Polish-Austrian War
Encyclopedia
Polish–Austrian War or Austro-Polish War was a part of the War of the Fifth Coalition
in 1809 (a coalition of the Austrian Empire
and the United Kingdom
against Napoleon
's French Empire
and Bavaria
). In this war, Polish forces of the Duchy of Warsaw
, nominally under Napoleon, but in fact operating with a high degree of independence and assisted only by some forces of the Kingdom of Saxony
, fought against the Austrian Empire
. Polish troops withstood the Austrian attack on Warsaw
defeating them at Raszyn
, then abandoned Warsaw in order to reconquer parts of pre-partition Poland including Kraków
and Lwów, forcing the Austrians to abandon Warsaw in futile pursuit.
in 1808, and only the Duchy's own Polish forces remained in it. With the start of the War of the Fifth Coalition, an Austrian corps of 32,000–34,000 soldiers under Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este
invaded the territory of the Duchy of Warsaw
(Polish state created by Napoleon) on 14 April 1809, engaging the Polish defenders (16,000–17,000 (14,000 Polish troops and 3,000 allied Saxons) soldiers under Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski
).
After the Battle of Raszyn
on April 19, where Poniatowski's Polish troops brought an Austrian force twice their number to a standstill (but neither side defeated the other decisively), the Polish forces nonetheless retreated, allowing the Austrians to occupy the Duchy's capital, Warsaw
, as Poniatowski decided that the city would be hard to defend, and instead decided to keep his army mobile in the field and engage the Austrians elsewhere, crossing to the eastern (right) bank of the Vistula
. Indeed, the Duchy's capital was seized by the Austrian army with little opposition, but it was a Pyrrhic victory
for them, since the Austrian commander diverted most of his forces there at the expense of other fronts. Prince Este garrisoned Warsaw with 10,000 soldiers, and split his remaining forces, sending 6,000 corps to the right bank of the Vistula, and the rest towards Toruń
and other targets on the left bank.
In a series of battles (at Radzymin
, Grochów and Ostrówek), the Polish forces defeated elements of the Austrian army, forcing the Austrians to retreat to the western side of the river. First a major attack on bridges in Warsaw's suburb of Praga
by a 6,000-strong Austrian force which had crossed the river earlier was stopped by 1,000 Polish fortified defenders. Soon afterwards the Austrian forces besieging Praga were defeated by General Michał Sokolnicki, first at the battle of Grochów (on April 26), later, when the Austrian army tried to pursue Sokolnicki's Poles, it was routed on May 2 and May 3 at the battle of Góra Kalwaria (in which battle the Poles also destroyed the Austrians' partially built bridge together with their engineering equipment). This left the initiative on the right bank firmly with the Poles.
In the following weeks Greater Poland
was defended by the Corps of General Henryk Dąbrowski
, while Poniatowski left only a small screening force guarding bridges on the Vistula and moved the rest of his forces southwards. Ferdinand made a few more attempts, trying to establish a bridgehead on the other side of the Vistula, but these were defeated, leaving the initiative again in Poniatowski's hands.
Polish forces successfully prevented the Austrians from crossing the river, and, staying close to the Vistula to control the situation, invaded the weakly defended Austrian territory to the south, liberating parts of the recently partitioned
Polish territories. Polish forces took the major cities of Lublin
(14 May), Sandomierz
(18 May), Zamość
(20 May), and Lwów (27 May). A Polish administration and military formations were quickly organized on the liberated territories, while generals Jan Henryk Dąbrowski
and Józef Zajączek
commanded the units slowing down the Austrians on the western bank of the Vistula.
Eventually the Austrian main army under Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph, unable to push further on the left bank, and in danger of having its supply lines cut by Poniatowski, was forced to abandon the siege of Toruń
, abandon Warsaw itself (on 1 June) and move south, planning to engage the Polish army to the south in Galicia and at some point merge with the main Austrian army operating further to the west. Poniatowski decided not to engage the Austrian forces, concentrating instead on liberating as much of Galicia as possible.
In the meantime, Russian forces also moved on Galicia, trying to prevent the Poles from gaining too much strength and hoping to take some Austrian-held territories with no intent of returning them after the war; the Russian forces were, in theory, neutral to both sides.
