Stanisław Szeptycki
Stanisław Maria Jan Teofil Szeptycki (3 November 1867 – 9 October 1950) was a Polish count, general and military leader. He was born in Prylbychi, Galicia, then part of Austria-Hungary, into an aristocratic family; his brother Andrey Sheptytsky became a major church figure.
He served in the Austro-Hungarian Army and rose to the rank of colonel. In 1914 he joined the Polish Legions in World War I, leading the Third Brigade and later the entire Legions. After the Oath Crisis he commanded a German-aligned unit, the Polnische Wehrmacht. He also served as governor general of Lublin until February 1918, resigning in protest when Germany handed Chełm and nearby areas to Ukrainians.
In November 1918 he joined Poland’s newly formed armed forces and became Chief of the General Staff, a post he held until March 1919. In the Polish-Soviet War (1919–1921) he commanded the Northeast Front and the 4th Army, and led the Minsk operation in 1919. He clashed with Józef Piłsudski, which cost him his post, and he joined the National Democratic opposition.
From June to December 1923 he was Minister of Military Affairs; during that time he challenged Piłsudski to a duel for a perceived slight, which Piłsudski refused. After Piłsudski’s May 1926 coup, Szeptycki was dismissed from active service. After World War II, from 1945 to 1950, he headed the Polish Red Cross. He died in Korczyna in 1950.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:27 (CET).