Skip to main content

Primary sourceDocument21 May 1794

Proclamation to the Citizens of Poland and Lithuania

Tadeusz Kościuszko · 21 May 1794

Kościuszko's own Polish-language proclamation of 21 May 1794, calling citizens to join the national uprising he led as Supreme Commander.

This is Kościuszko's own proclamation issued as Supreme Commander, addressed to the Polish and Lithuanian nation during his uprising.

Ask Tadeusz Kościuszko about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Source: Wikisource

About this source

What it is

This is a printed proclamation written by Tadeusz Kościuszko on 21 May 1794, shortly after he became Supreme Commander of the Polish-Lithuanian uprising against Russian and Prussian control. It is addressed directly to the citizens of Poland and Lithuania.

Why it matters

The document shows Kościuszko explaining his choices in forming the National Council, appealing to citizens' trust and shared cause. It reveals how he tried to build legitimacy for the uprising by presenting himself as chosen by the people and accountable to them.

  • What words does Kościuszko use to describe trust between himself and the citizens?
  • Why might he have wanted to justify his choice of Council members so carefully?
  • What does this proclamation suggest about the political situation in Poland in 1794?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Tadeusz Kościuszko on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Tadeusz Kościuszko sources

Meet the AI Tadeusz Kościuszko →
Printed broadside proclamation headed 'RADA NAYWYZSZA NARODOWA' with the name Tadeusz Kosciuszko in large capitals, dated Warsaw 30 Maja 1794, in Polish, printed in two columns on aged paper with a signature and seal mark at the bottom.Document

Primary source

Proclamation of Połaniec

Tadeusz Kościuszko · 7 May 1794 (this printing 30 May 1794)

Oil painting of a young man with curly brown hair in a dark coat and white cravat, reclining on a green day bed with one hand raised to his head. Red curtains frame a window showing a domed building. A desk with papers and an inkstand is at left, and a red book and letters lie on the bed.Painting

Primary source

General Thaddeus Kosciusko

Benjamin West · 1797

Oil painting of a man with dark, tousled hair in a dark coat over a blue sash, with a white collar and black cravat, looking toward the viewer against a grey-brown background.Painting

Primary source

Portrait of Tadeusz Kościuszko

Józef Grassi · c. 1792

Stone wall ruins of Fort Putnam at West Point with black cannons mounted on a stone parapet, a wooded mountain range under a hazy sky behind, and metal railings in the foreground.Artifact

Primary source

Fort Putnam

1778

Handwritten manuscript page in Polish, dark ink on aged paper, with an ornate title reading 'Ustawa Rządowa' and the opening invocation 'W Imię Boga w Trójcy Świętey Jedynego', followed by a list of royal titles and body text in cursive. A handwritten date notation appears at top right.Document

Primary source

Constitution of May 3, 1791

3 May 1791

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Tadeusz Kościuszko now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions