Stanisław Szeptycki
| Stanisław Szeptycki | |
|---|---|
|  Count-General Stanisław Szeptycki | |
| Born | 3 November 1867 Prylbychi, Austria-Hungary | 
| Died | 9 October 1950 (aged 82) Korczyna, Poland | 
| Allegiance |  Poland .svg.png) Austria-Hungary | 
| Rank | Lieutenant General | 
| Battles / wars | Russo-Japanese War World War I Polish–Soviet War | 
| Signature |  | 
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Stanisław Maria Jan Teofil Szeptycki[1] (3 November 1867 – 9 October 1950) was a Polish count, general and military commander.
Biography
Born in 1867 in Galicia, Austria-Hungary to the aristocratic Szeptycki family, he was the grandson of Polish playwright Aleksander Fredro, son of the count Jan Kanty Szeptycki and brother of Andrey Sheptytsky, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (Stanisław was a Catholic of the Latin rite, his brother Andrey/Andrzej was also initially of the Latin Rite, but instead followed Greek Catholicism).
Szeptycki joined the Austro-Hungarian Army, where he attained the rank of colonel. In 1914 he joined the Polish Legions, where he became commander of the Third Brigade, and from November 1916 to April 1917 commander of the entire Polish Legions formation. Following the Oath Crisis he commanded the German-aligned Polnische Wehrmacht. Until February 1918 he was Austro-Hungarian governor general of Lublin, but resigned in protest when Germany turned Chełm and the surrounding area over to the Ukrainians. He joined the newly recreated Polish Armed Forces in November 1918 following the country's independence and replaced General Tadeusz Rozwadowski as Chief of the General Staff, a post that he held until March 1919.
During the Polish-Soviet War of 1919–1921, Szeptycki commanded the Polish Northeast Front and the 4th Army. In 1919 he commanded Operation Minsk. He disagreed with the Polish Commander-in-Chief, Józef Piłsudski, which cost him his post, and joined the National Democratic opposition to Piłsudski. From June to December 1923 he was Minister of Military Affairs; during that time he challenged Piłsudski to a duel for a perceived slight (Piłsudski refused the challenge).
After Piłsudski's May 1926 Coup d'État, Szeptycki was dismissed from active service. After World War II, from 1945 to 1950, he headed the Polish Red Cross (Polski Czerwony Krzyż).
He died in Korczyna in 1950.
Promotions
 Leutnant (Second lieutenant) - 1888 Leutnant (Second lieutenant) - 1888
 Oberleutnant (First lieutenant) - 1892 Oberleutnant (First lieutenant) - 1892
 Hauptmann (Captain) - 1900 Hauptmann (Captain) - 1900
 Major (Major) - 1 November 1907 Major (Major) - 1 November 1907
 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant colonel) - 1 May 1911 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant colonel) - 1 May 1911
 Oberts (Colonel) - 1 May 1914 Oberts (Colonel) - 1 May 1914
 Generalmajor (Brigadier general) - 28 April 1917 Generalmajor (Brigadier general) - 28 April 1917
 Generał dywizji (Major general) - 4 November 1918 Generał dywizji (Major general) - 4 November 1918
 Generał broni (Lieutenant general) - 21 April 1920 Generał broni (Lieutenant general) - 21 April 1920
Honours and awards
- Polish:
 Commander's Cross of the Virtuti Militari (1922) Commander's Cross of the Virtuti Militari (1922)
 Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari (1921) Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari (1921)
 Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta (7 November 1925) Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta (7 November 1925)
 Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1921) Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1921)
_4r_BAR.svg.png) Cross of Valour, four times Cross of Valour, four times
_BAR.svg.png) Golden Cross of Merit Golden Cross of Merit
 Commemorative Medal for the War of 1918–1921 Commemorative Medal for the War of 1918–1921
 Medal of the Tenth Anniversary of Regained Independence Medal of the Tenth Anniversary of Regained Independence
 
- Austro-Hungarian:
 Order of the Iron Crown, 2nd Class (1916) Order of the Iron Crown, 2nd Class (1916)
 Order of the Iron Crown, 3rd Class (1905) Order of the Iron Crown, 3rd Class (1905)
 Order of Leopold, 2nd Class (1914) Order of Leopold, 2nd Class (1914)
 Order of Franz Joseph, 1st Class (1918) Order of Franz Joseph, 1st Class (1918)
 Military Merit Cross, 2nd and 3rd Class (1916, 1915) Military Merit Cross, 2nd and 3rd Class (1916, 1915)
 Decoration for Services to the Red Cross Decoration for Services to the Red Cross
 Karl Troop Cross Karl Troop Cross
 1898 Jubilee Medal 1898 Jubilee Medal
_BAR.svg.png) 1908 Jubilee Cross 1908 Jubilee Cross
 
- Other:
 Order of the Crown, 2nd Class (1909, Prussia) Order of the Crown, 2nd Class (1909, Prussia)
 Iron Cross, 2nd Class (Prussia) Iron Cross, 2nd Class (Prussia)
 Military Merit Order, 2nd Class (Württemberg) Military Merit Order, 2nd Class (Württemberg)
 Order of Saint George, 2nd Class (1900, Bavaria) Order of Saint George, 2nd Class (1900, Bavaria)
.svg.png) Military Merit Order, 2nd Class (Bavaria) Military Merit Order, 2nd Class (Bavaria)
 Commander of Legion of Honour (1922, France) Commander of Legion of Honour (1922, France)
 Chevalier of Legion of Honour (1906, France) Chevalier of Legion of Honour (1906, France)
 Order of the Bath, CB (1921, United Kingdom) Order of the Bath, CB (1921, United Kingdom)
 Grand Cross of Order of the Star of Romania (1923, Romania) Grand Cross of Order of the Star of Romania (1923, Romania)
 Grand Cross of Order of St. Sava (1923, Yugoslavia) Grand Cross of Order of St. Sava (1923, Yugoslavia)
 Knight Grand Cross of Order of the Crown of Italy (1923, Kingdom of Italy) Knight Grand Cross of Order of the Crown of Italy (1923, Kingdom of Italy)
 Cross of Liberty, 2nd Class (1922, Estonia) Cross of Liberty, 2nd Class (1922, Estonia)
 Order of Lāčplēsis, 2nd class (1921, Latvia)[2] Order of Lāčplēsis, 2nd class (1921, Latvia)[2]
.svg.png) Order of Saint Stanislaus, 2nd Class (1905, Russian Empire) Order of Saint Stanislaus, 2nd Class (1905, Russian Empire)
 Golden Weapon for Bravery (1908, Russian Empire) Golden Weapon for Bravery (1908, Russian Empire)
 
Further reading
- Andrzej Wojtaszak, General Broni Stanislaw Szeptycki (1867-1950) (University of Szczecin 2000)
References