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"Przez cały okres zaborów Żmudzini dawali liczne dowody zaangażowania w walkę o odbudowę Rzeczypospolitej. Bili się już w powstaniu kościuszkowskim i w kolejnych zrywach insurekcyjnych w XIX w. Na lata zapomniano jednak o ich udziale w walkach u boku Napoleona. Już po wkroczeniu wojsk cesarza Francuzów na ziemie polskie w 1806 r. Żmudzini gotowi byli chwycić za broń przeciwko rosyjskiemu zaborcy. Jednak w świadomości ogółu funkcjonowała legenda o zawodzie, jakiego doznał Napoleon na Litwie i na Żmudzi w czasie wojny z Rosją w 1812 r., napotykając bierność, a w niektórych przypadkach i wrogość mieszkańców wyzwalanego kraju. Ugruntowało się przekonanie, że obywatele w zaborze rosyjskim wykazywali nikłe zainteresowanie odbudową ojczyzny." [...] (fragm.)

Recenzja książki : Jacek Kordel, Z Austrią czy z Prusami? Polityka zagraniczna Saksonii 1774–1778, Kraków 2018, Wydawnictwo Arcana, ss. 420

"Dnia 13 maja 2018 r. zmarł dr hab. Wojciech Organiściak, adiunkt w Katedrze Historii Prawa na Wydziale Prawa i Administracji Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach, sędzia Wojewódzkiego Sądu Administracyjnego w Gliwicach, badacz dziejów ustroju i prawa szlacheckiej Rzeczypospolitej, autor licznych prac naukowych." [...] (fragm.)

"13 maja 2018 r. odszedł od nas nasz Kolega, dr hab. Wojciech Organiściak, adiunkt w Katedrze Historii Prawa na Wydziale Prawa i Administracji Uniwersytetu Śląskiego, sędzia Wojewódzkiego Sądu Administracyjnego w Gliwicach, badacz dziejów ustroju i prawa szlacheckiej Rzeczypospolitej. Wojciech Tomasz Organiściak urodził się 18 października 1961 r. w Bochni w rodzinie inteligenckiej. Ojciec, Ferdynand Organiściak, był inżynierem, matka, Genowefa, z domu Mroczek urzędniczką. Do 13. roku życia Wojtek mieszkał z rodzicami i młodszym bratem Maciejem w Tychach, potem wraz nimi przeprowadził się do Katowic. Tu ukończył szkołę podstawową i rozpoczął naukę w liceum ogólnokształcącym (wówczas nosiło ono imię niesławnej pamięci Marcelego Nowotki, obecnie jest to IV Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Generała Stanisława Maczka)." [...] (fragm.)

A line of fortresses, which were supposed to protect the border of Silesia in the modern period, is presented in this paper. A line of fortresses in Pilica, Częstochowa, Danków and Krzepice was built at that time. They protected the tracks inside Lesser Poland from the northwest. The architecture of these objects makes it possible to present the use of the solutions proposed by styles of fortification, present in Europe at the end of the sixteenth and in the seventeenth century. The visit in the area allows to estimate skills of the engineers of that time in adjustment of particular objects to the local terrain's conditions, and it also helps to understand the usage of particular structures in the chosen part of fortification. The history of these fortresses in the modern period is a great possibility to get acquainted with the history of that region, which was full of not well known events, not only in the modern age.

Wkroczenie wojsk Napoleona na Litwę 24 czerwca 1812 roku przyniosło wprawdzie wyzwolenie od rządów rosyjskich, ale sprowadziło na Litwinów wszystkie okrucieństwa wojny. W kolejnych dniach dokonywano gwałtów, morderstw i rabunków na całym obszarze Litwy zajętym przez Wielką Armię. Dla wielu mieszkańców kraju oznaczało to osobiste tragedie, które wstrzymywały od zaangażowania się po stronie „wyzwolicieli”1. Mimo to większość Litwinów z entuzjazmem witała cesarza Francuzów. Na obszarach wolnych od większych zgrupowań wojsk rozpoczęła się akcja powstańcza. Od pierwszych dni towarzyszyło jej tworzenie nowych władz litewskich, które przejmowały rządy na terenach oswobodzonych od Rosjan2[…]

