Born in the south of today’s Belarus, he led an uprising in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, aided the USA in its fight for independence, and was awarded honorary French citizenship. This is all about the same person. On the anniversary of the day Tadevush Kastsiushka was born, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s team shares interesting facts about Belarus’ national hero that you may not be aware of.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Tadevush Kastsiushka was a man of incredible magnitude, a man of ideals and principles. He more than just dreamed of equality and freedom – he fought for them. Like us, his descendants, Kastsiushka’s heart longed for freedom and independence for his country”.
Preferred studies to amusements
In the Corps of Cadets in Warsaw, Tadevush led a Spartan lifestyle, dedicating himself to diligent study instead of secular amusements. For this, fellow students gave him the nickname “Swede” because the young man resembled the Swedish King Charles XII, known for his asceticism and full dedication to military affairs.
Sacrificed American Dream to fight for freedom
In 1783, after the USA won the War of Independence, Kastsiushka received American citizenship, a life pension, land, and the rank of brigadier general. However, despite being able to live a comfortable life in the USA, he returned to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where in 1794 he led the uprising against the Russian Empire and Prussia.
Stood for equality
Kastsiushka criticized the Constitution of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth adopted on May 3, 1791, for preserving the monarchy and not addressing the issues of peasants and Jews. Even in those distant times, freedom for all groups of society was the greatest value for Kastsiushka.
During the uprising in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, he was one of the first to address women. He also referred to peasants as “Citizens!” – which was unusual and progressive at that time.
Knew many prominent people
Throughout his life, Kastsiushka met with many famous historical figures. He dined with George Washington and Thomas Jefferson but had disagreements with Napoleon, whom he even once called the “gravedigger of the French Revolution”.
Was a coffee enthusiast
Kastsiushka loved coffee. He drank it several times a day, roasted it himself, and knew many ways to prepare the drink. In the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, after the defeat of the Kastsiushka Uprising, cups with his portrait were very popular among local patriots. The thing was that coffee served as a kind of password for patriots, a symbol of supporters of reforms. And for Kastsiushka himself, coffee had the taste of freedom – Tadevush discovered this drink when he served in the American army during the war that eventually brought independence to the USA.
