Virtuti Militari - Congress Poland

Congress Poland

In 1815 at the Congress of Vienna, when European powers reorganised Europe following the Napoleonic wars, the Kingdom of Poland -- known unofficially as the "Congress Poland" -- was created. This state, with a tenth the area of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and a fifth of its population, was now tied to Russia in a personal union. In Congress Poland, the Virtuti Militari medal was renamed the "Polish Military Medal" (Medal Wojskowy Polski). Both the statutes of Virtuti Militari and privileges granted to recipients were preserved. A special commission was created to award the Virtuti Militari to veterans of the Napoleonic campaigns of 1812, 1813, and 1814. By 1820, an additional 1,213 crosses of all classes had been awarded. Also, on June 5, 1817, a royal decree ennobled all officers who received the Golden Cross.

At the time, the Kingdom of Poland was one of the few constitutional monarchies in Europe, with the Tsar of the Russian Empire as Polish king. The country was given one of the most liberal constitutions in nineteenth-century Europe, although it was very different from the Polish Constitution of May 3rd of the late Commonwealth. The Polish desire for freedom and respect for traditional privileges was a source of constant friction between the Poles and the Russians. The main problem was that the tsars, who had absolute power in Russia, similarly wanted no restrictions on their rule in Poland. Nicholas I of Russia decided in 1825 not to be crowned king of Poland, and he continued to limit Polish liberties. In response to repeated curtailment of Polish constitutional rights, the Polish parliament in 1830 deposed the Tsar as King of Poland. When the resultant November Uprising broke out, the Tsar reacted by sending in Russian troops.

After the outbreak of this uprising against Russia, the Polish Sejm decreed on February 19, 1831, that the decoration be restored to its original name, the "Order Virtuti Militari." Between March 3 and October of the same year, 3,863 crosses were awarded. Recipients of the Silver Cross included three women:

• head surgeon of the 10th Line Infantry Regiment, Józefa Kluczycka;
• surgeon's assistant in the 10th Line Infantry Regiment, Józefa Daniel Rostowska née Mazurkiewicz; and
• cadet in the 1st "Augustów" Cavalry Regiment, Bronisława Czarnowska.

After the defeat of the uprising, Tsar Nicholas I abolished the decoration and banned its use. On December 31, 1831, it was replaced with the "Polish Sign of Honor" (Polski Znak Honorowy), an exact copy of the original cross but awarded only to Russians for services to the Tsarist authorities.