DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.29195#0112
Tableaux vivants
These words, that there should be a Poland, and that he would see if the Poles de-
serve to be a nation — the most important words in the whole of Leon Potocki’s
book - were really uttered by the Emperor, but part of what we have cited was said
in Poznan, to Jozef Wybicki, who also attended the ball in Warsaw (Kipa 1959). It
is quite likely that Napoleon actually said the words on Poland’s glorious past, he
was well-versed in history (Skarbek 1860, Vol. 1, pp. 82-83). However, Napoleon’s
conversations with the Poles in the Czartoryski-Potocki Palace as recorded in Leon
Potocki’s book were drawn up certainly in outcome of Potocki’s research in the ar-
chives, although of course in part from the world of poetic licence. But let’s get back
to his story. Napoleon asked Ludwik Gutakowski what the government was working
on. “First ofall it is cateringfor the needs ofthe army, ” Gutakowski replied. “Good, ” the
Emperor exclaimed, “Thankyou, that’s what I’m most interested in.” Then he turned to
Ossolinski, who presided over the supreme court, and asked what legislation was used in
the courts. Ossolihski told him that the courts used Polish law, and Frederick II’s [Prus-
sian] laws were resorted to only in the event of want of appropriate Polish regulations.
Then Napoleon asked what language was used in the courts, and when told it was Polish,
he exclaimed, “Soyou are Polish!” Whereupon he quickly turnedaway from the menfolk
and hurried back to the dancers (Fig. 97).
Fig. 98. Josef Grassi, Portrait of Prince Oozef
Poniatowski, oils on canvas, ca. 1810; ZKW.
Photo by A. Ring and B. Tropito. The Prince
has high-ranking military distinctions on
his uniform: the Virtuti Militari, which King
Stanistaw August founded after the Battle of
Zielence, and the Order of the White Eagle.
On hearing of the King's accession to the pro-
Russian Confederation of Targowica, Prince
Jozef returned the Orders of the White Eagle
and of St. Stanislaus.
Soon after the revelling and the dancing came the heavy fighting, in which Prince
Jozef rose to the rank of national hero (Fig. 98). The fate of the Duchy of Warsaw
was uncertain, but its more and more powerful forces did their duty well (Skarbek
1860, Vol. 2, pp. 3—64; Grochulska 1966, pp. 137-142). On 15th April 1809 the 32
thousand-strong Austrian corps commanded by the Archduke Ferdinand d’Este, of
the Tuscan line of the Habsburgs, crossed the border of the Duchy of Warsaw. On
19th April the memorable Battle of Raszyn was fought, in which the enemy forces
sustained heavy losses. However, after many hours of fighting the Polish units,
with only half the numbers of the Austrians, had to retreat. The Archduke Ferdi-
nand entered Warsaw and stayed nearly to the end of May; however, Prince Ponia-
towski’s military exploits were bringing bigger and bigger successes. On 15th July
he took Krakow, and for a time he even controlled Lwow. In these circumstances
yet another ball, one in its kind, was held in the Potocki Palace. Leon Potocki left
a description of it, just as he had the ball of January 1807, this time in his well-nigh
forgotten memoirs of “reminiscences of his youth”
During his short stay in Warsaw the Archduke Ferdinand reviewed the troops every
day, and at least once a week held a military parade on the Saxon square. . . The Aus-
trian officers had no traffic with the citizens; every Polish house was closed to them, yet
every night you could see all the people of the city out on the banks of our native river,
all eyes were turned in the direction where our troops were collecting new laurels! The
young Archduke, who was used to the merry life of Vienna, was bored in Warsaw. He
wanted to take a look at those Polish ladies about whose charms he had heard so much
from Count Neuberg, his chief-of-staff, but he did not know how to set about the mat-
ter. Finally having called on Mrs. Potocka, the Voivode s wife, he asked her to arrange
an eveningfor him to meet the Polish ladies. His request was fulfilled, the rooms ofthe
Palace were lit up, but it was a garden with no flowers, there was not a single Polish
Lady there (Potocki 1876, p. 237).
