Jan Tyssowski (March 8, 1811 – April 5, 1857) born in
Tarnów, Poland. was a
Dictator of the
Republic of Kraków during the
failed 1846 uprising. He was a Polish intellectual and activist during Poland's rebellions against its occupying powers. He studied philosophy and law at the
University of Lwow. After the failed 1831
November Uprising, Russian authorities prohibited his return to Lwow, and he went study at the
University of Vienna. He was a Polish political organizer in
Galicia with
Ludwik Mieroslawski, and was active within the aristocracy and insurrectionist movement. In 1846, Krakow revolted against the Austrians and they withdrew, leaving the Polish-controlled
Republic of Krakow in Tyssowski's hands. The government had originally been established as a
triumvirate between Tyssowski and two others, but personal differences led Tyssowski to take control. Intending a "
classless society", he declared
universal suffrage, emancipation of the peasantry, and the discontinuation of rents for peasants. The Republic attempted to expand into neighboring rural areas, and sympathetic peasants did join the cause, but these units were defeated by much larger Austrian armies, which also had broad support among the peasants. On March 3, Russia occupied the city and passed it back to Austria. Roughly 1,200 people were arrested and approximately 100 were imprisoned in the
Kufstein Fortress. The Austrian Empire captured Tyssowski who surrendered to the occupying forces, and allowed him to emigrate.