Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski
Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Julia Grodzicka, published 1841–46 | |
| Nickname(s) | Murzynek |
| Born | 25 October 1769 Gdańsk, Poland |
| Died | 29 September 1802 (aged 32) Jérémie, Haiti |
| Allegiance | |
| Years of service | 1786–1802 |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Battles / wars | |
Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski (25 October 1769 – 29 September 1802) was a Polish military officer who served in the French Revolutionary Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He is the first known Polish general of African descent.
After joining the French army, he died of yellow fever in 1802 in Saint-Domingue, after being sent there as part of the Saint-Domingue expedition, which saw Polish troops fighting alongside the French to restore slavery in the colony. After the French and Polish suffered heavily from yellow fever, they withdrew their surviving forces from Saint-Domingue.
Some of Polish soldiers sent to Saint-Domingue deserted and joined the Haitian rebels in their quest for independence, and about 400 settled on the island after the war. They were granted full citizenship by Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who led the country.