Najsłynniejszym członkiem familii Sułkowskich, znanym nie tylko z dzieł historyków, był „oficer niespełnionych nadziei”, poległy podczas wyprawy egipskiej w Kairze, adiutant i przyjaciel Napoleona Bonaparte, Józef Sułkowski. Jego pochodzenie i droga życia po dziś dzień budzą wiele wątpliwości, a także rozgrzewają wyobraźnię1. W jego cieniu pozostaje drugi z Sułkowskich, który zapisał się na trwale w historii Polski w XVIII wieku, faworyt Augusta III i twórca książęcej linii rodu, Aleksander Józef Sułkowski. Także on, z racji niezwykłej kariery oraz roli politycznej, był bohaterem wielu opracowań historycznych2. Uwadze badaczy umknęli jednak pozostali przedstawiciele linii książęcej Sułkowskich. Nieliczni z nich, żyjący w XVIII, XIX i XX wieku, doczekali się biogramów czy wymagających dużych uzupełnień opracowań[…]

Napoleon’s entry to the lands of the Prussian partition in 1806 and the outbreak of the Polish uprising, also in the so-called New Silesia, attracted the attention of prince Jan Nepomucen Sułkowski of Bielsko. The prince hoped that the Polish uprising which was gaining momentum would be an opportunity for him to play the role of one of the organisers of Polish armed forces. He hoped that this task would be rendered easier by the appeal generated by the name which was borne by his kinsman and General Bonaparte’s aide-de-camp. However, he did not have at his disposal the financial means which would enable him to put up a cavalry regiment. Although he indeed reached Napoleon himself and gained the General’s approval of his plans, the attempts at prompt organisation of a regiment and the purveyance of appropriate accoutrements brought about the campaigns against Upper Silesia and the Schlacht at Mysłowice, whose consequences were dire for the prince. Michał Pruszak, who was dissatisfied with the collaboration with the prince, used them against the latter. As was the case with many ambitious leaders of the uprising of 1806, he wanted to enhance his position by putting up his own regiment. This endeavour was beyond Pruszak’s financial possibilities, therefore he put his trust in Jan Nepomucen, who could ensure, as it seemed, the appropriate funds and the support of Napoleon himself. The accusations which were raised at that time constitute the reason why historiography continues to furnish a false image of Jan Nepomucen Sułkowski who became a part of Napoleon’s history during the war of 1806-1807 by manifesting adventurism. Such an image was not true, and the most important thing is the fact that prince Jan Nepomucen Sułkowski came down in history as the only magnate from Silesia and Moravia who took the side of the emperor of the French.

Following the defeat of Vilnus and retreat of Alexander I’s army south, Napoleon was faced with the task of using Lithuania’s resources in order to continue his war with Russia. For this purpose, on July1, 1812, he appointed the Provisional Governing Commission. The French Emperor directed all efforts of Lithuania’s new authorities to secure the Grand Army’s rear, ensuring maximum provisioning and even filling in the ranks backstage of the military activities. These tasks required great amounts of money as Lithuanians also had to financially support the organization of the country and its newly formed army. Consistent Russian policy of many years previous to the war badly depleted Lithuania’s silver coins, and the degree of exploitation on the eye of the campaign impoverished the population to the maximum. Tax collection and other financial issues under these burdens were to be tackled by the Treasury Committee. Under the authority of Józef Sierakowski, followed by Karol Pozor, the Committee fulfilled the tasks to the extent that was possible to achieve in 1812. Over 90% of the money collected was consumed for the formation of the Lithuanian military units, which confirms Lithuanians’ commitment to Napoleon and their trust in the restoration of the Kingdom of Poland upon victory over Russia.

"Na początku XXI wieku przyszedł najwyższy czas na podsumowanie efektów prawie pięćdziesięciu lat studiów nad dziejami ziem polskich w epoce napoleońskiej. Ten cel realizuje właśnie recenzowana praca autorstwa Jarosława Czubatego. Autor chce, by praca była nie tylko kroniką polityczno‑ militarnych dziejów Księstwa Warszawskiego, lecz także — co równie istotne — by przekazywała wiedzę na temat zachodzących wówczas procesów społecznych, gospodarczych, przemian kultury i mentalności".

