Stanisław Żółkiewski | |
|---|---|
| Hetman | |
 | |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Full name | Stanisław Żółkiewski herbu Lubicz |
| Born | 1547 (1547) Turynka [uk] nearLwów,Kingdom of Poland |
| Died | 7 October 1620(1620-10-07) (aged 72–73) Battle of Cecora nearIaşi,Ottoman Empire |
| Family | Żółkiewski |
| Consort | Regina Herburt h.Herburt |
| Issue | Jan Żółkiewski Katarzyna Żółkiewska Zofia Żółkiewska |
| Father | Stanisław Żółkiewski |
| Mother | Zofia Lipska h.Korczak |
Stanisław Żółkiewski (Polish pronunciation:[staˈɲiswavʐuwˈkʲɛfskʲi]; 1547 – 7 October 1620) was aPolishnobleman of theLubicz coat of arms, amagnate, military commander, andChancellor of the Polish Crown in thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth[1] who took part in many military campaigns in the Commonwealth and on its southern and eastern borders.
He held high posts in the administration of the Commonwealth, including those ofCastellan ofLwów (from 1590),Governor ofKiev Province, andGreat Chancellor of the Crown (from 1618). From 1588 he was also a Field CrownHetman, and in 1618 was promoted toGrand Hetman of the Crown. He won major battles againstSweden,Russia, theOttoman Empire, and theTatars. Żółkiewski's best-known victory was against combined Russian and Swedish forces at the 1610battle of Klushino, in whose wake the Poles seized andoccupied Moscow.
He died in the 1620Battle of Cecora against the Ottomans, after allegedly refusing to retreat. The fame of the already renowned Żółkiewski was further boosted by his heroic death. He was one of the most accomplished military commanders of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Stanisław Żółkiewski was born in the village ofTurynka [uk] (thenPolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, now westernUkraine) in 1547 toStanisław Żółkiewski [pl] of theLubicz coat of arms,voivode of Ruthenia, and Zofia Lipska.[2][3] The exact date of his birth is unknown, and even the year is disputed: most sources agree on 1547, although a few suggest 1550.[4]
Żółkiewski attended a cathedral school inLwów (now Lviv, Ukraine).[2] Unlike many of his peers he had no higher education and did not travel abroad. However, he pursued studies on his own and was particularly interested in history and historical literature.[2] In 1566 he joined the court of KingSigismund II Augustus, as an aid to the king's secretaryJan Zamoyski.[2] There he became familiar with theexecutionist movement, which advocated numerous reforms including military ones.[2] In 1573 he took part in thediplomatic mission to France, sent to meet a newly elected kingHenry III of France, and on his way back he was sent toVienna to appease theHabsburgs.[2]
Żółkiewski gained his first military experience under KingStefan Batory during theDanzig rebellion in which he commanded arota ofPolish hussars.[2] He subsequently participated in Batory'sLivonian campaign, fighting atPolotsk,Rossony (Sokół),Velizh and at theSiege of Pskov.[2] Żółkiewski maintained his political alliance with the Zamoyski family after those campaigns ended, particularly in their conflict with theZborowscy.[2] On the night of 11 to 12 May 1584 he capturedSamuel Zborowski, whose subsequent execution caused much controversy.[2][5] Żółkiewski became notorious for his role in the incident, and was the subject of heated debates during theSejm of 1585.[2][5]
In 1588, during theWar of the Polish Succession between factions ofSigismund III Vasa andMaximilian III, Żółkiewski supported Sigismund. Żółkiewski commanded the right flank of Commonwealth forces in thebattle of Byczyna, during which he received a knee wound that lamed him for the remainder of his life.[5][6] For his part in the battle he was appointed aField Crown Hetman, and became thestarost ofHrubieszów.[5]
Soon after becoming a Hetman, Żółkiewski was sent toUkraine to repel aTatar invasion. In 1590 he became thecastellan of Lwów, but his requests for military reinforcements against the Tatars went unheeded.[5]
In 1595 Żółkiewski participated in theMoldavian campaign and thebattle of Cecora near thePrut river. The following year he defeated theCossack uprising ofSeveryn Nalivaiko.[5] Żółkiewski was a known supporter of Cossack grievances, and generally favored peaceful negotiations with them. When the Cossacks surrendered Nalivaiko and other leaders of the uprising to him he guaranteed their fair treatment. But Nalivaiko was subsequently executed inWarsaw,[5][7] and a mob of Polish soldiers massacred the other prisoners, which led to a deterioration in Polish-Cossack relations. In 1600 Żółkiewski returned to Moldova, where he took part in the victoriousbattle of Bukowo.[7]
In 1601 Żółkiewski operated in the north, inLivonia (Inflanty), during thePolish–Swedish War.[7][8] He also took part in the successfulsiege of Wolmar, and in 1602 thetaking of Fellin. That same year he led Polish forces at thebattle of Reval, which led to a Swedish capitulation at thesiege of Biały Kamień. Żólkiewski became ill near the end of the campaign and had to relinquish command of his forces to HetmanJan Karol Chodkiewicz.[8]
In 1606 Żółkiewski returned to Ukraine, where he defeated the Tatars at thebattle of Udycz. Later that year he decided to support the king during theZebrzydowski rebellion. His decision was not an obvious one, as his mentor Zamoyski opposed the king. Additionally, Żółkiewski was related to theZebrzydowski family and was sympathetic to some of the rebels' arguments. In thebattle of Guzów he commanded the left flank of the royal forces,[9] but his troops took relatively little part in the battle. Unimpressed with Żółkiewski's performance, the king did not give him theGrand Crown Hetmanship that he coveted, although he was appointed to the office of thevoivode of Kiev.[9][10]
