Edward Śmigły-Rydz
Edward Śmigły-Rydz | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, c. 1939 | |
| General Inspector of the Armed Forces | |
| In office 12 May 1935 – 7 November 1939 | |
| President | Ignacy Mościcki |
| Preceded by | Józef Piłsudski |
| Succeeded by | Władysław Sikorski |
| Successor of the President of Poland | |
| In office 1 September 1939 – 25 September 1939 | |
| Appointed by | Ignacy Mościcki |
| Succeeded by | Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Rydz 11 March 1886 |
| Died | 2 December 1941 (aged 55) |
| Domestic partner | Marta Thomas-Zaleska |
| Signature | |
| Nickname(s) | Śmigły, Tarłowski, Adam Zawisza |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Austria-Hungary Poland |
| Branch/service | |
| Years of service |
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| Rank |
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| Commands | C-i-C of the Polish Armed Forces |
| Battles/wars | |
Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz [ˈɛdvard ˈɕmiɡɫɨ rɨdz] ⓘ also Edward Rydz-Śmigły, (11 March 1886 – 2 December 1941) was a Polish politician, statesman, Marshal of Poland and Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces, as well as a painter and poet.
Born in 1886 and orphaned at age 13, Śmigły-Rydz was raised by his maternal grandparents. He graduated with distinctions from the local Gymnasium. He completed his studies in Philosophy and Art History at the Jagiellonian University.
During the interwar period, he was an exceptionally admired public figure in Poland and was regarded as a hero for his exemplary record as an army commander in the Polish Legions of World War I and the ensuing Polish–Soviet War in 1920. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief and Inspector General of the Polish Armed Forces following Marshal Józef Piłsudski's death in 1935. Rydz served in this capacity at the start of World War II during the invasion of Poland.
When war loomed, political differences fell away and defense became the national priority. Consequently, Rydz's stature eclipsed even that of the president. The shock of the Polish defeat made objective evaluations of his legacy during and after the war difficult; his reputation, very much tied to the critical early months of World War II, remains tendentious and controversial.