Eustachy Erazm Sanguszko


Prince Eustachy Erazm Sanguszko was a Polish nobleman, general, military commander, diplomat and politician.

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

In the years 1780–1786, Sanguszko graduated from the military school of Strasbourg and served in the Régiment Royal-Allemand of the French Royal army.

Four-Year Sejm

On 3 February 1789, Sanguszko began service in the Crown Army as a captain in the. On 5 October 1789, he was promoted to major, and on 28 April 1792, to vice-brigadier. He was a representative of the Lublin Voivodeship in the Great Sejm of 1788-1792. Sanguszko partook in the War of the Second Partition where he fought at the Battle of Zieleńce as a cavalry brigadier, receiving the Virtuti Militari in its wake on June 23. On 29 July 1792, the 24-year-old Sanguszko was promoted to brigadier, having taken over the command of the whole brigade on June 25. As the Targowica Confederation had won, he joined the Imperial Russian Army to save his goods and possesions from confiscation.

Kościuszko Uprising

During the Kościuszko Uprising in 1794 he was a major general and a divisional commander. At the Battle of Szczekociny he saved Kościuszko's life. Then during the siege of Warsaw he was wounded.

Napoleonic Wars

He was a member of the general staff of Napoleon Bonaparte during the Russian campaign and took part in the march on Moscow. In the Duchy of Warsaw he was the vice-Regimentarz of the pospolite ruszenie.
To protect family land holdings in the Ukraine Sanguszko refused to participate in Prince Poniatowski's 1813 campaign, for which the commander-in-chief, an old friend, punished him harshly with a dishonourable discharge from the army.

Congress of Poland

After the fall of Napoleon, Sanguszko settled on his ancestral lands that included the battlefield of Zieleńce. There he often pondered on past historic events in which he took part and described his thoughts in his "Memoirs". Between 1817-1820 he was the governor marshal of Volhynia.

Personal life

Family

On June 26, 1798 in Sławuta, he married Klementyna Czartoryska with whom he had three children: Dorota, Roman, and Władysław. Earlier on he had been romantically involved with Julia Lubomirska.

Honours

He was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Polish Virtuti Militari and Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour.

Footnotes