When the Great Army crossed the Niemen river taking over the eastern territories of the former Commonwealth of Poland and when in Warsaw the Parliament announced the creation of the Polish Kingdom, Napoleon imposed a new organization upon Lithuania and decided that a Lithuanian army should be created there. The new regiments were to be a proof of Lithuanian involvement on the side of the French emperor and besides, they were to secure and protect the supply lines of the war activities. Apart from the 3rd Chevaux-Légere Regiment of the Imperial Army, work was started on the organization of infantry regiments which received the successive numbers of the regiments of the Warsaw Duchy, from the 18th to the 22nd as well as the Ulhan regiments (light cavalry) with the numbers from the 17th to the 20th. The front line units were supplemented with two regiments consisting of volunteers, namely the 21st regiment of mounted riflemen and a squadron of the Tatars. The formation of the Lithuanian armed forces encountered considerable diffi culties and the lack of funds made it virtually impossible to provide adequate equipment and uniforms to the troops. The ulhan regiments struggled with a lack of horses which the country had earlier on been deprived of by the Russians and the French. In this situation, the Lithuanian troops could achieve full combat efficiency only towards the end of 1812. Yet contrary to the previous opinions, the army had an efficient officer corps and the recruits drafted to the infantry and cavalry regiments were young and healthy individuals, out of which nearly 10% were volunteers. Some of the Lithuanian regiments which had not yet been fully formed and trained confronted the Russians already during the 1812 campaign. This was partly due to the threat which emerged in the south of the Lithuanian territories, together with the arrival of the army of admiral Tschitshagov from the Turkish front; the latter wished to cut off the retreat route of the Napoleonic army. In the article, the author presents the battles which the Lithuanian troops had fought, among others at Slonim, Kojdanov, and ultimately at Berezina and in defense of Vilnius. The analysis allowed the author to assess anew the involvement of Lithuanians in the war of 1812 and to clarify numerous inaccuracies and errors which occurred in the descriptions of the war activity of the Lithuanian regiments. The author also discusses the retreat of the new regiments to the west which, following their reorganization in 1813 and the taking over by the French, allowed them to take part in the defense of Modlin as well as in the campaigns of 1813 and 1814 on the territory of Germany and Denmark.

Recenzja: Janusz Jasiński, Sławomir Skowronek, Wschodniopruskie kampanie Napoleona. Wielka Armia i wojska polskie w 1807 roku. Historia. Tradycja. Legendy, Wydawnictwo Littera, Olsztyn 2007, ss. 308.

The paper addresses the question of the relationship of the inhabitants of the Great Duchy of Lithuania to the events of 1806-1807. The author is interested in the way Lithuanians reacted to Napoleon I’s war against Prussia and Russia. He raises the following question: were they mainly passive and came to terms with the rule of Alexander I? It is commonly claimed that the inhabitants of the western governments were passive towards the rising in Greater Poland and the events that followed, and assumed loyal attitudes. The author proves that this view has no grounds. As the war of 1807 continued, also in Lithuania there were some plans to organise a rising, and there was a growing hope that Russia would ultimately be defeated by Napoleon. We have to mention some political steps taken by Alexander I to prevent a possible rising.

Maciej Kucharski and Dariusz Nawrot made an attempt to analyse the efforts made by the Polish diplomacy to obtain the support the courts in Vienna and Berlin for the Polish Constitution of 3 May (1791). The authors conclude that Austria’s attitude towards the new constitution accepted by the Polish Diet was very cautious. Vienna was watching closely the actions of the governments in Berlin and St Petersburg, and took no steps that could be interpreted as an expression of Austria’s positive attitude towards the Constitution. Neither the Polish official moves, nor the secret missions entrusted to Prince Adam Casimir Czartoryski, and Prince Stanislaus Poniatowski could change anything here. As regards the Polish striving to muster the support of Prussia for the Constitution, the authors are of the opinion that the Polish efforts in this respects were not energetic and determined enough. As a result, the authorities responsible for the Polish foreign policy discovered only during the Russian invasion in spring 1792 that Prussia was not going to honour her obligations as an ally of Poland’s.

The dissertation is devoted to the concepts that appeared in the popular handbooks during the great socio-economic transformations of the second half of the 19th century. The analyzed source material concerns various aspects of everyday life: health and hygiene, work and finances, shaping one's own character, education and interpersonal relations. Source material contains both works by native authors and foreign translations, with particular emphasis on books by Samuel Smiles. An essential aspect of this literature is the idea of self-improvement:. the assumption that success in life can be achieved by one's own efforts. The self-improvement programs, proposed by the authors, were analyzed both in terms of the authors' individual concepts as well as their complementarity and consistency in relation to each other. Another important aspect of the work is the discussion of the extent to which the counseling of the era responded to the need for guidance from the new middle class and groups aspiring to it. In addition to the analysis of guidance programs, the work discusses the specificity of the guide as a source material, its place on the book market of the era and the publishing models in which this type of literature has functioned. Selected profiles of the authors of the guides were also presented.