that, mass and hasty emigration of rebel officers, soldiers and their families began. Thousands of families settled in France and England. Many people like Jan Skrzynetsky fled to Austria. In Europe, the national liberation movement in Poland was greeted with sympathy and sympathy.

The Polish Uprising of 1830 - 1831 gg. Led to the fact that the Polish army was abolished. The authorities held administrative reform in the Kingdom. The voivodeships were replaced by the region. Also in Poland there was a system of weights and measures common to the rest of Russia, as well as the same money. Before that, the right-bank Ukraine was under the strong cultural and religious influence of its western neighbor. Now in St. Petersburg decided to dissolve the Greek Catholic Church. The "wrong" Ukrainian parishes were either closed or became Orthodox.

For residents of western states, Nicholas I became even more consistent with the image of a dictator and despot. And although no state officially supported the insurgents, the echoes of Polish events were heard for many years in the Old World. Escaped emigrants did a lot to ensure that public opinion about Russia allowed European countries to unimpededly launch against the Nicholas Crimean War.