Editing Józef Piłsudski (section)

==Early life==
[[File:Piludski w szkole.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=A black-and-white photograph of a young boy, looking towards the right|Piłsudski, schoolboy]]

Piłsudski was born 5 December 1867 to the [[szlachta|noble]] [[Piłsudski family]] at their manor of Zulov near the village of [[Zalavas|Zulov]] (now Zalavas in [[Lithuania]]).{{sfn|Hetherington|2012|p=92}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bianchini |first=Stefano |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sLIzDwAAQBAJ&dq=Pi%C5%82sudski+Zu%C5%82%C3%B3w+Zu%C5%82owo&pg=PT30 |title=Liquid Nationalism and State Partitions in Europe |date=2017-09-29 |publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing |isbn=978-1-78643-661-0 |pages=30 |language=en}}</ref> The village had been part of the [[Russian Empire]] since 1795, having previously been part of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]], an integral part of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] from 1569 to 1795. After World War I, the village was part of the [[Vilnius Region]] that was contested between Lithuania and Poland throughout the interwar period. From 1922 until 1939, the village was in the Second Polish Republic. During World War II, the village suffered Soviet and German occupations. The estate was part of the dowry brought by his mother, Maria, a member of the wealthy Billewicz family.{{sfn|Hetherington|2012|p=95}} The Piłsudski family, although pauperized,{{r|POleksa04}} cherished Polish patriotic traditions,{{r|PolandGov|Urbank97_13-5}} and are characterized either as Polish{{r|Lerski96_439|Davies05_40}} or as [[Polonized]] [[Lithuanians]].{{r|POleksa04|BidJef98_186}}{{Ref label|b|b|none}} Józef was the second son born to the family.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Reddaway|first=William Fiddian|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jExpAAAAMAAJ&q=Pilsudski+%22second+son%22|title=Marshal Pilsudski|date=1939|publisher=Routledge|pages=5|language=en}}</ref>

Józef was not an especially diligent student when he attended the Russian [[Gymnasium in Vilnius]].{{sfn|Roshwald|2001|p=36}} Along with his brothers [[Bronisław Piłsudski|Bronisław]], [[Adam Piłsudski|Adam]] and [[Jan Piłsudski|Jan]], Józef was introduced by his mother Maria to Polish history and literature, which were suppressed by the Imperial authorities.{{r|McM03_208}} His father, also named Józef, fought in the [[January Uprising|January 1863 Uprising]] against Russian rule.{{r|PolandGov}} The family resented the government's [[Russification]] policies. Young Józef profoundly disliked having to attend [[Russian Orthodox Church]] services {{r|McM03_208}} and left school with an aversion for the [[Russian Tsar]], its empire, and its culture.{{r|POleksa04}}

In 1885 Piłsudski started [[medical school|medical studies]] at [[Kharkov University]] where he became involved with ''[[Narodnaya Volya]]'', part of the Russian [[Narodniks]] revolutionary movement.{{r|PWN}} In 1886, he was suspended for participating in student demonstrations.{{r|PolandGov}} He was rejected by the [[University of Dorpat]], whose authorities had been informed of his political affiliation.{{r|PolandGov}} On 22 March 1887, he was arrested by Tsarist authorities on a charge of plotting with [[Vilnius]] socialists to assassinate [[Tsar]] [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]]; Piłsudski's main connection to the plot was the involvement of his brother Bronisław.{{r|ICRAP|Urbank97_50}} Józef was sentenced to five years' exile in [[Siberia]], first at [[Kirensk]] on the [[Lena River]], then at [[Tunka (village)|Tunka]].{{r|PolandGov|Urbank97_50}}

===Siberian exile===
While being transported in a prisoners' convoy to Siberia, Piłsudski was held for several weeks at a prison in [[Irkutsk]].{{r|LandauDunlop30_30}} During his stay, another inmate insulted a guard and refused to apologize; Piłsudski and other political prisoners were beaten by the guards for their defiance and Piłsudski lost two teeth. He took part in a subsequent hunger strike until the authorities reinstated political prisoners' privileges that had been suspended after the incident.{{r|Urbank97_62-6}} For his involvement, he was sentenced in 1888 to six months' imprisonment. He had to spend the first night of his incarceration in 40-degree-below-zero Siberian cold; this led to an illness that nearly killed him and health problems that would plague him throughout life.{{r|Urbank97_68-9}}

During his exile, Piłsudski met many ''[[Sybiraks]]'', people who had been resettled (usually by force) to Siberia.{{r|Urbank97_74–7}} He was allowed to work in an occupation of his choosing and tutored local children in mathematics and foreign languages{{r|POleksa04}} (he knew French, German and Lithuanian in addition to Russian and his native Polish; he would later learn English).{{sfn|Jędrzejewicz|Cisek|1994|p=13}} Local officials decided that, as a Polish noble, he was not entitled to the 10-[[Russian ruble|ruble]] pension received by others.{{r|Urbank97_71}}