In the two articles brought to your attention, we will talk about the tragic and sad events that took place in Poland in 1794. The rebellion, led by Tadeusz Kosciuszko and accompanied by the massacre of unarmed Russian soldiers in the churches of Warsaw ("Warsaw Matins"), ended with the storming of Prague (a suburb of the Polish capital) and the third (final) partition of this state between Russia, Austria and Prussia in 1795. The emphasis, of course, will be placed on Russian-Polish relations, especially since it was then that the interrelated tragic incidents took place, which received the names "Warsaw Matins" and "Prague Massacre".
The first article will tell exactly about the "Warsaw Matins", which took place on Maundy Thursday of Easter week on April 6 (17), 1794. The events of this day are little known in our country, attention has never been focused on them, especially in Soviet times. That is why, for many, this story may seem especially interesting.
The eternal dispute of the Slavs
Mutual claims and grievances between Poland and Russia have a long history. For a long time, the neighbors could not determine both the degree of kinship and the size of the controlled territory. This was reflected in Russian epics, where some characters marry girls from the "Lyash land", and the hero of the epic "Korolevichi from Kryakova" is called "the Svyatoruss bogatyr." But even real dynastic marriages sometimes led to war - like the marriage of Svyatopolk ("Cursed", the son of Vladimir Svyatoslavich) to the daughter of the Polish prince Boleslav the Brave, who later fought on the side of his son-in-law against Yaroslav the Wise.
The main reason for the Polish enmity, perhaps, should be recognized as the failed imperial ambitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Indeed, at the peak of its power, this state was a real empire and, in addition to the Polish regions, also included the lands of modern Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia and Moldova.
The Polish Empire had chances to become a powerful European state, but it collapsed literally before the eyes of its contemporaries, who were not at all surprised by its fall. Rzeczpospolita not only lost the territories it once conquered, but also lost its statehood, which was restored only in the 20th century - by decision and with the consent of the Great Powers. The main reason for the fall of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was not the strength of its neighbors, but the weakness of Poland, torn apart by internal contradictions and poorly governed. Political myopia also played a role, bordering on the inadequacy of many Polish politicians of those years, including those who are now recognized as national heroes of Poland. In conditions when only peace and good relations with neighbors gave at least some hope for the continued existence of the Polish state, they went to confrontation on any occasion and began hostilities in the most unfavorable conditions for them.
On the other hand, the brutal oppression of the Orthodox, Uniates, Protestants, Jews and Muslims (who also lived in the territory of this country), declared to be "second-class" people, led to the fact that the outskirts simply did not want to be Polish provinces anymore.
A. Starovolsky, who lived in the 17th century, argued:
“In Rzeczpospolita there is nothing but wild slavery, which gave a person's life to the full power of his master. Any Asian despot will not torture as many people in his life as they will torture in one year in the free Rzeczpospolita."
Finally, the principle of "golden freemen", "Henryk's articles" (a document signed by Heinrich Valois, who also managed to visit the Polish throne), liberum veto, adopted in 1589, which allowed any gentry to stop the Diet, and the right to "rokoshi" - the creation the confederations waging an armed struggle against the king effectively rendered the central government incapacitated.
It was impossible to preserve one's state in such conditions. But the Poles have traditionally blamed and blamed their neighbors for all their troubles, primarily Russia. These claims against Russia seem especially strange considering that during the partitions of the Commonwealth in the 18th century, the primordially Polish lands went to Prussia and Austria-Hungary, while Russia received regions, the absolute majority of the population of which had Ukrainian, Belarusian, Lithuanian and even Russian origin.
Polish state in 1794
One of the episodes of the "national liberation struggle", perhaps the most destructive for the Polish statehood (but they are traditionally proud of in Poland), was the military campaign of 1794. It went down in the history of Poland as Insurekcja warszawska (Warsaw Uprising). On marble slabs at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, two episodes of this war, inglorious for Poland, are mentioned among the "great victories" along with the capture of Moscow in 1610 and Berlin in 1945 (yes, without the Poles, the Soviet Army, of course, in Berlin would failed), and the "victory at Borodino" in 1812.
It was politically correct not to remember these events in the USSR. Meanwhile, in Russian historiography, the central event of the 1794 uprising was called "Warsaw Matins" and "Warsaw Massacres" - and these official terms say a lot.
The fact is that since 1792 foreign military garrisons have been deployed in large cities of Poland. Since they stood there with the consent of the Polish government and King Stanislav Poniatowski, these troops could not be called occupation troops. Otherwise, with the same reason, one can now call the American troops occupying in modern Poland. The commanders of foreign units did not interfere in the internal affairs of the Commonwealth, but the very presence of foreign soldiers caused strong irritation in Poland.
Russian troops in Poland were then headed by Lieutenant General Baron Osip Igelstrom. In love with the Polish Countess Honorata Zaluska, he paid little attention to the "gossip" about the upcoming anti-Russian speech.
On the other hand, and Catherine II did not attach importance to reports of the turbulent situation in Poland. The Empress hoped for the loyalty of her former lover, King Stanislav Poniatovsky. Thus, the responsibility for the tragedy in Warsaw and Vilna lies on her shoulders.
Tadeusz Kosciuszko, who came from a poor Lithuanian family, whom his classmates at the knightly school in Warsaw (studied from 1765 to 1769) called "Swede" was elected the leader of the new rebellion (recall that the king and the government of Poland did not declare war on anyone). By this time, Kosciuszko was behind the US War of Independence, in which he fought on the side of the insurgent colonists (and rose to the rank of brigadier general) and hostilities against Russia in 1792.
On March 12 (according to the Julian calendar), the Polish Brigadier General A. Madalinsky, who, according to the decision of the Grodno Sejm, was supposed to disband his brigade, instead crossed the Prussian border and in the city of Soldau seized the warehouses and treasury of the Prussian army. After this act of robbery, he went to Krakow, which was surrendered to the rebels without a fight. Here Kosciuszko was proclaimed the "dictator of the Republic" on March 16, 1794. He arrived in the city only a week later - on March 23, announced the "Act of the uprising" on the market square and received the rank of generalissimo.
The number of Kosciuszko's army reached 70 thousand people, however, the armament of most of these fighters left much to be desired.
They were opposed by Russian detachments numbering about 30 thousand people, about 20 thousand Austrians and 54 thousand Prussian soldiers.
Uprising in Warsaw and Vilna
On March 24 (April 4 according to the Gregorian calendar), Kosciuszko's army near the village of Racławice near Krakow defeated the Russian corps, led by Major Generals Denisov and Tormasov. This, in general, insignificant and of no strategic importance victory served as a signal for an uprising in Warsaw and some other large cities. In the Polish capital, the insurgents were led by a member of the city magistrate Jan Kilinsky, who on his own behalf promised the Poles the property of Russians living in Warsaw, and priest Jozef Meyer.
The success of the insurgents in Warsaw was greatly facilitated by the inadequate actions of the Russian command, which did not take any measures to prepare for a possible attack on its subordinates.
Meanwhile, Igelstrom was well aware of the hostilities opened by Kosciuszko and his associates. Rumors of an impending march in Warsaw were known even to the rank and file and officers of the Russian garrison, and the Prussian command withdrew its troops outside the city in advance. But Igelstrom did not even give the order to strengthen the protection of the arsenal and weapons depots. L. N. Engelhardt recalled:
“For several days there was a rumor that the night before, up to 50,000 rounds of rounds had been thrown out of the arsenal out of the window for the mob.”
And F. V. Bulgarin asserted:
“The Poles who were in Warsaw during the uprising say that if the Russian detachment were concentrated, had all their artillery with them, and if the arsenal and the powder magazine were in the hands of the Russians, which was very easy, then the uprising would be pacified under the very beginning”.
But, we repeat, the Russian command, led by Igelstrom, did not take even the slightest precautions, and on April 6 (17), 1794 (Great Thursday of Easter week), the ringing of bells informed the townspeople of the beginning of the rebellion. As Kostomarov later wrote:
“The conspirators broke into the arsenal and took possession of it. Several shots were fired from the arsenal: this was a signal that the weapons were in the hands of the conspirators, and the crowd rushed there after them. Disassembled weapons, which one needed."
As a result, many Russian soldiers and officers who came to the churches unarmed were immediately killed in the churches. Thus, the 3rd battalion of the Kiev grenadier regiment was destroyed almost in full force. Other Russian servicemen were killed in the houses where their apartments were located.
Let us quote Kostomarov again:
“All over Warsaw there was a terrible noise, shots, the whistle of bullets, the frantic cry of the murderers:" Before the armor! Hit the Muscovite! Whoever believes in God, hit the Muscovite! " They broke into the apartments where the Russians were housed and beat the latter; there was no descent for either the officers, or the soldiers, or the servants … The soldiers of the third battalion of the Kiev regiment were receiving communion that day, they gathered somewhere in a church arranged in the palace. There were five hundred of them. According to Pistor, everyone in the church was slaughtered unarmed."
Russian writer (and Decembrist) Alexander Bestuzhev-Marlinsky in his essay "Evening on the Caucasian waters in 1824", referring to the story of a certain artilleryman, a participant in those events, writes:
“Thousands of Russians were massacred then, sleepy and unarmed, in houses they thought were friendly. Taken by surprise, absent-mindedly, some in bed, others in gathering for the holiday, others on the way to churches, they could neither defend themselves nor flee and fell under inglorious blows, cursing fate that they were dying without revenge. Some, however, managed to grab their guns and, locked themselves in rooms, in barns, in attics, fired desperately; very rare ones managed to hide."
In the above picture, the "noble insurgents" are selflessly and openly fighting against the armed "invaders". Meanwhile, N. Kostomarov described what was happening:
“The Poles rushed in wherever they only suspected that there were Russians… they searched for and killed those who were found. Not only Russians were killed. It was enough to point out in the crowd at anyone and shout that he was of the Moscow spirit, the crowd dealt with him, as with the Russian."
All this is very reminiscent of the events of "St. Bartholomew's Night" in Paris on August 24, 1572, isn't it?
It is estimated that in the first day 2265 Russian soldiers and officers were killed, 122 were wounded, 161 officers and 1764 soldiers who turned out to be unarmed were captured in churches. Many of these soldiers were later killed in prisons.
Civilians also got it. Among others, the future nanny of Emperor Nicholas I, Eugene Vecheslov, ended up in Warsaw at that time. She recalled:
“When we went out into the street, we were struck by a terrible picture: the dirty streets were cluttered with dead bodies, the violent crowds of Poles shouted:" Cut the Muscovites!"
One major of the Polish artillery managed to take Madame Chicherina to the arsenal; and I, having two children in my arms, showered with a hail of bullets and shell-shocked in my leg, unconscious, fell with the children into a ditch, onto dead bodies."
Vecheslova was then also taken to the arsenal:
“Here we spent two weeks with almost no food and no warm clothes at all. This is how we met the Bright Resurrection of Christ and broke the fast with breadcrumbs that we found near the dead bodies."
The other "prisoners of war" were pregnant Praskovya Gagarina and her five children. The woman's husband, a general in the Russian army, like many other officers, was killed by the Poles in the street. The widow addressed in a letter personally to Tadeusz Kosciuszko, who in Poland would later be called "the last knight of Europe", and, referring to her pregnancy and plight, asked to let her go to Russia, but received a categorical refusal.
The commander of the Russian troops, General Igelstrom, fled from Warsaw under the guise of a servant of his mistress, Countess Zalusskaya, leaving a lot of papers in his house. These documents were seized by the rebels and served as a pretext for reprisals against all Poles mentioned in them. Catherine II, who also did not pay attention to the information coming to her about the impending rebellion, feeling guilty, later refused to bring the hapless general to justice, limiting herself to his resignation. According to numerous rumors, she expressed her contempt for the Poles who showed such treachery by making the throne of this country the seat of her “night ship”. It was on him that an attack allegedly happened with her, which became the cause of death.
Some servicemen of the Russian garrison still managed to escape from Warsaw. The already quoted L. N. Engelhardt testifies:
“There are no more than four hundred of our troops left, and with them there are four field guns. And so we decided to make our way. The cannons ahead cleared our way, and the rear two cannons covered the retreat, but at every step they had to withstand strong cannon and rifle fire, especially from houses, and so ours united with the Prussian troops."
And on the night of April 23, the rebels attacked the Russians in Vilno: due to the suddenness of the attack, 50 officers were captured, including the commandant of the garrison, Major General Arsenyev, and about 600 soldiers. Major N. A. Tuchkov gathered the escaped soldiers and took this detachment to Grodno.
Tadeusz Kosciuszko fully approved the massacre of unarmed Russian soldiers and defenseless civilians in Warsaw and Vilna. Jan Kilinsky from Warsaw (who personally killed two Russian officers and a Cossack during Matins) received the rank of colonel from him, and Jakub Yasinsky from Vilna even received the rank of lieutenant general.
These are the victories that modern Poles considered worthy to be immortalized on the marble slabs of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
But the Poles considered the subsequent actions of the Russian troops who came to Warsaw as a monstrous crime.
Further events, which in Poland are traditionally called the "Prague Massacre", will be discussed in the next article.
