the daughter of a count, descended from the famous Pliaterii family, in 1831 a participant in the uprising, the captain of the rebel military forces, is called the Lithuanian Joan of Arc, and is also considered a national hero in Poland and Belarus.The first child of Count Francis Xavier Broel-Pliater and Ona Pliaterienė (Ana von Mol). The parents belonged to the elite layer of the Lithuanian aristocracy, but they rarely found a common language with each other and when Emilija was 9 years old, they divorced.
Mother and daughter in 1815. moved to live with his relatives - the estate of Count, engineer-major, later Governor of Vilnius Mykolas Pliateri-Zyberg and aunt Izabela Helena von Zyberg in Lyksna, near Daugavpils. This cultured, educated family owned dozens of estates on both banks of the Daugava River. About 15,000 serfs worked on the estates.
For Emilija's education, a gymnasium teacher, Wolff, was appointed, later a nobleman from the Saxon landowners, restorer of the Daugavpils fortress, military engineer, captain, Baron Wilhelm von Dalvig. He taught mathematics and history, which E. Pliaterytė was very interested in. He got acquainted with the manor archive, admired the characters of Adam Mickevičius - the Lithuanian women Živil, Gražina, the French Joan of Arc, the hero of the Greek nation Babolina. Early on, he learned how to handle a weapon, shoot and fence, and in shooting exercises he surpassed many famous shooters. She was an excellent horsewoman, she liked to go on long trips on horseback. She was accompanied by her cousins Liudvik and Kazimier Bartolomiej from Lyksnik and Cezaris and Vladislaus from Duset.
The owners of the manor belonged to that circle of landowners who took care of their subjects and did not prevent their children from communicating with the children of the peasants. Emilija often visited the villagers, taught the peasant children Polish and French, and maybe she also knew Lithuanian. It shaped her views and character. When the commandant of Daugavpils fortress, General Michail Kablukovs, who often visited the estate, asked for Emilia's hand in marriage, she replied that it was impossible, because the general was a citizen of the state that had rudely mentioned Lithuania's freedom
in 1829 together with her mother, she visited Warsaw and Krakow, from conversations with her relative Ludviks Pliaterius, Emilija learned that an uprising was brewing in Poland. in 1830 after the death of her mother, she fell ill with depression, tried to get closer to her father, but was rejected by her father and joined the organization of the uprising. Began to study war tactics and explore the area with the trusted residents of the Lyksna area. Established relationships with reliable people in other neighborhoods. Just before the beginning of the uprising, he went to Vilnius to negotiate with the Supreme Committee of the rebels, but the members of the committee did not want to discuss military matters with the girl.
When the corps led by General Antanas Gelgaudas arrived in Lithuania, the rebel army was reorganized. Emilija was assigned to the 25th infantry (1st Lithuanian) regiment. General P. Chlapovskis gave her the rank of captain.
After the unsuccessful battles of General A. Gelgaudas in Paneriai on June 19. the rebel army began to retreat to Žemaitija.The 1st infantry regiment, led by Major Stanislovas Macevičius, was preparing for the defense of Kaunas. Emilia is assigned to lead the 1st company of this regiment. However, the forces were unequal, the rebels in Kaunas were unable to resist longer and on June 28. the Russians occupied the city. E. Pliaterytė was almost captured by the Russians. As the horse rode through the narrow gate, the Countess's clothes caught on the barrier. Emilia fell off her horse. Noticing this, the Cossacks attacked, but the commander of the regiment came to the rescue and put her on a horse.
Emilija Pliaterytė near Šiauliai (art. Wojciech Kossak)The rebels retreated to Raseinius, and on July 8. participated in an extremely persistent battle for Šiauliai. The battle lasted more than 10 hours. The city changed hands several times. The 1st Infantry Regiment was tasked with escorting the insurgents' gurgle, which contained food supplies, gunpowder, and ammunition. A regiment of Russian Cossacks and 3 squadrons of Ulons with 2 cannons attacked the rebels. A heavy battle ensued in which about 300 rebels were killed. Emilia led some of the gurgle to safety with skillful guidance.
July 9 at the meeting of the military council, it was decided to retreat to the Prussian border and be interned there, but Emilija Pliaterytė declared that she would fight for the Motherland as long as she lived. Some of the other Lithuanian rebels did the same: E. Stanevičius, Julius Gruževskis, Cezaris Pliateris.Together with Marija Rašanavičiūtė and cousin Emilija, they tried to reach Warsaw through Užnemunė and continue the fight there. They walked through the forests hiding, mostly at night, suffering from hunger, thirst, and fatigue. In the end, Emilia's strength left her completely, wounds opened on her legs. She still tried to walk, but passed out while walking. Caesar and Mary carried Emilia to the pilgrim's hut. They turned to the nearest landlord, Ignotas Ablamavičius, asking them to shelter the patient under the strange surname of Ščevinskaitė. He was also a patriot and accepted the Countess to his Justinavas manor (now Vainežeris village) near Kapčiamiestis.
After resting, Caesar and Mary headed towards Warsaw. Under the guardianship and care of her parents, Emilia did not recover, but when she learned about the final defeat of the rebellion, she relapsed and the disease returned. The exhausted body was unable to withstand the disease.
