Żeligowski ' s Mutiny Żeligowski ' s Mutiny ( also " żeligiada " , ) was a Polish military operation led by General Lucjan Żeligowski in October 1920 , which resulted in the creation of the short - lived Republic of Central Lithuania . Polish Chief of State Józef Piłsudski had surreptitiously ordered Żeligowski to carry out the operation , and revealed the truth several years later . This operation paved the way for the Polish annexation of Vilnius , and the Vilnius Region , two years later . Background . In late 1920 , the Polish - Soviet War was ending with the Soviets defeated at the Battle of Warsaw and in full retreat . The disputed Vilnius region centered around the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius ( Polish " Wilno " ) , which had been founded by the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas in 1323 and had been the Lithuanian capital ever since . Vilnius had been retaken by the Soviets during their summer 1920 offensive . The Soviets returned the region to the Lithuanians because the latter had allowed Soviet troops to move through Lithuanian territory and engaged Polish forces in the disputed territories ( see Soviet - Lithuanian Treaty of 1920 , and Polish - Lithuanian War ) . This move allowed the Soviets to retain tactical control of the region , deny it to the Poles , and increase the already high tensions between the Poles and Lithuanians , both of whom claimed the disputed territory as their own . In early October 1920 , under international pressure from the Spa and Suwałki Conference s , the Poles and Lithuanians signed a ceasefire in the Sudova region , but , with the issue of Vilnius remaining under Lithuanian control , the issue was unresolved . The Poles rested their claim on then current ethnographic considerations . Lithuania pointed to Vilnius as its historical [ [ Capital capital and denied Polish claims to it as baseless . The Poles did not wish to continue the war as the Polish army was tired , and Polish [ [ Naczelnik Państwa | Chief of State ] ] [ [ Józef Piłsudski ] ] was still hoping to create a " [ [ Międzymorze ] ] " federation , to include a Lithuania friendly to Poland , but wanted to ensure that Vilnius would be part of a Polish sphere of influence . From the Lithuanian point of view , that was highly unlikely , as many Lithuanians saw Polish influence as pernicious and had wanted to be rid of Polish influence from as far back as the marriage of Grand Duke [ [ Jogaila ] ] to the then 11 - year - old Queen [ [ Jadwiga of Poland ] ] . In particular , Lithuanian nationalists opposed any further connection to Poland , especially after the Polish invasion occupied Vilnius . The negotiations on the future of the disputed area , held under the auspice of a [ [ Conference of Ambassadors ] ] in Brussels and Paris , reached a stalemate , and Piłsudski feared that the [ [ Allies of World War I | Entente ] ] might accept the " fait accompli " that had been created by the Soviets ' transfer of territorial control to Lithuania . Poland and Lithuania were to adhere to a mutually agreed upon [ [ ceasefire ] ] in [ [ Suwałki Region ] ] on October 10 , but the Poles decided to circumvent the ceasefire by creating a " " [ [ fait accompli ] ] " " of their own . Piłsudski concluded that the best course of action would be one that supported the pro - Polish faction in Lithuania , but that could not be traced directly to Poland . However , his plans for a coup d ' état in 1919 had been foiled by the premature and unplanned [ [ Sejny Uprising ] ] , which had led to the destruction of the [ [ Polish Military Organization ] ] ( P . O . W . ) intelligence network in Lithuania by the [ [ Lithuanian Army ] ] and State Security Department . Mutiny . [ [ File : Mapa rozsiedlenia ludności polskiej na terenie Litwy w 1929 . jpg | thumb | Map of the Polish population lived in Central Lithuania c . 