Doświadczenie wojen napoleońskich w życiu i myśli Carla von Clausewitza do roku 1815

This study investigates the life of Carl von Clausewitz to 1815 and analyses impact of the Napoleonic Wars era and its relevance to On War. The idea for this article stems from the fact, that the overall image that emerges from the Polish literature in this field is incomplete. Above all it lacks a proper understanding of his life as well as it omits most of his minor historical and political writings. To better illustrate the complexity of the issue in question, the article is divided into eight separate sections, each one describing particular period in Clausewitz’s life, especially the importance of Prussia’s defeat in the twin battles of Jena and Aüerstedt, the process of restoration of the state that took place in following years and his participation in campaigns of 1812 in Russia and of 1815 in France. This study also tries to illustrate and explain how Clausewitz’s experience contributed to the formation of his theory of war.