THE NAPOLEONIC ORDERS

Autorevole e ben documentata trattazione delle decorazioni conferite ai generali polacchi durante il periodo napoleonico.

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Tadeusz Jeziorowski is an eminent expert in Polish and world-oriented faleristics.  For many years he is a member of the team for addressing and providing opinions on matters related to orders and distinctions, heraldry and vexillology in the Presidential Office of the Republic of Poland and in the Heraldic Commission at the Ministry of the Interior and Administration. He is also a part of the Association of Old Arms and Uniforms Amateurs, the Polish Heraldic Society and German BDOS (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ordenskunde e. V.). 

“The uniforms of the Polish Army of the Duchy of Warsaw, and thus the uniforms worn by the Principals of the Duchy (as well as by those who achieved their general rankings in the French or Italian forces), usually displayed two decorations – the Polish Military Cross, today known by the colloquial name, the Virtuti Militari Cross and the French Legion of Honour.

The Polish cross and the starry cross of the Legion are distinct tokens of honour for bravery and hardships in battle; hence the possession of these decorations was a reason for praise. However, other signs of high regard were displayed next to the Polish orders and Napoleonic eagles of the Legion on the breasts of generals’ uniforms at that time. The most important were the two Napoleonic orders, created by the Emperor himself: the Order of the Iron Crown (Italian) and the Commemorative medal of the 1859 Italian Campaign. In addition, there were badges from those nations whose thrones were occupied by relatives of Emperor Napoleon: the Westphalian Crown, the Two Sicilies, and the Order of Spain. They were complemented by German orders; of Bavaria, a constituent in the Confederation of the Rhine, and of the Rhineland-Palatinate, formerly united with Bavaria, there were the Order of Saint Hubert, the Military Order of Max Joseph, and the Order of the Palatine Lion. Two of the most exalted Polish orders, the Order of the White Eagle and the Order of Saint Stanislaus, were sparingly given – few generals received them in earlier years.” [Fragment of the introduction]

The author sketches the history of orders worn by Polish generals in the Napoleonic era, draws us nearer to the history of a given order’s creation, describes in detail its appearance and the material from which it was made, and also provides the names of the generals who received them, the date, and the circumstances surrounding the particular distinction. The text has been enriched with numerous interesting quotes from diaries of that time period, which refer to the events related to the awards of the orders. It also contains two tables with specified badges (including their classes) and the year of record. The first table concerns 58 generals of the Duchy of Warsaw, and the second, 10 Polish generals in the foreign service. In addition, the publication contains an index of names, an extensive bibliography of Polish and foreign literature, and a list of illustrations.

The main illustrator of this colourful volume is the well-known painter Ryszard Morawski. His faithful and precise gouaches perfectly complement the texts respective to the given order.

The book is meant for Polish and foreign readers of English alike. The even pages include an English translation, and the odd pages, the original text in Polish. The publishers were guided by the idea of reaching out to readers all over the world, who are interested in this subject. For the first time, the orders of Polish generals have been written of in our publication The Army of the Duchy of Warsaw. Generals, aides-de-camp, staffs. This book is a comprehensive development of a hitherto little-known matter.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction                                                                               5

NAPOLEON’S ORDERS                                                                 6

Legion of Honour                                                                        6

Royal Order of the Iron Crown                                                    48

Imperial Order of the Reunion                                                     56

Royal Order of the Crown of Westphalia                                        62

Royal Order of the Two Sicilies                                                      66

Royal Order of Spain                                                                     74 

BAVARIAN ORDERS                                                                       80

Order of Saint Hubert                                                                     80

Military Order of Maximilian Joseph                                                  82

Order of the Palatine Lion                                                                86

SAXON ORDER                                                                               94

Royal Saxon Military Order of Saint Henry                                         94 

POLISH ORDERS                                                                            106

Military Order of the Duchy of Warsaw (Virtuti Militari)                       106

Order of the White Eagle                                                                  126

Order of Saint Stanislaus                                                                  140

Orders of Generals of the Duchy of Warsaw – table                             147 

Orders of Generals in the Service of a Foreign Country – table              149 

Abbreviations used in tables                                                               149

Index of name                                                                                   150

Bibliography 

List of illustrations