The November Uprising 1830 / Powstanie Listopadowe

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The Congress of Vienna brought the existence of the Duchy of Warsaw to an end and essentially divided Poland once again.

Despite numerous protests by various Polish politicians who actively supported the personal union, Grand Duke Constantine had no intention of observing the constitution, one of the most liberal in Europe at that time.

In 1830, the constitution of 1815 was a dead letter, secret police were everywhere, and censorship was severe. Polish organizations were persecuted and Russians had largely replaced Poles in administrative positions. The tense situation in the kingdom was ignited by Russia's mobilization of the Polish army to suppress revolutionary uprisings in France and Belgium.

Cadets at the military academy seized their armory and then the Russian arsenal at Warsaw in late November, 1830, which sparked an uprising which eventually grew to about 70,000 Polish, Lithuanian and Ruthenian combatants facing about 180,000 - 200,000 Tsarist troops.

In March of 1831 Edgar Allan Poe attempted to come to Poland as he had learned about the November Uprising. Poe intended to match the Polish army then. Due to his relegation from the West Point Academy, his attempts were unfruitful.

In spite of a promising start, delaying the abolition of serfdom and serious mishandling of the military operations bungled the opportunity. For a while victory actually lay in their grasp but indecision on the part of the Polish leaders led to defeat. Many military critics, among them the foremost Russian writer, General Puzyrevsky, maintained that in spite of the inequality of resources of the two countries, Poland had had every chance of holding her own against Russia, had the campaign been managed skillfully.

On October 5, 1831, the Polish army of over 20,000 men crossed the Prussian frontier, and amid scenes of heart rending despair and grief laid down their arms at Brodnica in preference to submission to Russia.

After the fall of the Uprising, thousands of former Polish combatants and other activists emigrated to Western Europe, where they were initially enthusiastically received. This element, known as the Great Emigration, soon dominated the Polish political and intellectual life. Within the occupied and repressed Poland, some sought progress through self-improvement oriented activities known as organic work, others, in cooperation with the emigrant circles, organized conspiracies and prepared for the next armed insurrection.

Polish women who emigrated to France wore black ribands and jewellery as a symbol of mourning for their lost homeland. Such images can be seen in the first scenes of the movie "Pan Tadeusz", filmed by Andrzej Wajda in 1999, based on the Polish national epic.

Adam Mickiewicz and Juliusz Slowacki wrote verse and drama, mystical and moral and yet intensely political, that still suffuse and inform the Polish imagination; Joachim lelewel wrote Poland's history; Frederic Chopin composed; Cyprian Kamil Norwid developed a new poetry whose innovation and genius was only recognised in the following century. This was a Romantic culture. Neither the old Age of Reason nor the optimistic, liberal mood of the contemporary West could answer the questions the Poles now put to themselves: why had Heaven allowed the martyrdom of their country when it sought only justice, and how - when - could it be resurrected from the tomb? Against the background of intense Catholic faith, there developed the idea of Messianism which - in its extreme form presented Poland as the collective Christ, crucified to redeem the nations, one day to be resurrected by a new embodiment of the Holy Spirit.

Homework:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_Uprising - wikipedia
http://www.brukselanato.polemb.net/index.php?document=140 - The role of Polish officers in the formation of the Belgian army in the 1830's
http://polcon.tripod.com/november.html - The First Night of the Uprising
http://www.memorials.inportsmouth.co.uk/cemeteries/polish.htm - Kingston Cemetery Polish Memorial in Portsmouth
http://www.kasprzyk.demon.co.uk/www/history/Aftermath.html - In aftermath of the Partitions

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