Aleksander Kostka Napierski
Encyclopedia
Aleksander Leon Kostka-Napierski (1620–1651), Polish
captain during the Thirty Years' War
in Swedish service, participant of battle in Germany and organizer of the Kostka-Napierski Uprising
. According to the historian prof. Paweł Wieczorkiewicz, Napierski was in service to Khmelnytsky. Professor of History Janusz Tazbir
was of a similar opinion. However, other historians, such as Adam Kersten, cautiously connect Kostki-Napierski with the Swedish king, with Khmelnytsky, or with the court of Rákóczi.
as a mercenary
during the Thirty Years' War
. He returned to Poland after the death of Władysław IV Vasa
. He contacted Bohdan Khmelnytsky
, attempting to expand the his revolt
onto Tatra Polish lands and became the leader of the Tatra highlands
peasants (Górale
),
In 1651, he organized recruitment to the rebel army in the Tatra mountains
in Podhale
(with M. Radocki and S. Łętowski). Napierski called on every peasant in Poland to rise and overthrow the nobles from their position and power. His appeal did not meet with a great response.
In June of 1651, they attacked and occupied the castle in Czorsztyn
, without waiting for assistance from prince George II Rákóczi
(who had allied himself with Khmelnytsky). After a short occupation, troops of the Bishop of Kraków Piotr Gembicki
retook the castle. The revolt was stamped out, and Napierski and other leaders of the revolt were convicted and sentenced to capital punishment, and were impaled
.
, Łódź, Katowice
, and Gdynia
.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
captain during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
in Swedish service, participant of battle in Germany and organizer of the Kostka-Napierski Uprising
Kostka-Napierski Uprising
The Kostka Napierski Uprising was a peasant revolt in Poland in 1651.It took place at the same time as the more important Chmielnicki Uprising in the south-east part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and during the Swedish preparation to invade the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.Aleksander...
. According to the historian prof. Paweł Wieczorkiewicz, Napierski was in service to Khmelnytsky. Professor of History Janusz Tazbir
Janusz Tazbir
Janusz Tazbir is a Polish historian, specializing in the culture and religion of Poland in the 16th and 17th centuries.-Career:...
was of a similar opinion. However, other historians, such as Adam Kersten, cautiously connect Kostki-Napierski with the Swedish king, with Khmelnytsky, or with the court of Rákóczi.
Life and service
Kostka-Napierski served in the Swedish armySwedish Army
The Swedish Army is one of the oldest standing armies in the world and a branch of the Swedish Armed Forces; it is in charge of land operations. General Sverker Göranson is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Army.- Organization :...
as a mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
. He returned to Poland after the death of Władysław IV Vasa
Władysław IV Vasa
Władysław IV Vasa was a Polish and Swedish prince from the House of Vasa. He reigned as King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 8 November 1632 to his death in 1648....
. He contacted Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Bohdan Zynoviy Mykhailovych Khmelnytsky was a hetman of the Zaporozhian Cossack Hetmanate of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . He led an uprising against the Commonwealth and its magnates which resulted in the creation of a Cossack state...
, attempting to expand the his revolt
Khmelnytsky Uprising
The Khmelnytsky Uprising, was a Cossack rebellion in the Ukraine between the years 1648–1657 which turned into a Ukrainian war of liberation from Poland...
onto Tatra Polish lands and became the leader of the Tatra highlands
Tatra Mountains
The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra , are a mountain range which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland, and are the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains...
peasants (Górale
Górale
Górale may refer to:*Gorals, a group of people indigenous to Polish, Czech and Slovak mountain areas*Górale, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship *Górale, Łódź Voivodeship...
),
In 1651, he organized recruitment to the rebel army in the Tatra mountains
Tatra Mountains
The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra , are a mountain range which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland, and are the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains...
in Podhale
Podhale
The Podhale is Poland's most southern region, sometimes referred to as the "Polish highlands". The Podhale is located in the foothills of the Tatra range of the Carpathian mountains, and is characterized by a rich tradition of folklore that is much romanticized in the Polish patriotic imagination...
(with M. Radocki and S. Łętowski). Napierski called on every peasant in Poland to rise and overthrow the nobles from their position and power. His appeal did not meet with a great response.
In June of 1651, they attacked and occupied the castle in Czorsztyn
Czorsztyn
Czorsztyn is a village in Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Nowy Targ County. The village lies in Pieniny, is located in the mountain range on the current Polish-Slovakian border...
, without waiting for assistance from prince George II Rákóczi
George II Rákóczi
György Rákóczi II , a Transylvanian Hungarian ruler, was the eldest son of George I and Susanna Lorantffy....
(who had allied himself with Khmelnytsky). After a short occupation, troops of the Bishop of Kraków Piotr Gembicki
Piotr Gembicki
Piotr Gembicki , Deputy Crown Chancellor and Bishop of Przemyśl from 1635, Great Crown Chancellor from 1638, Bishop of Kraków from 1642 in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.-Biography:...
retook the castle. The revolt was stamped out, and Napierski and other leaders of the revolt were convicted and sentenced to capital punishment, and were impaled
Impalement
Impalement is the traumatic penetration of an organism by an elongated foreign object such as a stake, pole, or spear, and this usually implies complete perforation of the central mass of the impaled body...
.
Culture
Aleksander Kostka-Napierski was featured in the Polish poet Władysław Orkan's novel Kostka-Napierski. Powieść z XVII wieku and in director's Jan Batory's movie Podhale w Ogniu. Streets are named after him in SzczecinSzczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
, Łódź, Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, and Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
.