Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski

Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski (25 October 1769 – 29 September 1802) was a Polish and French general. He is the first known Polish general of African descent.

Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski
Nickname(s)Murzynek
Born(1769-10-25)25 October 1769
Gdańsk, Poland
Died29 September 1802(1802-09-29) (aged 32)
Jérémie, Haiti
Allegiance
Years of service1786–1802
RankBrigadier general
Battles/warsSzczekociny, Warsaw, Maciejowice and Praga, Kościuszko Uprising, Haitian Revolution

Early life

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".[1] 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.[2] 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.[2]

From 1801 he was the leader of Legia Naddunajska. He was sent on his own request to Haiti in May 1802 (before the decision to send the rest of the Polish legions). There he worked to put down the Haitian Revolution. Jabłonowski died from yellow fever on 29 September 1802 in Jérémie, Haiti.[2]

In Polish culture

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:

how Jablonowski had reached the land where the pepper grows
and where sugar is produced, and where in eternal spring'
bloom fragrant woods: with the legion of the Danube there
the Polish general smites the negroes, but sighs for his native soil[3]
gollark: Ender modems basically obsolete all this though.
gollark: I was saying `What?` to <@324663000235769858> saying `waa.`.
gollark: What?
gollark: Possibly? Don't really know if they have a CC-compatible API.
gollark: Arrays don't exist.

References
  1. PWN
  2. Pachonski Jan, Jan & Wilson, Reuel K. (1986), Poland's Caribbean Tragedy: A Study of Polish Legions in the Haitian War of Independence 1802-1803, New York: East European Monographs, pp. 60–61
  3. Mickiewicz, Adam (1917). Pan Tadeusz. London: J. M. Dent. pp. 31. Retrieved 8 October 2013. Translated by George Rapall Noyes


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