In the second half of 1609, Żółkiewski took part in thePolish–Russian War (also known as theDymitriads).[10] He supported the election ofWładysław IV Vasa for the title oftsar of Russia and the idea of apersonal union between the Commonwealth and the Tsardom of Russia (thePolish–Lithuanian–Muscovite Commonwealth).[10] During theDe la Gardie Campaign in 1610 he achieved another significant victory against combined Russian and Swedish forces at thebattle of Klushino.[10][11] As a result of his successful campaign Żółkiewski seized Moscow and captured thetsarVasiliy Shuisky and his brothers,Ivan Shuisky andDmitry Shuisky. Sigismund rejected Żółkiewski's political plan however, which would have required Władysław to convert toOrthodoxy.[11]
Żółkiewski began to write his memoirs after his return from Russia. ThePoczątek i progres wojny moskiewskiej (The beginning and Progress of the Muscovite War), published in 1612, is a critique of Sigismund's policies. In 1612, he became a teacher and tutor ofStanisław Koniecpolski, future hetman and military commander. Also that year he returned to Ukraine to defend against continuing Tatar and Moldovan incursions, as well as Cossack unrest. In 1616 during a Sejm he presented a projectO chowaniu żołnierza kwarcianego (On the raising of thekwarciane soldiers), in which he argued for the need to raise a larger army to deal with the Tatars and the Cossacks. The project was however not approved by the parliament.[12]
Żółkiewski's popularity waned in the latter years of his career.[12] He was accused of not supportingSamuel Korecki during thebattle of Sasowy Róg in 1616, of signing theTreaty of Jaruga (Busza) in 1617 which relinquished influence in some borderlands to Moldova and theOttoman Empire; and of failing to stop the Tatars at thebattle of Orynin in 1618.[12][13] But in 1618 he finally received his covetedbuława of the Grand Crown Hetman, and shortly afterwards the office ofGrand Crown Chancellor.[13] He was thus for a brief period the most powerful individual in the Commonwealth after the king, a position he reached not through wealth or family but by military achievement and reputation.[13]
Despite being more than 70 years old, Żółkiewski continued in active service as a military commander until the very end. He died on 7 October 1620, during the Commonwealth's retreat after thebattle of Cecora against the Turks, during thePolish–Ottoman War (1620–1621) which marked the end of the Moldavian campaigns.[13][14] The battle comprised several engagements, in which Polish forces were routed. During the last rout Żólkiewski was killed; according to an anecdote he refused to retreat, preferring to stay with the rear guard till the very end.[13][14][15] Before his death he received the blessing of his confessor, Father Szymon Wybierski (Wybierek) of the Society of Jesus, who stood fearlessly at his side (7 October).[16] {see painting "Battle of Cecora (1620)" by Walery Eljasz Radzikowski}[17]
After the battle Żółkiewski's corpse was desecrated by the removal of its head and sent to Constantinople as a trophy of war. His widow bought his body from the Turks and ransomed their son, who had been captured during the battle.[14] Żółkiewski was buried inSt Lawrence Church inŻółkiew (now Zhovkva, Ukraine), the town he enlarged and where he built theŻółkiew Castle.[14][15]
Żółkiewski's heroic death – portrayed in several works of art by contemporaries such asTeofil Szemberg [uk] andStanisław Witkowski – boosted his reputation and guaranteed him a place among the pantheon of the most famous of Polish military commanders.[14] In the years following his death he was mentioned in the works of writers such asStefan Żeromski,Józef Szujski,Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz andMaria Konopnicka.[15] Up to the present day, the story of his death is the best remembered aspect of his life, with a number of sources discussing the "legend of Żółkiewski".[18][19]
A monument was built at the site of Żółkiewski's death (now inBerezovca inOcnița District, Moldova) by his son Jan, in 1621.[20] It is inscribed with a motto fromHorace: "Quam dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" (How sweet and fitting it is to die for one's country).[20] The monument was destroyed in 1868, rebuilt in 1912, and renovated in 2003.[20] It is a venue for events organized by thePolish minority in Moldova.[20]
In 1903 a statue of Żółkiewski was built in Źółkiew, but it was demolished in 1939 by Soviet troops in the aftermath of theSoviet invasion of Poland.[15] In modern Poland Źółkiewski is celebrated as a military hero, but modern Russia'sUnity Day instead celebrates the anniversary of the surrender of the Polish forces he installed in the Moscow garrison.[15] As of 2011, the St. Lawrence's Church and castle in Źółkwia were being renovated by a team of Polish and Ukrainian conservators.[15]
Żółkiewski was married to Regina Herbutówna; they had a son,Jan [uk], and two daughters,Katarzyna andZofia.[14] Over the course of his career Żółkiewski amassed a large fortune,[14] and acquired lands nearBoryspil,Brody,Vinnytsia and Żółkiew.[14] His annual income of more than 100,000zlotys made him one of the wealthiestmagnates in the Commonwealth.[14] Żółkiewski's assets were eventually inherited byJakub Sobieski, whose sonJan became a Polish king and another renowned Polish commander.[14]
