Stanislaw Zólkiewski
Encyclopedia
Stanisław Żółkiewski was a nobleman
of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
, magnate
and military commander who took part in many campaigns both in the Commonwealth and on its southern and eastern border. He held a number of notable posts in the administration of the Commonwealth, including the castellan
of L'viv (from 1590), voivod of the Kiev Voivodeship and Great Chancellor of the Crown
(from 1618). Following 1588 he was also a Field Crown Hetman
, in 1613 promoted to Grand Hetman of the Crown. During his lifetime he won major military victories against Muscovy, the Ottoman Empire
and the Tatars
. He was the first Christian European invader of Russia
to seize Moscow
, a distinction shared only with Napoleon.
Żółkiewski attended schools in L'viv, was well read and spoke foreign languages. He was secretary to King Stefan Batory
. In 1588 he commanded the right flank of Commonwealth forces in the battle of Byczyna
, where he also received a knee wound, laming him for life. Between 1594 and 1596 he defeated the Cossack
uprisng of Severyn Nalivaiko. In 1607 he defeated the Zebrzydowski's Rebellion in the battle of Guzów
. In 1610 he achieved yet another significant victory in the battle of Klushino
against the Tsardom of Russia
. As an effect of his successful campaign, Żółkiewski seized Moscow
and took the tsar
Vasiliy Shuyskiy captive during the Dymitriads. He supported the election of Władysław IV Vasa
for tsar and the idea of a liberal
personal union
between the Commonwealth and the Tsardom of Russia.
Since 1612 he was a teacher and tutor of Stanisław Koniecpolski, future hetman and military commander. Both in 1612 and 1617 he commanded military campaigns to Moldavia (Moldavian Magnate Wars
) and Ukraine. Despite his old age (he was over 70), he continued his active service as a military commander until the very end.
Żółkiewski was killed on 7 October 1620 during the Commonwealth retreat after the battle of Cecora
against the Turks in Moldova
near the Prut river, during the Moldavian Magnate Wars
. After the battle, his body was desecrated, his head cut off and sent to Constantinople as a war trophy. It was later bought by his widow, together with Żółkiewski's son who was taken captive during the battle. His body was buried in St Lawrence Church
in Żółkiew (now Zhovkva, Ukraine), the town he founded. His death gave rise to a veritable legend about the Christian knight slain by the pagans in defense of the Holy Faith [Mikoś, 1996]. Żółkiewski's assets, including Żółkiew Castle, eventually passed through inheritance to Jakub Sobieski
whose son Jan was another renowned commander in Polish history.
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
, magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
and military commander who took part in many campaigns both in the Commonwealth and on its southern and eastern border. He held a number of notable posts in the administration of the Commonwealth, including the castellan
Castellan
A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
of L'viv (from 1590), voivod of the Kiev Voivodeship and Great Chancellor of the Crown
Kanclerz
Kanclerz was one of the highest officials in the historic Poland. This office functioned from the early Polish kingdom of the 12th century until the end of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795. A respective office also existed in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since the 16th...
(from 1618). Following 1588 he was also a Field Crown Hetman
Hetman
Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....
, in 1613 promoted to Grand Hetman of the Crown. During his lifetime he won major military victories against Muscovy, the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and the Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
. He was the first Christian European invader of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to seize Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, a distinction shared only with Napoleon.
Life
Stefan Batory
Stephen Báthory was a Hungarian noble Prince of Transylvania , then King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania . He was a member of the Somlyó branch of the noble Hungarian Báthory family...
. In 1588 he commanded the right flank of Commonwealth forces in the battle of Byczyna
Battle of Byczyna
The Battle of Byczyna or Battle of Pitschen was the deciding battle of the 1587–1588 War of the Polish Succession, which erupted after two rival candidates were elected to the Polish throne...
, where he also received a knee wound, laming him for life. Between 1594 and 1596 he defeated the Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
uprisng of Severyn Nalivaiko. In 1607 he defeated the Zebrzydowski's Rebellion in the battle of Guzów
Battle of Guzów
The Battle of Guzów took place on July 6, 1607, at the village of Guzów in Szydłowiec County, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The confrontation was between the forces of the Zebrzydowski Rebellion against the Royalists supporting King Sigismund III Vasa , under...
. In 1610 he achieved yet another significant victory in the battle of Klushino
Battle of Klushino
The Battle of Klushino was fought on 4 July 1610, between forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Grand Duchy of Moscow during the Polish-Muscovite War, part of Russia's Time of Troubles. The battle occurred near the village of Klushino near Smolensk...
against the Tsardom of Russia
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
. As an effect of his successful campaign, Żółkiewski seized Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and took the tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
Vasiliy Shuyskiy captive during the Dymitriads. He supported the election 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....
for tsar and the idea of a liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
personal union
Personal union
A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states have the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...
between the Commonwealth and the Tsardom of Russia.
Since 1612 he was a teacher and tutor of Stanisław Koniecpolski, future hetman and military commander. Both in 1612 and 1617 he commanded military campaigns to Moldavia (Moldavian Magnate Wars
Moldavian Magnate Wars
The Moldavian Magnate Wars refer to the period at the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century when the magnates of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth intervened in the affairs of Moldavia, clashing with the Habsburgs and the Ottoman Empire for domination and influence over the...
) and Ukraine. Despite his old age (he was over 70), he continued his active service as a military commander until the very end.
Żółkiewski was killed on 7 October 1620 during the Commonwealth retreat after the battle of Cecora
Battle of Tutora (1620)
The Battle of Ţuţora was a battle between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Ottoman forces , fought from 17 September to 7 October 1620 in Moldavia, near the Prut River.- Prelude :Because of the failure of Commonwealth diplomatic mission to Constantinople, and violations of the Treaty of...
against the Turks in Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
near the Prut river, during the Moldavian Magnate Wars
Moldavian Magnate Wars
The Moldavian Magnate Wars refer to the period at the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century when the magnates of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth intervened in the affairs of Moldavia, clashing with the Habsburgs and the Ottoman Empire for domination and influence over the...
. After the battle, his body was desecrated, his head cut off and sent to Constantinople as a war trophy. It was later bought by his widow, together with Żółkiewski's son who was taken captive during the battle. His body was buried in St Lawrence Church
St. Lawrence's Church, Zhovkva
The Collegiate Church of St. Lawrence is the main Roman Catholic church of Zhovkva, Ukraine.- History :...
in Żółkiew (now Zhovkva, Ukraine), the town he founded. His death gave rise to a veritable legend about the Christian knight slain by the pagans in defense of the Holy Faith [Mikoś, 1996]. Żółkiewski's assets, including Żółkiew Castle, eventually passed through inheritance to Jakub Sobieski
Jakub Sobieski
Jakub Sobieski was a Polish-Lithuanian noble, parliamentarian, diarist, political activist, military leader and father of King Jan III Sobieski. Son of castellan and voivode Marek Sobieski and Jadwiga Snopkowska.- Life :...
whose son Jan was another renowned commander in Polish history.
Works
- Początek i progres wojny moskiewskiej (On the Beginning and the End of the Muscovite War, also known as Beginning and Progress of the Muscovy War) - memoires describing his campaigns and diplomatic activity, written in the third person, is a concise account of a Polish-Muscovite War (1605-1618).