Born at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains in Surochów, near Jarosław. He came from a wealthy family who played a notable part in the life of the Commonwealth of Poland. Fredro fought in the Napoleonic campaigns, including the tragic march on Moscow, and received the War Order of Virtuti Militari and the French Legion of Honour for his services. After the fall of Napoleon, he returned to his family estates and eventually launched his literary career, which brought him fame and reputation of one of the leading Polish writers of comedies – if not the most eminent comedist in Poland. Works such as Zemsta [“Revenge”], Pan Jowialski, or Śluby panieńskie [“Virgins’ Vows”] belong to the canon of Polish literature. From 1861 Fredro was a deputy to the Diet of Galicia and Lodomeria in Lviv. His views and beliefs concerning various social and political issues were similar to the diagnoses given by the Conservative circles.