The Austrians managed to defeat Zajączek at the battle of Jedlińsk on 11 June and took back Sandomierz (on June 18) and Lwów, but were unable to engage Poniatowski, who in the meantime had liberated Kielce
and Kraków
(15 July). Zajączek's corps would join up with Poniatowski's on 19 June, and with Dąbrowski's and Sokolnicki's on 3 and 4 July. The Austrians were finally intercepted and defeated by the French at the Battle of Wagram
(5 July - 6 July).
VII Armeekorps: Feldmarschall-Leutnant Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este
was presented with the grand-aigle de la Légion d'Honneur
, a ceremonial saber and a lancer's shako for his victories.
In the aftermath of the Treaty of Schönbrunn
, most of the territory liberated by Polish forces (territory which had been annexed by the Austrian Empire during the partitions of Poland
several decades beforehand) was incorporated into the Duchy of Warsaw.
War of the Fifth Coalition
The War of the Fifth Coalition, fought in the year 1809, pitted a coalition of the Austrian Empire and the United Kingdom against Napoleon's French Empire and Bavaria. Major engagements between France and Austria, the main participants, unfolded over much of Central Europe from April to July, with...
in 1809 (a coalition of the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
against Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
's French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
and Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
). In this war, Polish forces of the Duchy of Warsaw
Duchy of Warsaw
The Duchy of Warsaw was a Polish state established by Napoleon I in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit. The duchy was held in personal union by one of Napoleon's allies, King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony...
, nominally under Napoleon, but in fact operating with a high degree of independence and assisted only by some forces of the Kingdom of Saxony
Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War...
, fought against the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
. Polish troops withstood the Austrian attack on 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...
defeating them at Raszyn
Raszyn
Raszyn is a village in Pruszków County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Raszyn. It lies approximately east of Pruszków and south-west of Warsaw. The village has a population of 6,700.Raszyn has been the site of two battles...
, then abandoned Warsaw in order to reconquer parts of pre-partition Poland including 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...
and Lwów, forcing the Austrians to abandon Warsaw in futile pursuit.
The war
The military of the Duchy was weakened as the French corps garrisoning it were sent to SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1808, and only the Duchy's own Polish forces remained in it. With the start of the War of the Fifth Coalition, an Austrian corps of 32,000–34,000 soldiers under Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este
Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este
Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este was the third son of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and of his wife Princess Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este, last member and heiress of the house of Este. For much of the Napoleonic Wars he was in command of the Austrian army.Ferdinand was born...
invaded the territory of the Duchy of Warsaw
Duchy of Warsaw
The Duchy of Warsaw was a Polish state established by Napoleon I in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit. The duchy was held in personal union by one of Napoleon's allies, King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony...
(Polish state created by Napoleon) on 14 April 1809, engaging the Polish defenders (16,000–17,000 (14,000 Polish troops and 3,000 allied Saxons) soldiers under Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski
Józef Antoni Poniatowski
Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski was a Polish leader, general, minister of war and army chief, who became a Marshal of France.-Early Austrian years and war with Turkey:...
).
After the Battle of Raszyn
Battle of Raszyn (1809)
The first Battle of Raszyn was fought on April 19, 1809 between armies of the Austrian Empire and the Duchy of Warsaw as a part of the War of the Fifth Coalition in the Napoleonic Wars. The Austrian army was defeated....
on April 19, where Poniatowski's Polish troops brought an Austrian force twice their number to a standstill (but neither side defeated the other decisively), the Polish forces nonetheless retreated, allowing the Austrians to occupy the Duchy's capital, 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...
, as Poniatowski decided that the city would be hard to defend, and instead decided to keep his army mobile in the field and engage the Austrians elsewhere, crossing to the eastern (right) bank of the Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
. Indeed, the Duchy's capital was seized by the Austrian army with little opposition, but it was a Pyrrhic victory
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
for them, since the Austrian commander diverted most of his forces there at the expense of other fronts. Prince Este garrisoned Warsaw with 10,000 soldiers, and split his remaining forces, sending 6,000 corps to the right bank of the Vistula, and the rest towards Toruń
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
and other targets on the left bank.
