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Hi, Actually, the situation is more complex than that. The primary purpose of the creation of the Polish Legions was the liberation of Poland. To this end they created a strategic alliance with the French Republic. However, when Napoleon staged his coup, many of the senior Polish commanders saw this as a betrayal of the revolution. When Napoleon avoided further conflict with Russia and Austria - then occupying Poland, they saw this as a further betrayal. Many resigned their commissions, such as General Kniaziewicz, leader of the Danube Legion. It was at this time that Jablonowski stepped as commander of the Danube Legion. As the Polish Legionnaires (both officers and rank and file) saw their long term goal of national liberation slipping over the horizon, they also had to deal with more practical matters: they had not received their pay. Many of them were unaware that they were being sent to the Caribbean until their ships were underway. Jablonowski developed a pro-French position, lobbying for the offer or French citizenship to the Legionnaires and the integration of the Legions into the French Army. This Napoleon did, abolishing the Polish legions as such and giving Jablonowski the sack. Unemployed and newly married, Jablonowski sought a fresh commission in the French Army, requesting Louisiana or Haiti, as that was where there were vacancies. he was no doubt seeking personal advancement as a professional soldier in the French colonies. In fact he was assigned to Haiti in May 1802, before Toussaint Louverture's betrayal and capture by the French. Jablonowski only lasted about six weeks in Haiti before dying of Yellow Fever. The Danube Legion - now known as the 113th Demibrigade of the French Army, did not arrive in Haiti until a month after Jablonowski's arrival. As for his "master", well he was under the command of Dessalines, who was to become the leader of the Haitian struggle against the French following Louverture's removal from the scene. Dessalines was still serving as French General, and was more concerned about getting rid of Charles Belair (a nephew of Toussaint Louverture) and his wife, Sanité Belair,, who were both executed by the French. It was about two weeks after Jablonowski's death that Dessalines re-aligned himself with the rebels he had been fighting so shortly before. We can speculate about how Jablonowski might have aligned himself had he lived and taken command of the Polish troops sent to Haiti. Would he have identified with the "mulattoes", many of whom rallied to Dessalines struggle against the French? Would he have consolidated the Polish forces around a perspective independent of the French? I think perhaps the Haitian Revolution already poses enough complex questions without spending too much time on such speculations, interesting though they maybe. > thanks > we know of the french, english and spanish in the haitian revolution > narratiive > now we can add the polish. some may have turned, but their initial > reason for being in haiti was to quell the revolution > > kwaku > > > On 5 Feb 2013, at 09:49, Wanda Wyporska wrote: > >> Good point Kwaku, but the politics of a Poland which had >> disappeared from the map of Europe was much more complex and as I >> pointed out in a previous email, you may not have seen, most of >> Napoleon's Poles turned sides and realised that the slaves had more >> in common with them, in that they were fighting for freedom. >> Poland's slogan was "For your freedom and ours". >> >> Dr Wanda Wyporska >> Equalities Officer, Association of Teachers and Lecturers >> 7 Northumberland Street, London, WC2N 5RD >> >> E: [log in to unmask] M: 07435 970065 Twitter: @ATLWanda >> www.facebook.com/ATLunion Twitter: @ATLUnion >> ________________________________________ >> From: The Black and Asian Studies Association [[log in to unmask]] >> On Behalf Of Susan Bolton / Jeffrey Green [[log in to unmask] >> ] >> Sent: 05 February 2013 09:47 >> To: [log in to unmask] >> Subject: Re: Diversity: Jabłonowski Mickiewicz's famous epic >> poem >> >> Fabian seems to have made a simple slip. Polish is said to be the >> 2nd language of England. Welsh speakers are more numerous than >> Polish speakers in "England and Wales"; and the survey seemed to >> ignore Scotland etc. >> >> Not that important but.... >> >> Jeff >> >> >> ======================================== >> Message Received: Feb 04 2013, 04:19 PM >> From: "BBM/BMC" >> To: [log in to unmask] >> Cc: >> Subject: Re: Diversity: Jabłonowski Mickiewicz's famous epic poem >> >> thanks for this >> >> >> what struck me was this line from Mickiewicz's poem: Polish general >> smites the negroes, but sighs for his native >> soil[<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_Franciszek_Jab%C5%82onowski#cite_note-3 >> > >> >> >> it reminded me of harriet tubman's quote: (I) could have freed >> thousands more, if they had known they were... if jabloonowski >> really knew he was african, would he really have asked for transfer >> to haiti, where he tried to put down the revolution by smiting the >> africans? or perhaps he needed to prove his loyalty to master.... >> >> >> kwaku >> >> >> On 2 Feb 2013, at 15:55, Fabian Tompsett wrote: >> >> >> Hi all, >> >> I think the meeting last night was very productive, and it left me >> thinking about diversity. >> >> Bearing in mind the recently published information that Polish is >> now the >> second most prolific mother tongue in the UK, I started to do some >> work on >> Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski, a polish aristocrat with >> an english mother and an African father. His mother's husband >> accepted him >> as his son, and he became a general in the French Army. He >> volunteered to >> go to Haiti, where he died of Yellow Fever. >> >> One curious facet of his story is that he is featured in Adam >> Mickiewicz's famous epic poem Pan Tadeusz, where he is described as >> visiting the land of pepper and sugar (Haiti) and smiting the >> negroes (to >> use the language of translator George Noyes). No mention is made of >> his >> African paternity! >> >> So, aside from responding to the latest machinations of the >> government, I >> feel we should also be responsive to the changing ethnic make up of >> the >> population. >> >> Anyway for more details see: >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_Franciszek_Jab%C5%82onowski >> >> all the best >> >> Fabian >> >> >> -------------------------------------------- >> Moved house? 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