Stanisław Brzóska

Who was Stanisław Brzóska?

Stanisław Brzóska was a Polish priest, general, one of leaders of the Polish insurgency and the last partisan of the January Uprising. He commanded the Polish detachment in South Podlasie and northern Lesser Poland, defeating the Russians in many skirmishes. He was captured eventually in April 1865, sentenced to death by the Russians and hanged publicly in Sokołów Podlaski in the presence of a crowd of 10,000 people.

Stanislaw was the son of Marceli Brzoska and Karolina née Enskajt. He was born into South Podlasie branch of an ancient Mazovian noble family, which came from the Land of Rozan. His coat of arms was the Nowina.

At the age of seventeen, Brzoska entered Kiev University, where he studied for three years. Brzoska then moved to Janow Podlaski, joining the local Roman - Catholic seminar. On July 25, 1858, he officially became a priest, and soon afterwards, was named a vicar in Sokolow Podlaski, where he remained for three years. In early 1861, Brzoska was transferred to Lukow, where on March 10, 1861, he was arrested by Tsarist authorities for patriotic, pro-Polish sermons. The young priest was sentenced by Russian military court for two years at Zamosc Fortress, but was eventually released after three months.