The Battle of Trembowla, more popularly known as the Defence of
Trembowla
Terebovlia ( uk, Теребовля, pl, Trembowla, yi, טרעבעוולע, Trembovla) is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is an ancient settlement that traces its roots to the settlement of Tere ...
took place between September 20 – October 11, 1675, during the
Polish-Ottoman War (1672-1676). Heroic resistance of Polish forces became a symbol, and was glorified and immortalised in the paintings of
Franciszek Smuglewicz
Franciszek Smuglewicz ( lt, Pranciškus Smuglevičius; 6 October 1745 – 18 September 1807) was a Polish-Lithuanian draughtsman and painter. Smuglewicz is considered a progenitor of Lithuanian art in the modern era. He was precursor of his ...
,
Józef Peszka
Józef Peszka (19 February 1767, in Kraków – 14 September 1831, in Kraków) was a Polish painter and art professor; known mostly for his portraits and watercolor landscapes.
Biography
His first drawing lessons were with , an Austrian painter l ...
and
Aleksander Lesser
Aleksander Lesser (13 May 1814 – 13 March 1884) was a Polish painter, illustrator, sketch artist, art critic, and amateur researcher of antiquities who was of Jewish descent. Lesser holds a place in Polish art history "as an outstanding repr ...
.
History
The
castle in Trembowla was built in the 14th century on a high hill over the valley of the Hniezna river. Despite its small size (100 metres by 40 metres), it was a strong fortress with walls up to 4 metres thick. After the Turks had captured
Kamieniec Podolski
Kamianets-Podilskyi ( uk, Ка́м'яне́ць-Поді́льський, russian: Каменец-Подольский, Kamenets-Podolskiy, pl, Kamieniec Podolski, ro, Camenița, yi, קאַמענעץ־פּאָדאָלסק / קאַמעניץ, ...
(see
Siege of Kamieniec Podolski), Trembowla was one of the few Podolian strongholds still in Polish hands.
In the summer of 1675, a 30,000 strong Turkish-Tatar army under command of Ibrahim Shyshman entered
Red Ruthenia
Red Ruthenia or Red Rus' ( la, Ruthenia Rubra; '; uk, Червона Русь, Chervona Rus'; pl, Ruś Czerwona, Ruś Halicka; russian: Червонная Русь, Chervonnaya Rus'; ro, Rutenia Roșie), is a term used since the Middle Ages fo ...
, a province of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
. On July 27, the invaders captured
Zbaraz
Zbarazh ( uk, Збараж, pl, Zbaraż, yi, זבאריזש, Zbarizh) is a city in Ternopil Raion of Ternopil Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is located in the historic region of Galicia. Zbarazh hosts the administration of Zbarazh urb ...
, on September 11,
Podhajce
Pidhaitsi ( uk, Підгайці, Pidhajci, pl, Podhajce, yi, פּידײַיִץ, Podhaitza) is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is located ''ca.'' 15.5 mi south of Berezhany, 43.5 mi from Ternopil ...
, and on September 20, the Turks approached Trembowla. The castle was defended by a small unit of 80 infantry soldiers, some members of the local nobility, supported by 200 poorly armed, untrained peasants and residents of the town, who fled to the castle. Before the siege, a unit of
dragoon
Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...
s stationed here, but was ordered to leave Trembowla, due to food shortages. Polish forces were commanded by Captain
Jan Samuel Chrzanowski, whose wife,
Anna Dorota Chrzanowska (née Anna Dorota von Fresen), became immortalized after the siege.
Despite
Ottoman efforts, the defenders of castle managed to hold their positions after several attacks. After several days, however, shortages of food and water became severe, and Captain Chrzanowski decided to surrender. His wife disagreed with this decision, and threatened to commit suicide if her husband proceeded with the planned surrender, thereby stiffening his spine and creating an atmosphere for defending the castle. Furthermore, Anna Dorota urged the defenders to carry out an attack on Ottoman positions, which resulted in heavy losses among the invaders. Chrzanowska's determination raised the morale among the Poles, but their losses were also heavy. In the night of October 4/5, only 20 soldiers were able to fight. Facing danger from forces of
Jan III Sobieski
John III Sobieski ( pl, Jan III Sobieski; lt, Jonas III Sobieskis; la, Ioannes III Sobiscius; 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696.
