Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kosciuszko (1746 – 1817) was a Polish, Belarusian and Lithuanian national hero, general, and leader of the Kosciuszko Uprising (1794) against the Russian Empire. It was a failed attempt to liberate Poland and Lithuania of Russian influence after the Second Partition of Poland (1793) and the creation of the Confederation of Targowica.

Poland (1982) 500 Zlotych (front) - Portrait of Tadeusz Kosciuszko

On May 7, 1794, Kosciuszko issued an act that became known as the "Proclamation of Polaniec", in which he partially abolished the serfdom in Poland, granted civil liberty to all peasants and provided them with state help against the abuses by the nobility. Although the new law never fully came into being and was boycotted by much of the nobility, it also attracted many peasants to the ranks of the revolutionists. It was the first time in Polish history when the peasants were officially regarded as part of the nation, the word being previously equal to nobility.

The effect of the Kosciuszko Uprising was a complete disaster for Poland. The country ceased to exist for 123 years and all of its institutions were gradually banned by the partitioning powers. However, the uprising also marked the start of modern political thought in Poland and Central Europe. Kosciuszko's Proclamation of Połaniec and the radical leftist Jacobins started the Polish leftist movement. Many prominent Polish politicians who were active during the uprising became the backbone of Polish politics, both home and abroad, in the 19th century.

In Poland, every major town has a street or a square named after Kosciuszko. Also, between 1820 and 1823 the citizens of Krakow erected the Kosciuszko Mound to commemorate the leader.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tadeusz Kosciuszko"