Konstanty Kalinowski

Kastus Kalinouski ( [ Kastus kalinɔwski ]; born as Konstanty Kalinowski Wincenty; . * 21 Januarjul / February 2 1838greg in Mostowlany in Grodno, .. . † 10 Märzjul / March 22 1864greg in Vilnius ) was a Polish nobleman and a the leaders of the Belarusian national liberation movement in the mid- 19th century, leader of the January Uprising of 1863-64 in the area of ​​the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania, as well as a writer and poet.

Life

Kalinouski finished his studies in 1860 at the University of Saint Petersburg as a Doctor of Law. In 1861 he returned to Belarus, but could, as he was " politically unreliable " was considered, can not find work. During this time, he created jointly with others democratically oriented revolutionary organization.

In particular, in the region called Grodno Kalinouski active in the struggle against autocracy and serfdom. From 1862 to early 1863, he was with his friend Valery Antoni Wroblewski and the Belarusian poet Feliks Raschanski in Belarus legendary has become the magazine " Мужыцкая праўда " (engl. " The Farmer truth "), which was issued illegally and revolutionary-democratic views represented. Although published by this journal only 7 issues, they had a decisive influence on the development of a national liberation movement and thus also for the January Uprising. Kalinouski was the author of most of the articles, but also editor of the magazine.

In January 1864 he was arrested and executed in March of the same year in Vilnius.

Work

During his detention Kalinouski wrote down his political- ideological legacy. These texts could be smuggled out of the prison and went under the title " Лісты з - пад шыбеніцы " (Eng.: letters from under the gallows ) in the Belarusian culture history.

In his work Kalinouski described the very difficult social situation of Belarusian peasants and drew attention to the injustice of serfdom. Kalinouski sat down to build a completely new state order one, in independence from the Russian Empire; while he went out from the principle that justice and prosperity could be produced only by the complete liberation of the people. Kalinouski also underlined the importance that (here in the at that time banned in Czarist White Russian ) approached an education, but also a higher education in the mother tongue for the reconstruction of society, just as he wanted.