# Polish Legions in Italy (1797)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1797-polish-legions-in-italy
Location: Italy
Categories: battle

General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski formed Polish legions in Napoleonic Italy, recruited largely from Austrian army prisoners. They hoped to fight their way back to a restored Poland. Within the broader Napoleonic & Congress Poland period: Poles fought beside Napoleon in hope of restoring their state, gaining the Duchy of Warsaw. After 1815 the Congress Kingdom of Poland enjoyed a constitution under the Russian tsar until the November Uprising. At this point in the timeline (1797), the governing authority was Partitioning powers (Prussia, Austria and Russia). After 1795 the former Polish lands were ruled directly by the Kingdom of Prussia, the Habsburg Monarchy and the Russian Empire. Polish Legions in Italy mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Polish Legions in Italy mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed.

Ruler at the time: [Partitioning powers](https://poland-history.com/rulers/partitioning-powers)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Polish Legions (Napoleonic era)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Legions_(Napoleonic_era))
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Polish Legions in Italy](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Polish+Legions+in+Italy)
- [Wikipedia — Congress Poland (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_Poland)