Born into Polish nobility, Sobie ...
, which concentrated near
Lwow
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...
, the Turks decided to end the siege on October 11.
Aftermath
In 1676 Polish
Sejm
The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of t ...
allowed the Chrzanowski couple to become the
szlachta
The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the ...
, with the right to use the
Poraj coat of arms
Poraj is a Polish Coat of Arms. Used by several knighthood families of medieval Poland and noble families of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth - those descended in the male-line from the Poraj family and those allowed into the heraldic clan b ...
. They became celebrities, famous all over the Commonwealth and abroad. In 1683 Chrzanowski was named
stolnik
Pantler (, , russian: сто́льник, ) was a court office in Lithuania, Poland, and Russia, responsible for serving the royal table, then an honorary court title and a district office.
Stolnik in Crown of Poland
In the Crown of Poland und ...
of
Smolensk
Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...
and
Mielnik
Mielnik ( be, Мельнік, uk, Мельник) is a village in Siemiatycze County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Mielnik. ...
, and a monument of
Anna Dorota Chrzanowska was erected in Trembowla in 1683.
Siege of Trembowla in Culture
The siege of Trembowla and story of Anna Chrzanowska inspired Polish painters and writers alike.
Most notable works:
*
Aleksander Lesser
Aleksander Lesser (13 May 1814 – 13 March 1884) was a Polish painter, illustrator, sketch artist, art critic, and amateur researcher of antiquities who was of Jewish descent. Lesser holds a place in Polish art history "as an outstanding repr ...
(1814–1884) painting '' Defense of the Trembowla against the Turks ''
*
Leopold Löffler (1827–1898), painting '' Anna Dorota Chrzanowska at the castle in Trembowla ''
*
Józef Wybicki
Józef Rufin Wybicki (; 29 September 1747 – 10 March 1822) was a Polish nobleman, jurist, poet, political and military activist of Kashubian descent. He is best remembered as the author of "Mazurek Dąbrowskiego" (), which was adopted as the ...
(1747–1822), drama
*
Zofia Kossak-Szczucka
Zofia Kossak-Szczucka ( (also Kossak-Szatkowska); 10 August 1889 – 9 April 1968) was a Polish writer and World War II resistance fighter. She co-founded two wartime Polish organizations: Front for the Rebirth of Poland and Żegota, set up t ...
(1889–1968), novel '' Trembowla ''
*
Maria Krüger (1904–1999), story '' Marcynka's bright braid '' in the collection '' Golden Crown ''
*
Andrzej Waligórski (1926–1992), poem '' Song about the defense of Trembowla '' which was performed by
Tadeusz Chyłę (1933–2014).
See also
*
Battle of Lwów (1675)
References
Sources
* Mala Encyklopedia Wojskowa, Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej, Warszawa 1967, Wydanie I, Tom 2
*
Bohaterska obrona Trembowli w 1675 r.
{{coord, 49, 17, 57, N, 25, 41, 24, E, display=title
1675 in Europe
Trembowla
Terebovlia ( uk, Теребовля, pl, Trembowla, yi, טרעבעוולע, Trembovla) is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is an ancient settlement that traces its roots to the settlement of Tere ...
Trembowla
Terebovlia ( uk, Теребовля, pl, Trembowla, yi, טרעבעוולע, Trembovla) is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is an ancient settlement that traces its roots to the settlement of Tere ...
Trembowla
Terebovlia ( uk, Теребовля, pl, Trembowla, yi, טרעבעוולע, Trembovla) is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is an ancient settlement that traces its roots to the settlement of Tere ...
1670s in the Ottoman Empire
Terebovlia
Trembowla
Terebovlia ( uk, Теребовля, pl, Trembowla, yi, טרעבעוולע, Trembovla) is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is an ancient settlement that traces its roots to the settlement of Tere ...