Nils von Schoultz

Nils Gustaw Urlic von Schoultz, also Mikołaj Gustaw Szulc (born on October 6 or 7, 1807 in Kuopio, died December 8, 1838 in Fort Henry, now Kingston, Ontario), Finnish participant in the Canadian uprising in 1838, who claimed to be a Pole, hero of the Canadian Polonia.

He was the son of a Finnish official Nils Fridrik and Joanna Grinpenberg; the family later moved to Sweden. In 1821 he graduated from the military academy in Kalberg and served in the Swedish royal army, reaching 1830 to the rank of officer in the artillery. In 1830, he said goodbye to military service in Sweden in unknown circumstances. Then, according to his own memories, he fought in the November Uprising and spent some time in Russian captivity, and after escaping from captivity served in the ranks of the Foreign Legion in North Africa.

In 1832 he was in Florence, where he married Scottish Ann Campbell. Two daughters were born from this marriage. With his wife he returned to Sweden, where he bought a mill and founded a chemical laboratory in which he conducted experiments on obtaining a red dye. In June 1836 he went to England and two months later to the USA.

In the US, he was a Polish emigrant. He enriched himself with one of his inventions (improving the production of salt from brine), settled in Salina (now Syracuse, New York), and accepted American citizenship. He was active in the American Hunter's Lodges, engaging in the support for the founding of Canadian William Lyon Mackenzie and Louis-Joseph Papineau against the British North American authorities. Schoultz took part in an intervention expedition in Upper Canada, taking over its command over time. During the skirmishing he commanded Windmill Point windmill buildings (October 11-16, 1838). Schoultz's unit (about 200 people) was defeated and disarmed by British troops and Canadian militia, and he and other commanders were brought to justice. The defender was John Macdonald, the future prime minister of Canada, but despite his efforts, nine death sentences were passed. December 8, 1838, Schoultz was hanged.

Initially, Schoultz's person was condemned by the Polish emigration, who recognized him as a tsarist spy. With time, this opinion changed, and Schoultz even gained the status of a legend of Polish emigration in Canada, confirmed in historical and beautiful literature (including by Arkady Fiedler, Canada smelling of resin). On the 100th anniversary of the battle for the windmill on July 1, 1938, anniversary celebrations were held at Windmill Point, with the participation of Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and Polish Consul General in Ottawa, Jan Pawlica; a commemorative plaque was unveiled in memory of Schoultz and two Poles, participants of the November Uprising, also executed for participating in the 1838 rebellion (Ernest Berenda and Jan Okoński).

More recent studies by historians ruled out the Polish origin of Schoultz, which was met with a reluctant acceptance of Polish writers, including W. Makowski.

Schoultz's name was also recorded in the following forms: Scholtecki von Schoulc, Schobtewski, Szobtewski, Schobtewiski, Szablewski-Szulc, Szolteocky, Szoltewicki, Sezoltevki, Nils Scholtewskii von Schoultz, Schoultz-Szoltewski. Bibliography Authoritative control (person):

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