François Rochebrune
Encyclopedia
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
army officer and Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
general. He participated in the January Uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
against Tsarist Russia, in which he organized and led the Zouaves of Death
Zouaves of Death
Zouaves of Death were a Polish military unit during the January Uprising, formed in February 1863 from volunteers in Ojców, Poland, by the French officer François Rochebrune...
.
Biography
Rochebrune was born in VienneVienne
Vienne is the northernmost département of the Poitou-Charentes region of France, named after the river Vienne.- Viennese history :Vienne is one of the original 83 departments, established on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Poitou,...
in Isère
Isère
Isère is a department in the Rhône-Alpes region in the east of France named after the river Isère.- History :Isère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Dauphiné...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, to an impoverished family. When he was fourteen he began an apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
in a printer's shop. He then joined the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
. He served in the 17th Regiment of Line Infantry and, during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, in the Zouaves formation. From 1855 to 1857 he taught French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
to local gentry (szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
) in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Austrian partition
Austrian partition
The Austrian partition refers to the former territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth acquired by the Austrian Empire during the partitions of Poland in late 18th century.-History:...
of Poland. In 1857 he was a sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
during the Franco-British expedition to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He left French service and in 1862 moved to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, at the time part of the Russian controlled Congress Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
. A short while later he moved on to Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, where he opened a fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
school. The school soon became a sort of military academy
Military academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the army, the navy, air force or coast guard, which normally provides education in a service environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned.Three...
(the only one of its kind in the Austrian partition
Austrian partition
The Austrian partition refers to the former territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth acquired by the Austrian Empire during the partitions of Poland in late 18th century.-History:...
of Poland), which ended up training many of the future Polish officers of the January Uprising.
When the January Uprising broke out in 1863, Rochebrune volunteered his services to the leaders of the uprising
Central National Committee
Central National Committee was the underground coordinating committee of the Polish independence movement in 1860's Congress Poland which was responsible for preparing a general uprising against Tsarist rule in order to reestablish Polish independence, lost after the Partitions of Poland...
and together with some of the students from his fencing school reported to a insurrectionist camp at Ojców
Ojców
Ojców is a village in Gmina Skała, in Kraków County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is one of the sights of the Eagle Nests Trail , as there are the ruins of a gothic castle near the village. The village is where the authorities of the Ojców National Park have their headquarters...
organized by Apolinary Kurowski. There, based on his experience in the French Zouaves, Rochebrune formed the units that came to be known as the Zouaves of Death
Zouaves of Death
Zouaves of Death were a Polish military unit during the January Uprising, formed in February 1863 from volunteers in Ojców, Poland, by the French officer François Rochebrune...
. Their first military engagement occurred at the Battle of Miechow
Battle of Miechów
The Battle of Miechów took place on February 17, 1863, near Miechów in Małopolska, Poland , during the January Uprising....
, on February 17th, where Rochebrune himself led a bayonet charge on Russian positions. The unit suffered very high casualties, and although its own attack was successful the overall battle was a loss for the Polish forces. After the battle, Rochebrune began writing his name as "de Rochebrune".
He reorganized the Zouaves of Death in Kraków and led them in battles of Chrobrze and Grochowiska
Battle of Grochowiska
The Battle of Grochowiska took place on March 18, 1863 at the village of Grochowiska near Pińczów, Poland during the Polish January Uprising against the Russian Empire. It involved a 3000 strong unit of Polish insurgents under the command of Marian Langiewicz which had been cornered by Russian...
. In the latter engagement, after General Marian Langiewicz
Marian Langiewicz
Marian Langiewicz, full name Marian Antoni Melchior Langiewicz , was a Polish patriot notable as a military leader of the January Uprising in 1863.-Biography:He was born in the province of Posen, his father being the local doctor...
lost control over the Polish forces, Rochebrune, with the help of his Zouaves, took command and restored order, by personally grabbing panicked soldiers, throwing them back into the line, pointing his gun at them and cursing in broken Polish ("Psiakehv! Ktoha godzina?" - "God dammit! Would you tell me the time?" - which according to contemporary sources was the only Polish he knew). He then led a successful attack of his zouaves and "kosynierzy" troops, forcing the Russians to flee. As a result after the battle he was promoted to general. His candidacy was considered for the Uprising commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
. It was rejected, and Rocherbrune, disappointed with the political infighting, left temporarily for France. He returned later that year, and fought in Wołyń, taking part in the lost Battle of Poryck.
In France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, for his valor in the Uprising, which was a popular cause among the French public, he was awarded Legion of Honour and promoted to the rank of captain. He rejoined the French Army, and later fought in the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
in 1870. He commanded a unit nicknamed les Gaulois (the Gauls), and wore the Zouaves uniform. He died on 19 November 1870 Battle of Montretout.