In a series of battles (at Radzymin
Battle of Radzymin (1809)
The Battle of Radzymin took place on April 25, 1809 during the brief Polish-Austrian War. The battle occurred at Radzymin, some north-east of Warsaw....
, Grochów and Ostrówek), the Polish forces defeated elements of the Austrian army, forcing the Austrians to retreat to the western side of the river. First a major attack on bridges in Warsaw's suburb of Praga
Praga
Praga is a historical borough of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. It is located on the east bank of the river Vistula. First mentioned in 1432, until 1791 it formed a separate town with its own city charter.- History :...
by a 6,000-strong Austrian force which had crossed the river earlier was stopped by 1,000 Polish fortified defenders. Soon afterwards the Austrian forces besieging Praga were defeated by General Michał Sokolnicki, first at the battle of Grochów (on April 26), later, when the Austrian army tried to pursue Sokolnicki's Poles, it was routed on May 2 and May 3 at the battle of Góra Kalwaria (in which battle the Poles also destroyed the Austrians' partially built bridge together with their engineering equipment). This left the initiative on the right bank firmly with the Poles.
In the following weeks Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
was defended by the Corps of General Henryk Dąbrowski
Jan Henryk Dabrowski
-Biography:Dąbrowski was born to Jan Michal Dąbrowski and Sophie née von Lettow in Pierzchów, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth He grew up in Hoyerswerda, Electorate of Saxony, where his father served as a Colonel in the Saxon army...
, while Poniatowski left only a small screening force guarding bridges on the Vistula and moved the rest of his forces southwards. Ferdinand made a few more attempts, trying to establish a bridgehead on the other side of the Vistula, but these were defeated, leaving the initiative again in Poniatowski's hands.
Polish forces successfully prevented the Austrians from crossing the river, and, staying close to the Vistula to control the situation, invaded the weakly defended Austrian territory to the south, liberating parts of the recently partitioned
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
Polish territories. Polish forces took the major cities of Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
(14 May), Sandomierz
Sandomierz
Sandomierz is a city in south-eastern Poland with 25,714 inhabitants . Situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship , previously in Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship . It is the capital of Sandomierz County . Sandomierz is known for its Old Town, a major tourist attraction...
(18 May), Zamość
Zamosc
Zamość ukr. Замостя is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants , situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship , about from Lublin, from Warsaw and from the border with Ukraine...
(20 May), and Lwów (27 May). A Polish administration and military formations were quickly organized on the liberated territories, while generals Jan Henryk Dąbrowski
Jan Henryk Dabrowski
-Biography:Dąbrowski was born to Jan Michal Dąbrowski and Sophie née von Lettow in Pierzchów, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth He grew up in Hoyerswerda, Electorate of Saxony, where his father served as a Colonel in the Saxon army...
and Józef Zajączek
Józef Zajaczek
Prince Józef Zajączek , was a Polish general and politician.His first important military post was that of an aide-de-camp to hetman Franciszek Ksawery Branicki...
commanded the units slowing down the Austrians on the western bank of the Vistula.
Eventually the Austrian main army under Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph, unable to push further on the left bank, and in danger of having its supply lines cut by Poniatowski, was forced to abandon the siege of Toruń
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
, abandon Warsaw itself (on 1 June) and move south, planning to engage the Polish army to the south in Galicia and at some point merge with the main Austrian army operating further to the west. Poniatowski decided not to engage the Austrian forces, concentrating instead on liberating as much of Galicia as possible.
In the meantime, Russian forces also moved on Galicia, trying to prevent the Poles from gaining too much strength and hoping to take some Austrian-held territories with no intent of returning them after the war; the Russian forces were, in theory, neutral to both sides.
The Austrians managed to defeat Zajączek at the battle of Jedlińsk on 11 June and took back Sandomierz (on June 18) and Lwów, but were unable to engage Poniatowski, who in the meantime had liberated Kielce
Kielce
Kielce ) is a city in central Poland with 204,891 inhabitants . It is also the capital city of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship since 1999, previously in Kielce Voivodeship...
and 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...
