Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski
Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski was a Polish and French general. He is the first known Polish general of African descent.He was of mixed ancestry - the illegitimate child of Maria Dealire, an aristocrat, and an unidentified man of African descent. He acquired the nickname "Murzynek". Maria Dealire's husband, the nobleman Konstanty Jabłonowski, accepted him as his son.
In 1783 he was admitted to the French military academy at Paris Ecole Militaire. There he was a schoolmate of Napoleon Bonaparte and Louis Nicolas D'avout. In a climate of bullying, he was subjected to racist taunts, including from Napoleon himself. On graduation he joined the Régiment de Royal-Allemand where he attained the rank of lieutenant.Military career
In 1794 he fought in Tadeusz Kościuszko's uprising against Tsarist Russia. He participated in battles of Szczekociny, Warsaw, Maciejowice, and at Praga. In 1799 he was made General of Brigade of the Polish legions.
From 1801 he was the leader of Legia Naddunajska. He was sent on his own request to Haiti in May 1802. There he worked to put down the Haitian Revolution. Jabłonowski died from yellow fever on 29 September 1802 in Jérémie, Haiti.He is mentioned in Adam Mickiewicz's famous epic poem Pan Tadeusz in the context of a veteran of the Polish legions recounting what he had seen:
