Wincenty Krasiński

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Wincenty Krasiński
Noble Family	Krasiński
Coat of Arms	Ślepowron
Parents	Jan Krasiński Antonina Czacka
Consorts	Maria Urszula Radziwiłł
Children	with Maria Urszula Radziwiłł Zygmunt Krasiński
Date of Birth	April 5, 1782
Place of Birth	Boreml
Date of Death	November 24, 1858
Place of Death	Warsaw

Count Wincenty Krasiński (1782-1858) was a Polish nobleman (szlachcic), political activist and military leader.

Winceny became the 1st Ordynat (1844), and starost (1890) of Opiniogóra estates. His military career began in 1791 in the National cavalry. He advanced in rank to Chorazy and Lieutenant in 1793. After the partitions of Poland he became an enthusiastic supporter of Napoleon Bonaparte. As the French Army entered occupied Prussian Poland, Wincenty created a cavalry squadron at his own expense.

He participated in Napoleons Campaigns from 1807 to 1814. He became the commander of the 1st Chevau-Légers Lancers, Imperial Guard regiment. In 1811 advanced in rank to Brigadier-General and in 1813 to Division-General (gen. dywizji). From 1814 commanded the Polish Corps. In France he is known as Vincent Corvin Krasinski [1].

Wincenty participated in numerous battles. He fought at Wagram in 1809, the Russian Campaign from 1812 to 1813 and the Campaign of 1814. He was awarded the Virtuti Militari in 1810 and the Légion d'honneur order in 1811.

After the abdication of Napoleon, Wincenty became commander of a Guard Division (dywizja gwardyjska) in the Polish Congress Kingdom in 1815. From 1818 he served as General-Adjutant of the Czar and Sejm Marshal. He became senator-voivode and was awarded the Order of the White Eagle in 1821.

In 1828 as member of the Sejm Court, during the trial against the activists of the "Patriotic Society" (among others Stanislaw Sołtyk), he was the only senator who voted for death penalty. For this he was condemned by public opinion and independence circles alike.

He refused to join the November Uprising in 1830 and was from 1831 General-Adjutant of Car Nicolas I. From 1833 Wincenty served as member of the Russian Council of the State.

In 1844 he founded the Krasinski Ordynacja Library in Warsaw. From 1855 to 1856 he served as governor of Polish Congress Kingdom.

Wincenty was married to Princess Maria Urszula Radziwiłł, married on September 12, 1803 in Lwów. He died on November 24, 1858 in Warsaw.

He was father of Zygmunt Krasiński, one of Poland's greatest romantic poets.

[edit] Awards

• Virtuti Militari, awarded in 1810.
• Légion d'honneur, awarded in 1811.
• Knight of the Order of the White Eagle, awarded in 1821.