Walerian Łukasiński

In Congress Poland, a puppet state[1][2] of the Russian Empire, ruled by the Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia, the Polish army's morale was low.

Łukasiński, who reached the rank of a major in the 4th Regiment of Line Infantry, created a secret organization known as National Freemasonry (Wolnomularstwo Narodowe),[3] which existed from 1819 to 1820 and successfully raised morale.

In 1820 he formally disbanded National Freemasonry and replaced it by another secret organization, Patriotic Society (Towarzystwo Patriotyczne).

After the November Uprising, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia became convinced that Łukasiński was one of the main activists of the Polish underground and he was moved to a secure facility in Warsaw.

One of the few people who, at that time, managed to communicate with Łukasiński, was Russian revolutionary Mikhail Bakunin, who was also imprisoned in Shlisselburg for several years.