Battle of Gdów

Last updated
Battle of Gdów
Part of Kraków Uprising
I WW military cemetery 375 Gdow, Poland.JPG
War Cemetery in Gdów
Date26 February 1846
Location
Result Austrian victory
Belligerents
Polish insurgentsFlag of the Habsburg Monarchy.svg  Austrian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Jakub Suchorzewski Ludwig von Benedek
Strength

380 insurgents

  • 260 infantry
  • 120 cavalry

482 soldiers

  • 327 infantry
  • 155 cavalry
Casualties and losses
154 killed
20 prisoners
Two Austrian cavalrymen taken prisoner briefly [1]
One horse wounded in the leg [2]

The Battle of Gdow (Polish : Bitwa pod Gdowem) took place on February 26, 1846, near Gdow, in the Free City of Krakow. It was the only significant battle of the Krakow Uprising. A rebel unit of 380 men, commanded by Jakub Suchorzewski, was defeated by a 480-strong Austrian Army detachment led by Ludwig von Benedek. The Austrians were supported by approximately 500 local peasants (see Galician slaughter). Rebel losses were estimated at 154 killed, while Austrian losses were minimal.

Contents

Battle of Gdow Painting by Mieczyslaw Watorski in Gdow Town Hall. Battle of Gdow Painting.jpg
Battle of Gdów Painting by Mieczysław Wątorski in Gdów Town Hall.

Background

After the Krakow Uprising began, an Austrian detachment under Colonel Ludwig von Benedek departed from Tarnów toward Krakow. Von Benedek's unit consisted of nearly 500 men, including 330 infantry and 150 cavalry. Along the way, his forces were reinforced by local peasants from villages such as Marszowice, Nieznanowice, and Pierzchów. The peasants were promised a hundredweight of salt and 5 zlotys for each captured rebel.

Battle

Meanwhile, a rebel unit of 380 men, mostly residents of Krakow and local szlachta, under Colonel Jakub Suchorzewski, gathered in Łazany, 8 km southeast of Wieliczka. On the morning of February 26, the insurgents reached Gdów and dispersed throughout the town in search of food. Bolesław Limanowski wrote that Suchorzewski did not expect the Austrians to find him so quickly, which is why he allowed his soldiers to rest. Suchorzewski himself went to a local manor for a meal and was reportedly not even in Gdów during the battle.

The Austrian troops first encountered a few insurgents standing guard at the bridge over the Raba. After exchanging fire, the Poles quickly retreated to the center of Gdów, where they warned the rest of the insurgents about the approaching enemy. Many of the insurgents, drunk and disorganized, fled from the inn and houses, crowding in the town center. Meanwhile, von Benedek launched a flanking maneuver, surrounding a unit of kosynierzy near the cemetery wall. They were then attacked by enraged peasants, and only a few were saved by the Austrians, who intervened too late. [3]

Suchorzewski fled to Dobczyce, taking with him the rebel funds.

Altogether, the rebels suffered 154 casualties, all of whom were buried in three pits at the cemetery. The survivors fled to Krakow, and the next day, the Austrians entered Wieliczka.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wieliczka</span> Town in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland

Wieliczkapronounced[vʲɛˈlʲit͡ʂka] is a historic town in southern Poland, situated within the Kraków metropolitan area in Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999. The town was initially founded in 1290 by Premislaus II of Poland. Nowadays, it is mostly known for the Wieliczka Salt Mine, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, and the historic old town core which was listed as one of National Polish Monuments in 1994. The population in 2023 was estimated at 27,845.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">January Uprising</span> 1863 Polish–Lithuanian revolt in the Russian Empire

The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last insurgents were captured by the Russian forces in 1864.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kraków uprising</span> 1846 attempt at Polish independence

The Kraków uprising of 1846 was an attempt, led by Polish insurgents such as Jan Tyssowski and Edward Dembowski, to incite a fight for national independence. The uprising was centered on the city of Kraków, the capital of a small state of Free City of Krakow. It was directed at the powers that partitioned Poland, in particular the nearby Austrian Empire. The uprising lasted about nine days and ended with an Austrian victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludwig von Benedek</span> Austro-Hungarian general (1804–1881)

Ludwig August Ritter von Benedek, also known as Lajos Benedek, with the Hungarian form of Ludwig, was an Austro-Hungarian general (Feldzeugmeister), best known for commanding the imperial army in 1866 in their defeat at the Battle of Königgrätz against the Prussian Army, which ended his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ostryanyn uprising</span> 1638 Cossack uprising against the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Ostryanyn uprising was a 1638 Cossack uprising against the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was sparked by an act of the Sejm (legislature) passed the same year that declared that non-Registered Cossacks were equal to ordinary peasants in their rights, and hence were subjected to enserfment. The uprising was initially led by Cossack Hetman Yakiv Ostryanyn but was eventually crushed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gdów</span> Village in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland

Gdów is a village in Wieliczka County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Gdów. It lies approximately 14 kilometres (9 mi) south-east of Wieliczka and 26 km (16 mi) south-east of the regional capital Kraków.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galician Peasant Uprising of 1846</span> Uprising of peasants in Galicia

The Galician Peasant Uprising of 1846, also known as the Galician Rabacja, Galician Slaughter, or the Szela uprising, was a two-month uprising of impoverished Austrian Galician[a] peasants that led to the suppression of the szlachta uprising and the massacre of szlachta in Galicia, in the Austrian Partition zone, in early 1846. The uprising, which lasted from February to March, primarily affected the lands around the town of Tarnów.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bavarian uprising of 1705–1706</span>

The Bavarian uprising of 1705–1706 was a revolt against the occupation of the Electorate of Bavaria by the Imperial Army of the Habsburg Monarchy during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). It lasted from early November 1705 to 18 January 1706, approximately 75 days. Henric L. Wuermeling speaks of this as "the first revolution of modern history."

The Srb uprising was a rebellion against the Independent State of Croatia that began on 27 July 1941 in Srb, a village in the region of Lika. The uprising was started by the local population as a response to persecutions of Serbs by the Ustaše and was led by Chetniks and Yugoslav Partisans. It soon spread across Lika and Bosanska Krajina. During the uprising numerous war crimes were committed against local Croat and Muslim population, especially in the area of Kulen Vakuf. As NDH forces lacked the strength to suppress the uprising, the Italian Army, which was not a target of the rebels, expanded its zone of influence to Lika and parts of Bosanska Krajina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uprising in Serbia (1941)</span> Uprising against German occupation forces

The Uprising in Serbia was initiated in July 1941 by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia against the German occupation forces and their Serbian quisling auxiliaries in the Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia. At first the Yugoslav Partisans mounted diversions and sabotage and attacked representatives of Milan Aćimović's quisling administration. In late August some Chetniks joined the uprising and liberated Loznica. The uprising soon reached mass proportions. Partisans and Chetniks captured towns that weak German garrisons had abandoned. The armed uprising soon engulfed great parts of the occupied territory. The largest liberated territory in occupied Europe was created by the Partisans in western Serbia, and was known as the Republic of Užice. Rebels shared power on the liberated territory; the center of the Partisan liberated territory was in Užice, and Chetniks had their headquarters in Ravna Gora.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Buda Zaborowska</span>

The Battle of Buda Zaborowska, one of many skirmishes of the January Uprising, took place on 14 April 1863 near the village of Buda Zaborowska in central part of Russian-controlled Congress Poland. Polish forces under Major Walery Remiszewski clashed with troops of the Imperial Russian Army. The battle resulted in Russian victory.

The Battle of Kobylanka, one of many skirmishes of the January Uprising, took place on May 1 and May 6, 1863, in the Kobylanka Forest, located near the village of Borowiec, which at that time belonged to Russian-controlled Congress Poland. A Polish insurgent party of some 800, under Antoni Jezioranski, clashed here with a 1000-strong unit of the Imperial Russian Army.

The Battle of Fajslawice, one of many clashes of the January Uprising, took place on August 24, 1863, near the village of Fajsławice, which at that time belonged to Russian-controlled Congress Poland. A party of 1,500 Polish insurgents, commanded by Michał Heydenreich, clashed with 2,500 soldiers of the Imperial Russian Army’s Mounted Artillery Division under Colonel Grigoriy Emanov. The battle, which was one of the bloodiest clashes of the uprising, resulted in Russian victory. The insurgents lost 320 killed, 650 captured and 40 wounded, while Russian losses were app. 40 wounded and unknown number killed.

The Peasant rebellion in Podhale (1669–1670) was a rebellion of rural Gorals of the region of Podhale in present day southern Poland and a few villages in present day northern Slovakia against the high taxes imposed on them by the government of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It resulted in the defeat of the rebels and end of the Podhale Republic.

The peasant rebellion of Sorokino, officially called the Kulak Rebellion of Sorokino by the Soviet Russian authorities, was a popular uprising against the Soviet policy of war communism in Altai Krai and Kuzbass in central Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odessa Operation (1919)</span> Military operation

The Odessa operation (1919) or the Odessa landing was a successful amphibious military operation by the White Armed Forces of South Russia against the troops of the Red Army and the Odessa garrison on 20–24 August 1919. The success of the operation would have been impossible without a coordinated anti-Bolshevik insurrection in the city itself. The operation was carried out in the development of the "Moscow directive" of the AFSR.

The battle of Coștangalia was the battle fought on 15 July 1863, near the village of Coștangalia, Romanian United Principalities. It was fought by the Romanian forces, against the Polish rebels marching through territory of Romanian United Principalities, to join the rebels fighting in the January Uprising, in Poland. The battle ended with Polish victory and the retreat of the Romanian forces. Despite the victory, the Polish insurgents capitulated to Romania two days later, on 17 July.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kietlanka</span>

The Battle of Kietlanka was a battle of the January Uprising, fought on 13 May 1863, between the insurrect forces against the forces of the Russian Empire. It was fought near the village of Kietlanka, Poland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kobyłka</span> Battle of the Kościuszko Uprising

The Battle of Kobyłka took place between the Russian Empire's armed forces under the leadership of Suvorov and Polish rebels under Stanisław Mokronowski north-east of Warsaw, on 26 October 1794. It was part of the Kościuszko Uprising and ended with the rebels' defeat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Chlumec nad Cidlinou</span>

Battle of Chlumec nad Cidlinou was a final military engagement between Austrian army and Czech peasant rebels during the peasant revolt of 1775 in Bohemia at 25 and 26 March 1775. Peasants fighting for better conditions of their serf duties of corvée were crushed near the town of Chlumec nad Cidlinou and pushed to the Chlumec pond.

References

  1. Kronika rewolucyi krakowskiej w roku 1846. Nakł. Autora. 1898.
  2. Wasze wpisy O Gdowie, który nigdy nie będzie miastem.
  3. "Rzeź i ranny koń – czyli jedyna bitwa powstania krakowskiego" (in Polish). twojahistoria.pl. Retrieved 6 June 2020.

Sources

See also