Who was Jan Henryk Dąbrowski?

A Polish general (1755 to 1818) who founded the Polish Legions in Italy in 1797 and is named in the Polish national anthem.

Why is Dąbrowski in the Polish anthem?

The anthem began as a marching song of his Legions in Italy, written by Józef Wybicki in 1797, with the refrain "March, march, Dąbrowski".

What were the Polish Legions in Italy?

Polish units formed in 1797 to fight alongside revolutionary France, in the hope of eventually liberating Poland.

When did Dąbrowski's Mazurka become the anthem?

It became Poland's official national anthem in 1927.

Did Dąbrowski fight in the Kościuszko Uprising?

Yes. In 1794 he fought in the defence of Warsaw and led a raid into Greater Poland that captured Bydgoszcz.

Jan Henryk Dąbrowski: the general of Poland's anthem

Every Pole knows his name, because they sing it. When Poland disappeared from the map in 1795, Jan Henryk Dąbrowski raised Polish Legions in Italy to fight beside Napoleon, and the song his soldiers sang, with its refrain "March, march, Dąbrowski", became the national anthem.

From Saxony to the Uprising

Born in 1755, Dąbrowski began his career in the army of Saxony¹ before joining the army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1792². In the Kościuszko Uprising of 1794 he fought in the defence of Warsaw¹ and led a raid into Greater Poland that captured Bydgoszcz³.

The Legions in Italy

After the third partition wiped Poland off the map in 1795, Dąbrowski turned to revolutionary France. In January 1797 he signed an agreement to form Polish Legions² in the service of the Lombard Republic, allied to Napoleon. Thousands of Polish exiles and former prisoners joined, hoping to march home one day with their weapons.

Painting of General Dąbrowski on a white horse entering Rome with Polish legionaries — General Dąbrowski rides into Rome at the head of the Polish Legions, as painted by January Suchodolski in the 1850s (National Museum in Warsaw). Public domain

The anthem

In July 1797, in Reggio Emilia, Józef Wybicki wrote a song for the Legions⁴ that began "Poland is not yet lost, while we live". Its refrain, "March, march, Dąbrowski, from Italy to Poland", made the general's name immortal, and in 1927 Dąbrowski's Mazurka became Poland's official national anthem⁴.

Oval engraved portrait of Józef Wybicki in a high collar — Józef Wybicki, who wrote the song of the Legions in 1797, in a stipple engraving by Friedrich Wilhelm Nettling published in 1805. Public domain

Napoleon's wars

The Legions fought across Italy, and some were sent to Saint-Domingue, where many died. Dąbrowski later raised troops in the Greater Poland uprising of 1806, helped build the army of the Duchy of Warsaw⁵ and fought in the Russian campaign of 1812, where he was wounded at the Berezina¹.

Painting of soldiers, horses and wagons crowding a river crossing in winter — The crossing of the Berezina in November 1812, where Dąbrowski was wounded, painted by January Suchodolski around 1859 (National Museum in Poznań). Public domain

Legacy

Dąbrowski died in 1818 at his estate at Winna Góra⁶. His Legions kept alive the idea that Poland could rise again, and every time the anthem is sung, his name is heard with it.

Sources and notes

Numbered notes in the text point to the works below.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Jan Henryk Dąbrowski” ↩ a b c
dzieje.pl (Muzeum Historii Polski), “Jan Henryk Dąbrowski (1755-1818)” ↩ a b
Jan Pachoński, Generał Jan Henryk Dąbrowski 1755-1818 (Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej, 1981). ↩
dzieje.pl (Muzeum Historii Polski), “Mazurek Dąbrowskiego” ↩ a b
Adam Skałkowski, Dąbrowski Jan Henryk (1755-1818), in: Polski Słownik Biograficzny, vol. 5 (Polska Akademia Umiejętności, 1939-1946). ↩
Fondation Napoléon (napoleon.org), “Dombrowski, Jan Henryk” ↩
Wikipedia, “Jan Henryk Dąbrowski”
Wikipedia, “Jan Henryk Dąbrowski”