In the past of all nation comes moments of honour and disgrace. There are besides comic and comic events. Polish past is no exception here, due to the fact that we besides have respective episodes that would fit the Monty Python Circus perfectly. For example, Krakow 1846, possibly the most comedic clash in our full history.
Why Krakow
Not that the inhabitants of Krak Castle stand out for deficiency of reason or cabaret talent – what it is, it is not. Just Kraków was the last part of Poland, where even in the mediate of the 19th century the remains of Polish independency were preserved. After the Vienna legislature and the division of the Duchy of Warsaw, the Free City of Kraków was established (formally "independent", in practice under the protectorate of Austria and Russia), without its own army or diplomacy, but with Polish administration, judiciary and university. After the unfortunate November Uprising 1831 (from the beginning doomed to defeat) The Polish Kingdom was deprived of its distinctness, and incorporated into the Russian Empire, and Fr. Krakow as a free city was the last area where Poles retained their autonomy. Hence, the unwise conspirators considered him to be the perfect place to start... a three-seat uprising.
With bare hands on 3 powers
At the time, activists distinguished themselves with small real reasoning (and this is mildly said). Well, they assumed an uprising in all 3 partitions at once, by the forces of their conspirators. Where they would at least want to break up 1 possessor with the others, or to search abroad support (except for the reality of specified assumptions) – no, it was already below their dignity. In a word, respective 1000 conspirators were expected to choice up an full nation to fight, and once-two defeated 3 of the 4 top powers on the continent (maybe 1 France could compare with our conquerors in terms of the strength of the land army). What were our assets in this fight, to put it mildly, alternatively uneven? The revolutionaries were to promise the peasants freedom and land, and besides to be on our side a good God (it was inactive a era of romance). Brave conspirators have forgotten a fewer simple principles – no 1 has yet won the fight on 3 fronts at once, the uprising without outside aid seldom succeeds, and in the conditions of 3 police states (paying spies and informers) it is truly hard for a successful plot.
Slaughter the nobles with the peasants
February 1846 in conspiracy plans was to be a bloody month. And he did turn out to be, but not for the invaders. Well, the partition powers (three absolute monarchies, let's recall) smelled the game (what a surprise ...) and decided to anticipate the explosion. In the Russian and Prussian partitions there were respective anemic speeches, after a short time completed arrest of the ringleaders (what a surprise...) In the Austrian election, the power was even more cynical, and picked up the peasantry to fight against the nobility.
The Polish lands were inactive governed by the Polish state (enough brutally enforced), but the peasants had already received various orders from imperial officials. The average peasant knew 2 things – his direct “tyran” is the local lord heir, but there is besides individual more important, and this is the emperor from Vienna and his subordinates. Let us add that the typical Galicia peasant is an illiterate individual. So it was not hard for Austrian officials to incite the dark people against his masters (especially J. Breinl, then politician of Tarnowa, played a negative role).
In the mediate of February 1846, the area of Tarnowa and Jasła began with bloody dents, or Galician robbery. The rebellious peasantry slaughtered hundreds of nobles and court officials (a full of well over 1,000 victims), as a bloody herst, was distinguished by a man named Jacob Shela. The peasant gangs murdered and robbed, to the joy of imperial bureaucrats who had free themselves of possible noble rebels with individual else's hands. This was the grim introduction to the comic strip. (It is essential to mention here that these peasant bands, cruel to gentlemen, did not, in principle, kill Jews. This does not suit the fashionable wisdom of “the eternal anti-Semitism in the Polish countryside”.)
David on Goliath (but without slingshot)
Meanwhile, brave revolutionaries decided to start an uprising in Krakow. The Free City was occupied by a tiny Austrian contingent, and conspirators went against it. The Austrians decided to retreat (not besides far distant as it later turned out). The conspirators considered this decision to be their first success – and were absolutely convinced that the next 1 would come.
There were respective 1000 volunteers willing to fight in Krakow (and there were adequate weapons for possibly 1/3 of them). It is hard not to compare the proportion of forces to the legendary clash between David and Goliath – only that the biblical hero had at least a slingshot, i.e. useful but modest weaponry. The leaders of the movement were J. Tyssowski and E. Dembowski. The symbol of the uprising was the second – an individual about 25 years old, with an experience appropriate to the age, well crafted literaryly, and without a light thought of militaryity. In any case, brave insurgents occupied Podkrakowska Wieliczka, already located in Austria (which they considered another large success and wanted more). Going towards Bochnia, they reached Gdowa (about 30 km from Krakow). There was an opponent waiting for them, in the form of an Austrian army and rebellious peasants.
Enemy losses – 2 captives, injured horse
The conflict of Gdowa 26.02. as the only conflict fought in a tragic-commic uprising, deserves a brief discussion. It is not known whether the invaders were assisted by Satan himself (Colonel L. Benedek had 666 soldiers under orders). On the another hand, it is known that a better armed opponent (led by professional officers) drove the conspirators into 4 winds. It is besides known that over 100 captured insurgents were murdered by others, like rebellious peasants, supporting Austrians. It is besides known about the losses of the enemy – it was 2 captives (taken before the conflict into captivity by the insurgent patrol, and immediately after that conflict released) and 1 horse wounded in the leg. Let us remind you here that our brave conspirators planned to defeat all 3 invaders at erstwhile in this uprising. The applicable consequence – this 1 injured horse – was, however, a small more modest than ambitious assumptions.
With a bullet procession
News of the defeat (and the peasant rebellion) reached Krakow quickly, so it was decided to act. In turn, as for romantics, they acted rapidly and without a head. erstwhile he heard about a large walk to Kraków, E. Dembowski decided that a rebellious peasantry was marching on the city. So he decided to play on spiritual feelings, and go out to meet him... in a procession, with a cross and banners. On the another hand, he did not foresee that, after winning the conflict without difficulty, the Austrians would besides go to the city, 1 day away. He did not foresee that the imperial army would not want to fight with God's Word, but more simply—balls and bayonet. It is not surprising, therefore, that the day of the gathering of the Dembowski Procession with Austrians (27.02. in Podkrakowski Podgórz) was the last day in the life of this activist. It could be amazing at most (but not in our country...) that in this Podgórze the same Dembowski has a street and school of his name today.
More luck than reason?
What was next, it was easy to guess – the conspirators got 2 days to surrender, dictator Tyssowski gathered 1.5 1000 insurgents and escaped the Prussian (Silesian) border and Krakow was incorporated into Austria the same year (this ended in the past of the Free City chapter). However, Krakow itself had “more happiness than reason”, without any merit. The first twelve years of imperial regulation fell under the sign of police absolutism, but later (after 2 lost wars) the Habsburg monarchy entered the way of reform. After 1860 times of Galician autonomy, the peasantry (released from the state by the emperor) sent children to folk schools (acurate in this partition – Polish-speaking) and Kraków became the centre of Polish culture and comparative freedom (second in Lviv, then Austrian).
If political realism were more popular with us, the Krakow uprising would service as a informing and sad science. It is not essential to attack a stronger opponent without outside support, own resources, or field support. Otherwise, alternatively of defeating 3 powers, military achievements, specified as under the Widow, end up with 1 wounded horse at the enemy (but own losses go into hundreds of murdered).
While in the Austrian election Polish elites drew any conclusions (revising an effective settlement policy later on, and rebelling until the fall of the CK monarchy), our tendencies to suicidal rallies unfortunately remained alive in Poland for a long time. As evidenced by another rise, much more tragic and 100 years later.
Michał Wirtel