1920 ] ] In October 1920 , Polish General [ [ Lucjan Żeligowski ] ] , a native of the historic lands of Lithuania , was given command of the [ [ 1st Lithuanian - Belarusian Infantry Division ] ] ( comprising mostly Poles from the Polish marches ) . Żeligowski had been contacted by Piłsudski as early as late September 1920 with suggestions to carry out a " mutiny . " They prepared a plan by which Żeligowski and forces under his command were to pretend to [ [ desertion | desert ] ] from the [ [ Polish Army ] ] and then take control of the city of Vilnius and the [ [ Vilnius Region | Vilnius region ] ] . The Polish government would officially deny its involvement , thereby preserving its reputation on the international scene . Żeligowski , like Piłsudski himself — may have been one of many who were torn between Lithuanian and Polish identities ; possibly , in proclaiming a Central Lithuania , he honestly believed that he was creating a Lithuania even if it that was dominated by Polish culture rather than Lithuanian culture . On October 6 , 1920 , Żeligowski informed his officers of the plans for mutiny ; at that point , no one under his command knew that he was acting with Piłsudski ' s backing , and some refused to follow him . Support for Żeligowski wavered to such an extent that on October 7 , he messaged Piłsudski that he could not carry out the operation due to lack of support among his troops . Eventually , however , most of the officers and men decided to follow him , and he proceeded with the operation . [ [ File : Zeligowski 1920 karykatura . JPG | thumb | left | 200px | Polish caricature : a Lithuanian trying to stop General Żeligowski from taking Wilno ( Vilnius ) ] ] Żeligowski ' s forces set out on the morning of October 8 ( two days before the [ [ Suwałki Agreement ] ] ceasefire was to take hold ) . That day , he declared that he would " liberate Wilno from Lithuanian occupation " and " form a parliament which will decide the fate of the disputed territories . " Żeligowski ' s forces — numbering some 14 , 000 , centered around his [ [ 1st Lithuanian - Belarusian Infantry Division ] ] — defeated the Lithuanian 4th Infantry Regiment near the [ [ Rūdininkai Forest ] ] , and again in a skirmish near [ [ Jašiūnai ] ] . Polish forces reached the vicinity of Wilno , but were slowed enough to delay their taking the city until the next day . The death toll , as reported by contemporary sources , was low : " a few casualties " on both sides . The Lithuanian forces in the region were heavily outnumbered : they not only faced Żeligowski ' s numerically superior regular forces , supported by Polish Army logistics , but also had to garrison Vilnius , whose Polish population was restless . On October 9 , the Lithuanian forces were unable to defend Vilnius and evacuated the city , with only token attempts at defending it ( the decision to evacuate was made in the afternoon of October 8 , and the evacuation took place during the night of October 8 – 9 ) . When Polish units assaulted the remaining Lithuanian defenses around Vilnius , the city ' s Polish population supported the Polish troops , with [ [ militia ] ] units staging an uprising and engaging Lithuanian units still in the city , and civilians welcoming the Polish troops as they entered Vilnius . Lithuanian government representatives ( led by [ [ Ignas Jonynas ] ] ) passed control of the city to resident [ [ Allies of World War I | Entente ] ] officials ( led by French colonel [ [ Constantin Reboul ] ] ) . Żeligowski , however , refused to recognize their authority , and they were forced to leave the city . [ [ File : Zeligowski 1920 wilno . JPG | thumb | right | 200px | Gen . Żeligowski leading his soldiers , Wilno ( Vilnius ) , 1920 ] ] On October 12 , Żeligowski proclaimed the independence of the area as the [ [ Republic of Central Lithuania ] ] , with Vilnius as its capital . Most historians agree that the state was dependent on Poland , but they disagree to what extent ( Polish historian [ [ Jerzy J . Lerski ] ] calls it a [ [ puppet state ] ] ) . Meanwhile a uniformed Polish armed force of 20 airplanes and the 13th Cavalry Regiment under the command of Col . Butkiewicz joined the mutiny . The Polish Army , however , was officially bound by the [ [ Suwałki Agreement ] ] ceasefire and did not engage the Lithuanian units by the line . On October 20 – 21 there were further battles between Central and Lithuanian forces near the village of [ [ Pikeliškiai ] ] . On November 7 , Żeligowski ' s army began to advance upon [ [ Giedraičiai ] ] , [ [ Širvintos ] ] and [ [ Kėdainiai ] ] . Żeligowski ' s proposals of a [ [ cease - fire ] ] were ignored by Lithuania . Żeligowski ignored League of Nations ' s [ [ Military control commission | Military Control Commission ] ] proposals to withdraw to October 20 – 21 lines and begin negotiations . On November 17 , Soviet Russia offered military aid , which the Lithuanians declined . Polish cavalry broke Lithuanian defense lines and on November 18 reached [ [ Kavarskas ] ] and continued toward Kaunas . However , on November 19 – 21 , the Lithuanian main forces pushed Żeligowski ' s main forces back [ [ Battle of Giedraičiai and Širvintos | near Giedraičiai and Širvintos ] ] . While some Lithuanian sources call this a major battle , in Polish literature , it is considered a local skirmish of minor importance . Both sides were now exhausted . With the help of the League of Nations , on November 20 a [ [ ceasefire ] ] was negotiated , to take effect on November 21 , 1920 , at 9 o ' clock in the morning ; until then , both sides agreed to take no offensive actions . The Lithuanian 7th Infantry Regiment broke the agreement , counterattacking at [ [ Giedraičiai ] ] on the night of November 20 – 21 , just before the ceasefire was to go into effect , persisting even after the ceasefire ( until 1400 ) ; this offensive gained Giedraičiai for the Lithuanians . The Lithuanian forces stopped after a request from the League of Nations , and a truce was finally signed on November 29 . It was at this time that the close ally of Piłsudski , [ [ Michał Pius Römer ] ] , a leader of the [ [ Krajowcy ] ] movement , broke with Pilsudski and made the decision to side with the re - established Lithuanian Republic , even if Piłsudski offered him to be the Prime Minister of the Republic of Central Lithuania . Aftermath . [ [ File : Rzeczpospolita Lithuania claims . png | thumb | right | 200px | The [ [ Republic of Central Lithuania ] ] ( shown in green ) ] ] Żeligowski became the new state ' s " de facto " military dictator , but after [ [ Election in Central Lithuania | elections ] ] he relinquished his powers to the newly elected parliament . In 1922 Central Lithuania ' s parliament would vote for their state ' s incorporation into Poland . In 1923 , soon after the League of Nations had recognized the existing situation and accepted Polish - Lithuanian border on March 15 , Piłsudski on August 24 , 1923 would publicly admit that Żeligowski ' s Mutiny had in fact been a pre - planned operation carried out with his knowledge and support . Despite Poland ' s claim to Vilnius , the League of Nations asked Poland to withdraw . Poland declined . In principle , British and French troops could have been asked to enforce the League ’ s decision . France , however , did not wish to antagonize Poland , a possible ally in a future war against Germany , and Britain was not prepared to act alone . Thus , the Poles were able to keep Vilnius , where a provisional government ( " Komisja Rządząca Litwy Środkowej " , the Central Lithuanian Governing Commission ) was formed . Soon [ [ Election in Central Lithuania | parliamentary elections were held ] ] and the Wilno Diet ( " Sejm wileński " ) voted on February 20 , 1922 , for incorporation into Poland as the capital of a [ [ Wilno Voivodeship ( 1926 – 1939 ) | Wilno Voivodship ] ] . The elections were not recognized by the League of Nations . The League of Nations Conference of Ambassadors accepted the " [ [ status quo ] ] " in 1923 , but the Wilno region remained in dispute between Poland and Lithuania ( the latter still treated Vilnius as its constitutional capital and the capital of the [ [ Vilnius region ] ] ) . In Poland , the Mutiny was supported by some groups , such as the [ [ Christian Democrats ] ] and the left , but criticized by the right - wing [ [ National Democracy | National Democrats ] ] . The coup resulted in a serious rift between Pilsudski and [ [ Ignacy Jan Paderewski ] ] , who had played a major role in creating international support for the independence of Poland . According to historian [ [ Timothy Snyder ] ] , the annexation of Vilnius by Poles pushed Lithuanian politicians from political towards ethnic understanding of the nation and gave arguments to radical politicians in Lithuania and also in Poland . Lithuania refused to recognize Central Lithuania . Polish - Lithuanian relations began to normalize after League of Nations negotiations in 1927 , but it was not until the [ [ 1938 Polish ultimatum to Lithuania | 1938 ultimatum issued by Poland ] ] that Lithuania was forced to establish [ [ diplomatic relations ] ] with Poland and thus " de facto " accept its neighbor ' s borders . The Polish - Lithuanian conflict , however , would worsen relations between the two countries for decades to come .