Karol Cyryl Modzelewski (23 November 1937 – 28 April 2019) was a Polish writer, historian and politician.He was also a professor at the University of Wrocław and the University of Warsaw. He was jailed for taking part in the 1968 Polish political crisis. He served as a member of the Senate from 1989 to 1991. In 2016, he was awarded the Legion of Honour. He was born in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. His adoptive father was the communist politician Zygmunt Modzelewski (1900–1953).