Roman Sanguszko Prince Roman Stanisław Sanguszko ( 1800 – 1881 ) was a Polish aristocrat , patriot , political and social activist . Roman Sanguszko was born on 6 May 1800 in his family manor in Volhynia . The eldest of his kin , he was the heir of the fortune of the " Kowel " line of the Sanguszko family , one of the richest and most notable Lithuanian families of the epoch . Early in his youth he was forced to join the Russian Imperial Guard , as tsar Alexander I of Russia demanded that all the heirs of aristocratic families be sent to Russian military schools to ensure their families ' loyalty . However , after short service Sanguszko was allowed to return home due to poor health . He then moved to Berlin , where he graduated from the $ 3 . On 14 May 1829 in Warsaw he married Natalia Potocka , a lady of the mighty Potocki family . Soon after giving birth to Maria Klementyna , Natalia died . Despaired Sanguszko decided to join the Capuchin friars , but changed his mind after the outbreak of the November Uprising against Russia . Soon after leaving the convent he joined the Polish Army and served with distinction in several battles , most notably at Lubartów and Zamość . He quickly rose through the ranks and in 1831 he became an adjutant to Gen . Jan Skrzynecki . For his acts of bravery he was awarded with the Virtuti Militari , but in June of that year he was taken prisoner by the Russians . Imprisoned in Kiev , he was tried for high treason , as the court regarded him a citizen of Russia rather than Commonwealth . It was suggested that he might be pardoned should he renounce his loyalty to the Commonwealth leaders of the uprising , but Sanguszko declined and the court sentenced him to loss of noble status , confiscation of all property ( one of the largest fortunes in the region ) and exile to Siberia . To avoid losing most of the property , he subscribed it to his daughter . On 18 December 1831 Sanguszko was compelled to walk the entire way to Siberia ( about 3300 km ) in chains for his part in the insurrection , as was usual at the time . It took him roughly 10 months to reach the area of Tobolsk through Orel , Moscow , Yaroslavl , Nizhny Novgorod , Kazan , Perm and Tumen . Soon after his arrival , he was drafted into the Russian Army and relocated to the Caucasus , where he was forced to fight against Shamil ' s Rebellion , a part of the half - a - century long Caucasian War . Deprived of his rights , he served as a private in the Tengin Regiment . He was wounded in the leg during one of the skirmishes and had an accident with a horse , which resulted in serious loss of hearing . For his bravery , he was again promoted to officer ' s grade and finally in 1845 allowed to return to his manor in Sławuta . He left most of the property of his family in hands of his daughter and instead focused on economical development of Sławuta . Sanguszko started several businesses and with time his land became one of the most industrialized properties in the area . Apart from the textile plant ( with a branch in Tarnów ) , he also founded a sugar plant , paper factory , steel mill and a lumber - mill . He also created a large horse farm specializing in the breeding of racehorses . Finally , he significantly enlarged the manor ' s library . With more than 6000 volumes it was one of the largest such collections in the region . He died on 26 March 1881 and was buried in the crypt of the local St . Dorothy ' s church . His life is the subject of " Prince Roman " ( 1910 ) one of Joseph Conrad ' s short stories .