Piłsudski was born on December 5, 1867, to a Polish noble family in Zułów, now part of Lithuania, at a time when Poland did not exist on the map of Europe – the country had been carved up by Russia, Prussia and the Austrian Empire in a series of partitions.

After completing high school, Piłsudski studied medicine at the University of Kharkiv.

In 1887, rebelling against Russian rule, he helped an assassin plan an attempt on Russian Tsar Alexander III's life. For that, he was arrested and exiled to Siberia, from where he returned after five years.

His anti-Russian sentiment saw him joining the ranks of the Polish Socialist Party (PPS). Later, he co-founded its Revolutionary Fraction (PPS-FR) and was involved in numerous acts of sabotage against the Russian Empire.

Such actions gained him many followers and, after the outbreak of World War I, Piłsudski, merged multiple riflemen's associations to create the Polish Legions, which were later to serve as the cornerstone of the Polish army.

During the war, he led an unsuccessful national uprising against Russia and served as the main commander of the Polish Military Organization from 1914 to 1917.

Following his imprisonment in the German fortress of Magdeburg in 1918, which enhanced his reputation as a fighter for Polish independence, Piłsudski assumed the position of interim head of state in Warsaw in a newly-reborn Poland.

He also served as commander-in-chief and Marshal of Poland during the Polish-Soviet War of 1920. He played a crucial role in devising a military strategy that led to the defeat of the Bolshevik army in the Battle of Warsaw, which took place from August 13 to 25.

Despite his pivotal role in the creation of a re-emerged nation, Piłsudski chose not to run for the presidency of the Republic of Poland after the adoption of the so-called March Constitution, which limited the head of state’s influence.

Following the assassination of Poland’s first president, Gabriel Narutowicz, in 1922, Piłsudski retreated from public life.

In 1926, he led a military coup and took on key roles such as the General Inspector of the Armed Forces, Minister of Military Affairs, and briefly, Prime Minister. He established a political drive known as the Sanacja and brought both the parliament and the president under his control by arresting political opponents.

He died on May 12, 1935, shortly after the adoption of a new constitution designed to cement his political position.

For many generations of Poles, he was and remains a statesman and nation-builder, alongside other key figures such as Ignacy Paderewski and Roman Dmowski.