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Foreword
9
runbytheDiscalcedCarmelitesinBerdyczówandthentheUniversityofWilno,
foundedasaPolishuniversityattheheartoftheGrandDuchyofLithuania,and
nowoneofthesixuniversitiesoftheRussianEmpire,withastrongGerman
influenceinthemedicalfacultywherehestudied.Thereafter,torepay
agovernmentscholarshipawardedduringhisdegreecourse,heserved,along
withmanyotherPoles,asamedicalofficerintheLithuanianCorpsofthe
Russianarmedforces.TheninNovember1830,anuprisingtookplaceinthe
KingdomofPoland,thetruncatedPolishstatesetupunderRussiansuzerainty
bytheCongressofVienna,andthearmyofKingdomPolandtooktothe
battlefieldagainstthetsar.Leavingbehindayoungwifeandnewbornbaby
daughter,BeniowskienteredKingdomPolandwiththeRussianarmy,whichin
April1831hedramaticallydesertedtojointhePoles.
BartłomiejBeniowskicarriedwithhimthroughouttherestofhislifefour
piecesofcarefully-foldedandtatteredpaper,alldatingfrom1831-1833:thefirst
wasacuttingfromKuryerPolski,hailinghimasaherowhenhegallopedacross
thefrontlinethroughmortarfiretotransferhisallegiancetothePolisharmy
duringtheApril1831battleofKuflew;thesecondwasarecommendationfrom
TeodorMorawski,thePolishMinisterofForeignAffairs,toGeneral
KniaziewiczinParis,dated19September1831,whichhadprobablybeen
carriedacrossEuropeinhisbootashewentintoexileafterthePolishdefeat;the
thirdwasaletterofreferencefromtheMarquisDelachassedeVérigny,
commandantoftheEcoled!EtatMajorinParis,wherein1832-1833he
completedayear)scourseofstudy;andthefourthwasatestimonialfrom
GeneralJózefDwernicki,signedinParisinMarch1833,justbeforeBeniowski
setoffonademocraticPolishmissiontoMuhammadAli)sEgypt.
4
His
reverentialpreservationofthesedocumentspointstothecrucialsignificancein
hislifeoftheNovemberUprisinganditsimmediateaftermath.
After1831,Beniowski)sculturalhorizonsandborderlineschanged.Asan
exileinParis,henailedhiscoloursfirmlytothemastofdemocraticpolitics.He
wasinvolvedwithFrenchRepublicancircles,theCarbonarimovementand
freemasonry,whilecementingalifelongloyaltytoJoachimLelewel,thedoyen
ofthePolishleft,andfirstpubliclytakingupthecauseofJewishcivilrights.
AfterhisexpeditionasademocraticenvoytoEgypt,hespentnearlytwoyearsin
Clermont-FerrandbeforeinJanuary1836headingforLondon,whichhad
becomeaheartlandforPolishrevolutionarypoliticalgroupings.Inthefifirst
industrialnation,”hewasfacedwithawelterofnewlifestylesandapproaches,
harbingersofthechangesthatheanticipatedinthe19thcentury.Ifhesharedthe
despairatculturaldisplacementexpressedbyAdamMickiewiczinForefather!s
Eve,hegavelittlesignofit.Thebardbemoanedhisbanishmentbecausenow
no-onewouldunderstandhissong:fimythoughtwillbehatchedenclosedinthe
4
LMAVBF75-112,pp.2-8;thecuttingwasfromKuryerPolski,no.496,Warszawa,
Niedziela1Majar.1831,p.576.
