Not only did Polish officers have a much clearer idea of the geography and workings of Russia than Napoleon, but many also could speak French and well as Russian and were thus indispensable as translators and information gatherers. The Poles would play a vital role in the ensuing campaign. The officers of Napoleon’s Polish contingent and many of their political leaders could see the flaws in a direct march into the Russian heartland, but trusted in the capability of the man who had conquered Europe. When Napoleon began his Russian campaign in the summer of 1812, he declared that the ‘Second Polish War has started.’ While this was an indication of Napoleon’s objectives, it is a supreme irony that the opinions of Polish officers before and during the campaign were for the most part ignored. The rest were distributed among the other corps and the Guard. Around half of the Polish contingent formed V Corps in the Grande Armée, commanded by Poniatowski. The Duchy of Warsaw’s institutions established under Napoleon’s auspices proved far more effective at raising an army than the previous system. He managed to raise an army of 100,000 men, a remarkable achievement in the context of his uncle King Stanislaw’s struggles to form an army half this number in the 1790s. In 1811 Napoleon ordered Poniatowski to prepare a Polish army to take part in the imminent war against Russia. Poniatowski refused and informed Napoleon of Czartoryski’s approach. This was effectively the same plan that had been mooted in 1805, but the political circumstances had changed. Anticipating the outbreak of hostilities, in 1811 the Tsar asked his old friend Prince Czartoryski to approach his cousin Prince Poniatowski offering the restoration of a Polish kingdom under Russian sponsorship. Documents obtained by Russian agents in Paris appeared to confirm such fears.Īfter failed attempts to renegotiate the Treaty of Tilsit, in December 1810 the Tsar broke his obligations at Tilsit to observe the Continental Blockade and allowed British ships to enter Russian ports under neutral flags. Tsar Alexander of Russia was increasingly concerned about the prospect of Napoleon issuing a proclamation of Polish nationhood, perhaps accompanied by an attempt to reclaim the territories taken by the Russian Empire during the partitions.
However, this very success increased the vulnerability of the Duchy. In 1810, following victory over Austria the previous year, the prospects of Napoleon and the Duchy of Warsaw seemed brighter than ever. This part focuses primarily on the campaign of 1812, the ill-fated invasion of Russia which Napoleon called the ‘Second Polish War’. The previous instalment covered the Polish successes and the expansion of the Duchy of Warsaw between 18.
#COSSACKS EUROPEAN WARS MOUSE FREEZE SERIES#
This is the long-awaited sixth part of a blog series looking into the experience of Poland during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.