(15 July). Zajączek's corps would join up with Poniatowski's on 19 June, and with Dąbrowski's and Sokolnicki's on 3 and 4 July. The Austrians were finally intercepted and defeated by the French at the Battle of Wagram
Battle of Wagram
The Battle of Wagram was the decisive military engagement of the War of the Fifth Coalition. It took place on the Marchfeld plain, on the north bank of the Danube. An important site of the battle was the village of Deutsch-Wagram, 10 kilometres northeast of Vienna, which would give its name to the...
(5 July - 6 July).
Austrian Order of Battle
On 5 July 1809, the Austrian forces operating in Poland numbered 18,700 infantry, 2,400 cavalry, and 66 artillery pieces. The total of 23,200 troops were organized into 26 infantry battalions and 28 squadrons in 4 cavalry regiments. The order of battle is listed below.VII Armeekorps: Feldmarschall-Leutnant Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este
Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este
Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este was the third son of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and of his wife Princess Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este, last member and heiress of the house of Este. For much of the Napoleonic Wars he was in command of the Austrian army.Ferdinand was born...
- Artillery Reserve: Commander unknown
- Two 12-pdr position batteries (12 guns)
- 6-pdr position battery (6 guns)
- 3-pdr cavalry battery (6 guns)
- Division: Feldmarschall-Leutnant Johann Friedrich von Mohr
- Divisional Artillery: 3-pdr cavalry battery (6 guns)
- Brigade: General-Major Kelgrer
- 1st Wallachian Grenz InfantryGrenz infantryGrenz infantry or Grenzers were light infantry troops who came from the Croatian and Transylvanian Military Frontier in Habsburg Monarchy . This borderland formed a buffer zone between Christian Europe and the Ottoman Empire, and the troops were originally raised to defend Austria against the...
Regiment # 16 (2 battalions) - Vukassovich Infantry Regiment # 48 (3 battalions)
- 1st Wallachian Grenz Infantry
- Brigade: Commander unknown
- 2nd Wallachian Grenz Infantry Regiment # 17 (2 battalions)
- Szekler Grenz Hussar Regiment # 11 (8 squadrons)
- Brigade: Commander unknown
- 1st Szekler Grenz Infantry Regiment # 14 (2 battalions)
- 2nd Szekler Grenz Infantry Regiment # 15 (2 battalions)
- 3-pdr brigade battery (8 guns)
- Division: Feldmarschall-Leutnant Ludwig von Mondet
- Divisional Artillery: 6-pdr position battery (6 guns)
- Brigade: General-Major Karl Leopold Civalart d'Happoncourt
- Davidovich Infantry Regiment # 34 (3 battalions)
- Weidenfeld Infantry Regiment # 37 (3 battalions)
- 6-pdr brigade battery (8 guns)
- Brigade: General-Major Franz von Pflacher
- De Ligne Infantry Regiment # 30 (3 battalions)
- Strauch Infantry Regiment # 24 (3 battalions)
- Kottulinsky Infantry Regiment # 41 (3 battalions)
- 6-pdr brigade battery (8 guns)
- Division: Feldmarschall-Leutnant Karl August von Schauroth
- Divisional Artillery: 6-pdr cavalry battery (6 guns)
- Brigade: Commander unknown
- Palatinal Hussar Regiment # 12 (8 squadrons)
- Brigade: Commander unknown
- Somariva Cuirassier Regiment # 5 (6 squadrons)
- Lothringen Cuirassier Regiment # 7 (6 squadrons)
Aftermath
General Józef Antoni PoniatowskiJózef Antoni Poniatowski
Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski was a Polish leader, general, minister of war and army chief, who became a Marshal of France.-Early Austrian years and war with Turkey:...
was presented with the grand-aigle de la Légion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, a ceremonial saber and a lancer's shako for his victories.
In the aftermath of the Treaty of Schönbrunn
Treaty of Schönbrunn
The Treaty of Schönbrunn , sometimes known as the Treaty of Vienna, was signed between France and Austria at the Schönbrunn Palace of Vienna on 14 October 1809. This treaty ended the Fifth Coalition during the Napoleonic Wars...
, most of the territory liberated by Polish forces (territory which had been annexed by the Austrian Empire during the partitions of Poland
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
several decades beforehand) was incorporated into the Duchy of Warsaw.