The last days of the Polish Republic

I, Tadeusz Kościuszko, swear in the face of God to the whole Polish Nation, that I will not use the power entrusted to me for the oppression of any private person, but only for the defence of the entire length of the borders, regaining the Nation’s independence and consolidating universal freedom.
So help me, Lord God, and the innocent Passion of Your Son!

TADEUSZ KOŚCIUSZKO’S OATH, 24 MARCH 1794

The year 1794 marked the decline of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The state was already heavily reduced territorially after two partitions and equally greatly dependent on neighbouring states, above all Russia. Tsarist troops were stationed in the country, banks collapsed and prices rose. It seemed that the final decay of the state was only a matter of time. It was obvious that patriotic circles were not going to watch this calmly. As early as 1792, a conspiracy was formed in exile, and also at the turn of 1792 and 1793 in the Polish Republic, with the aim of calling for an uprising to preserve, or indeed regain, independence. The centre of émigré activity was mainly in Saxony, where Hugo Kołłątaj, Ignacy Potocki and Tadeusz Kościuszko initiated the conspiracy. And although the latter believed that a possible confrontation with Russia ought to be prepared for thoroughly, the circumstances did not favour this.

Casus belli

At the beginning of 1794, a decision was made to reduce the Crown and Lithuanian armies. Soldiers who had lost their place among the ranks of the Republic’s armies were to join up to the Russian and Prussian armies. This decision was one of the factors behind the accelerated outbreak of the uprising, in spite of its insufficient preparation. However, the final impetus for military action came from the attitude of General Antoni Madaliński, who refused to deplete the ranks of the 1st National Cavalry Brigade, which was subordinate to him, setting off from Ostrołęka to Kraków at the head of his troops on the 12^th of March 1794. The official start of the uprising, however, was to take place a dozen days later.

Grab the scythes

On the 24^th of March 1794, the insurrectionary act was read out on Krakow’s Main Square, and General Tadeusz Kościuszko took the oath as Supreme Commander of the National Armed Forces. Earlier that day, together with General Józef Wodzicki, he took part in a Mass in the Capuchin church and Loretto House, the sabres of both officers were thereby consecrated, as they vowed to give their lives for the fatherland. This marked the beginning of the last (when considering the Wielkopolska Uprising of August 1794 as part of the Kościuszko Uprising) independence and liberation uprising of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The rebellion, however, did not lead to the expected outcome. Despite the victory of the Polish side at Racławice on the 4^th of April, Kościuszko’s forces were unable to face down the combined forces of the Russian-Prussian armies. The defeat at Szczekociny on the 6^th of June and at Maciejowice on the 10^th of October left little illusion as to the further fate of the battles. The clash of October in particular dealt a severe blow to the insurgents. The wounded Tadeusz Kościuszko was taken prisoner. On the 5^th of November, Warsaw capitulated, and on the 16^th of November, the insurgent army was finally disbanded. The fate of the republic was sealed less than a year later, when Russia, Austria and Prussia carried out the Third Partition.