The Battie of
Raszyn and
the ball for
the Archduke
Ferdinand
119
These words, that there should be a Poland, and that he would see if the Poles de-
serve to be a nation — the most important words in the whole of Leon Potocki’s
book - were really uttered by the Emperor, but part of what we have cited was said
in Poznan, to Jozef Wybicki, who also attended the ball in Warsaw (Kipa 1959). It
is quite likely that Napoleon actually said the words on Poland’s glorious past, he
was well-versed in history (Skarbek 1860, Vol. 1, pp. 82-83). However, Napoleon’s
conversations with the Poles in the Czartoryski-Potocki Palace as recorded in Leon
Potocki’s book were drawn up certainly in outcome of Potocki’s research in the ar-
chives, although of course in part from the world of poetic licence. But let’s get back
to his story. Napoleon asked Ludwik Gutakowski what the government was working
on. “First ofall it is cateringfor the needs ofthe army, ” Gutakowski replied. “Good, ” the
Emperor exclaimed, “Thankyou, that’s what I’m most interested in.” Then he turned to
Ossolinski, who presided over the supreme court, and asked what legislation was used in
the courts. Ossolihski told him that the courts used Polish law, and Frederick II’s [Prus-
sian] laws were resorted to only in the event of want of appropriate Polish regulations.
Then Napoleon asked what language was used in the courts, and when told it was Polish,
he exclaimed, “Soyou are Polish!” Whereupon he quickly turnedaway from the menfolk
and hurried back to the dancers (Fig. 97).
Fig. 98. Josef Grassi, Portrait of Prince Oozef
Poniatowski, oils on canvas, ca. 1810; ZKW.
Photo by A. Ring and B. Tropito. The Prince
has high-ranking military distinctions on
his uniform: the Virtuti Militari, which King
Stanistaw August founded after the Battle of
Zielence, and the Order of the White Eagle.
On hearing of the King's accession to the pro-
Russian Confederation of Targowica, Prince
Jozef returned the Orders of the White Eagle
and of St. Stanislaus.
Soon after the revelling and the dancing came the heavy fighting, in which Prince
Jozef rose to the rank of national hero (Fig. 98). The fate of the Duchy of Warsaw
was uncertain, but its more and more powerful forces did their duty well (Skarbek
1860, Vol. 2, pp. 3—64; Grochulska 1966, pp. 137-142). On 15th April 1809 the 32
thousand-strong Austrian corps commanded by the Archduke Ferdinand d’Este, of
the Tuscan line of the Habsburgs, crossed the border of the Duchy of Warsaw. On
19th April the memorable Battle of Raszyn was fought, in which the enemy forces
sustained heavy losses. However, after many hours of fighting the Polish units,
with only half the numbers of the Austrians, had to retreat. The Archduke Ferdi-
nand entered Warsaw and stayed nearly to the end of May; however, Prince Ponia-
towski’s military exploits were bringing bigger and bigger successes. On 15th July
he took Krakow, and for a time he even controlled Lwow. In these circumstances
yet another ball, one in its kind, was held in the Potocki Palace. Leon Potocki left
a description of it, just as he had the ball of January 1807, this time in his well-nigh
forgotten memoirs of “reminiscences of his youth”
During his short stay in Warsaw the Archduke Ferdinand reviewed the troops every
day, and at least once a week held a military parade on the Saxon square. . . The Aus-
trian officers had no traffic with the citizens; every Polish house was closed to them, yet
every night you could see all the people of the city out on the banks of our native river,
all eyes were turned in the direction where our troops were collecting new laurels! The
young Archduke, who was used to the merry life of Vienna, was bored in Warsaw. He
wanted to take a look at those Polish ladies about whose charms he had heard so much
from Count Neuberg, his chief-of-staff, but he did not know how to set about the mat-
ter. Finally having called on Mrs. Potocka, the Voivode s wife, he asked her to arrange
an eveningfor him to meet the Polish ladies. His request was fulfilled, the rooms ofthe
Palace were lit up, but it was a garden with no flowers, there was not a single Polish
Lady there (Potocki 1876, p. 237).
The Battie of
Raszyn and
the ball for
the Archduke
Ferdinand
119