Wincenty Danilewicz Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Wincenty Danilewicz
Wincenty Danilewicz (Danielewicz) and his daughters, photograph of c. 1850 (Waleria Danilewicz – sitting, Aneta and Julia – standing behind). Source: Masłowski family archive.
Born	1787 (1787) Minsk, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Died	23 March 1878 (1878-03-24) (aged 90) Jędrzejów, Russian Empire
Allegiance	Poland–Lithuania France Duchy of Warsaw
Awards	French Legion of Honour, 1814
Spouse(s)	Franciszka Grunwald (ca 1797-1842)
Other work	secretary of Chancellery of Senat in Congress Poland, chief archivist of heraldric administration of Congress Poland in Warsaw

Ostoja coat of arms

Wincenty Danilewicz (1787 – 1878) was an important person in Polish history. He was a soldier who fought in the Napoleonic Wars, a big conflict led by Napoleon Bonaparte. Later, he worked as a secretary in the government of Congress Poland and as a chief archivist. An archivist is someone who keeps and organizes important historical documents.

A Young Soldier's Life
- Bravery in Battle
Working for the Government
Later Years and Family
Images for kids
See also

A Young Soldier's Life

Wincenty Danilewicz was born in 1787 in a city called Minsk, which was part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth at that time. He was part of a noble family known as Ostoja Danielewicz.

When he was older, Wincenty joined the army. He became a Chevau-léger, which was a type of light cavalry soldier, like a soldier on horseback who could move quickly. He fought in the Napoleonic Wars, which were a series of major wars across Europe.

Bravery in Battle

Wincenty showed great bravery during these wars. He even took part in a battle called the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube in 1814. During this battle, he was wounded, meaning he got hurt.

For his courage and service, Wincenty received two special awards from France. One was the French Legion of Honour, which is a very high award for military or civilian achievements. The other was the Saint Helena Medal, given to soldiers who fought alongside Napoleon.

Working for the Government

After the wars ended in 1815, Wincenty Danilewicz returned home. He started a new career working for the government in Congress Poland. This was a part of Poland that was controlled by Russia after Napoleon's defeat.

He worked as a secretary for the Senat, which was a high-level government council. Later, he became the chief archivist for the heraldry administration in Warsaw. Heraldry is the study of coats of arms and family symbols. So, he was in charge of keeping records of these important family histories. Wincenty retired from his government work in 1844.

Later Years and Family

Later in his life, Wincenty Danilewicz moved to a town called Jędrzejów. He also spent time writing. He wrote three tragedies, which are serious plays, and an opera buffa, which is a type of funny opera.

His great-grandson, Maciej Masłowski, later wrote that Wincenty's will (a legal document about his wishes after death) mentioned thirty volumes of his personal memoirs. These would have been like his diaries or life stories.

Wincenty was married to Franciszka Grunwald. They had a daughter named Waleria Józefa Katarzyna. Waleria married a lawyer named Rajmund Masłowski. Their son, Stanisław Masłowski, became a very famous Polish painter. Wincenty Danilewicz lived to be 90 years old, passing away on March 23, 1878.