He came from a Lithuanian princely family. His father was Józef Giedroyć, starosta of Bernatowszczyzna [be], his mother was Józefa Kiełpsz. He was born on 7 February 1750 in Babtinas [lt].
From June to August, he commanded the Samogitian Division's right wing.[2] Together with Tomasz Wawrzecki, they took over Liepāja.[3] In July, Giedroyć took over Salistrovski's command of a corps, and on July 3, fought with the Imperial Russian Army near Pušalotas.[3] A week later, on July 10, the Russians attacked him once more.[3] After a fortnight and a few more days, on July 28, Giedraitis won a battle near Vaiškai.[3][5] On July 29, he won the Battle of Saločiai 1794.[2][4] In the battle, he dealt a heavy defeat to the stronger Russian unit of Lieutenant General Sergei Fedorovich Golitsyn [ru].[7] Thanks to this victory, southern Courland came under the control of the insurrectionary forces.[7]Tadeusz Kościuszko promoted him to the rank of Lieutenant general.[4] Moreover, Kościuszko gave Giedroyć the permission to raise a regiment named Sałaty.[4] Following the victorious fight on July 29, he went towards Johaniszkiele.[3]
On 8 September 1794, he took over the command of the Lithuanian army in the Kościuszko Uprising from Antoni Chlewiński.[3] At the time, he marched to Orany.[3] From there, he retreated towards the Kingdom of Poland.[3] On November 3, near Stara Wieś, he joined Jan Henryk Dąbrowski.[3] At the time, Romuald Giedroyć had 2,000 infantrymen, 700 cavalrymen and 17 cannons under his command.[3] On November 4, already after the battle of Praga, he was recalled to Warsaw.[3] However, on November 5, he stopped near Tarczyn, and received Wawrzecki on November 10, who was retreating from Warsaw.[3] After his soldiers began dispersing, Giedroyć and others surrendered to the Russians at Radoszyce, being the last of the rebels to surrender.[3]
From 1795 to 1812
After the uprising's defeat, he emigrated to Paris.[3][4] He went there together with Tadeusz Mostowski, both being part of the Polish Deputation [pl], committee that sought the support of the French government.[4][8] In Paris, Giedroyć acquainted with Josephine Beauharnais.[3] Quickly thereafter, he came back to Lithuania.[3] In February 1796, he was sent by the aforementioned committee to Lithuania in order to encourage the insurrectionary spirit.[4] He first stopped in Dresden, but, seeing no way of being useful to the cause of independence, he retired to his lands, where he lived until 1812.[4] Nevertheless, In 1797, he was involved in the Ciecierski conspiracy.[3] In fact, he was a founder of a secret patriotic organization in Lithuania in 1797.[9]
Napoleon's Invasion of Russia
During French invasion of Russia in 1812, the day after Napoleon entered Vilnius, on 29 June 1812, an act of renewal of the Polish-Lithuanian Union was proclaimed at Vilnius Cathedral on the initiative of university students. In the following days, this act was signed by several thousand people, and the signatures were collected at the home of Romuald Giedroyć.[10] Later he was made Chairman of the Military Committee of the Lithuanian Provisional Governing Commission.[2] He was also the Inspector General of the Lithuanian regiments and Pospolite ruszenie formed for Napoleon's army.[2][3][9][11]
On 31 August 1812, General Van Hogendorp appointed him commander of the emerging Lithuanian military units.
War of the Sixth Coalition
During Napoleon's retreat, Giedroyć crossed the Nemunas and the Vistula.[3] On 12–13 February 1813, the Lithuanian cavalry division, which included the 17th Lithuanian Uhlan Regiment, led by him was surprised and defeated by Russian vanguard of Cossacks under general Chernyshev near Sieraków.[2][12] He was wounded during his capture.[12] He was captured by the Russians and imprisoned in Arkhangelsk until 1815.[2][3][4] He was amnestied by Alexander I of Russia.[3]
Romuald Giedroyć married Karolina Anna Borzymowska (1766-1858), their children were:[13]
Ludwik Jerzy (born 1785)
Stefan Józef Franciszek Ksawery Giedroyć (1787-1855), Colonel of the French Army (1808-1815), fought in the Battle of Waterloo. He received French citizenship in 1835, as Joseph Étienne François Xavier, prince Giedroyc.[14] He married Franciszka Szymańska in 1821.
Ivinskis, Zenonas; Biržiška, Vaclovas (1956). "Romualdas Giedraitis". Lietuvių Enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Vol. 7. United States of America.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Mościcki, Henryk (1958). "Romuald Tadeusz Giedroyć". Polski Słownik Biograficzny (in Polish). Vol. 7. Wrocław. pp. 432–433.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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