From Puławy and Warsaw to Paris – the Emigration Youth of Witold Adam Czartoryski (1831-1844)

Abstract

Witold Adam Czartoryski (1822-1865), descendant of one of the oldest polish aristocratic families, was the firstborn son of prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski, politician, diplomat, an eminent independence activist. For participation in the anti-Russian uprising (1830-1831), Adam Jerzy was sentenced by the tsarist authorities to be decapitated with an ax and had to emigrate with his family to Paris, where he became the founder and leader of the conservative group called the Hotel Lambert. This article reveals the aspects of his youth, which Witold spent in exile and that had influenced on his future as a potential successor to the widely admired and respected father. It exposes the difficulties encountered in connection with its spontaneous nature, the growing interest in everything connected with Poland and the Poles, and the pride resulting from the polish culture. The author allows the reader to observe the complex process of maturation of the young prince to carry out responsibilities in the military, politics and diplomacy. The article also tries to answer the question whether he was well prepared to fight for the freedom of Poland and if he had a predisposition for a worthy successor to his father as the leader of the Hotel Lambert.

The present text is based on manuscripts from the archives of the home Library of the Princes Czartoryski in Cracow.