Paweł Jasienica was the pen-name of Leon Lech Beynar (November 10, 1909 - August 19, 1970), a Polish amateur historian. He was born in the same place as Lenin, in Simbirsk to Russian Poles Mikołaj and Helena Maliszewski. His father was a Russian official and he and his family lived in Russia and the Ukraine until the Russian Revolution of 1917, after which the family returned to Poland (1920). He a was soldier of in the Polish army during World War II in 1939. After the fall of Poland, he was a soldier of the Polish underground Armia Krajowa (AK) and fought against the Germans. Following the war he a was member of Wolnosc i Niepodleglosc (WiN, Freedom and Independence) and fought against the Soviets and Polish communists in the unit of Maj. Zygmunt Szendzielarz ("Łupaszka"), where he suffered injuries. He took his pseudonym from the name of the place where he had received treatment. As a civilian, he worked as a journalist and writer. He was famous for condemning nationalism and for his personal civil courage. There are numerous anecdotes about how he was congratulated for his courage by the censors. These acts led to his being labelled a political dissident, for which he suffered government persecution, and eventually death.

He is famous for many of his popular historical books:

  • Piast Poland
  • Jagiellonian Poland
  • The Commonwealth of Both Nations : The Silver Age translated by Alexander Jordan
  • A Tale of Agony : The Commonwealth of Both Nations III translated by Alexander Jordan (May 1992)
  • Calamity of the Realm : The Commonwealth of Both Nations II translated by Alexander Jordan (May 1992)
  • Thought on Civil War - theoretically about Civil War in France, Bretony
  • Diary - started soon before his death, not finished.

My home is not my castle. I am not master of my own drawer
I know once a man, former AK cichociemny (commandos), who wrote diary. (...) Last time i heard of him he was mining for coal in places not far away from north Pole
A man is defenseless against privileges