Polish Legions, during the Napoleonic Period, were collectively several Polish units serving in the French army from the 1790s to 1810s. After the third partition of Poland in 1795 many Poles believed that revolutionary France and its allies would help Poland, as France's enemies included the partitioners of Poland (Prussia, Austria and Imperial Russia). Therefore many Polish soldiers, officers and volunteers emigrated from Poland , especially to Italy and France, where they joined local military forces. The number of Polish recruits soon reached many thousands, and so with support from Napoleon Bonaparte special Polish military units, commanded by Polish officers and with Polish military ranks were created. They became known as the Polish Legions and were considered to be a Polish army 'in exile' under command of France. Those units were commanded, among others, by Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, Karol Kniaziewicz and Józef Wybicki . Polish Legions serving alongside the French army during the Napoleonic Wars saw combat in most of Napoleon's campaigns, from the West Indies, through Italy and Egypt, to Russia.
