Dobiesław Oleśnicki (Dobiesław of Oleśnica) was a soldier, aristocrat and politician in 15th century

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. Born in Sienno into the

Dębno Dębno (german: Neudamm) is a town in Myślibórz County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship in western Poland. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 13,443. After the Migration Period, the area was populated by West Slavic peoples since t ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

, he was

castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

of Wojnicki (1411–1433),

Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of t ...

(1433) and Sandomierz (1435);

starosta The starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', german: link=no, Starost, Hauptmann) is a term of Slavic origin denoting a community elder whose role was to administer the assets of a clan or family estates. Th ...

of Kraków (1438);

podczaszy Deputy cup-bearer () was since the 13th century a court office in Poland and later in Lithuania. Deputy cup-bearer was the deputy of the cup-bearer, with the time more important than his superior. Since the 14th–16th century an honorable court ...

of Kraków (1438–1439); and

voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the me ...

of Sandomierz (1438–1440). He was a participant in the

Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald, Battle of Žalgiris or First Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respec ...

and the commander of the Siege of Marienburg. He built a new castle in

Rymanów Rymanów (; la, Rimanovia or ; uk, Рима́нів) is a town located in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in the southeastern tip of Poland, with 3,585 inhabitants. It is a capital of a separate commune within Krosno County. Rymanów is situated ...

, founded churches, and was the father of the Sienieńskich family. He was a brother of the Primate of Poland and is described by Maurycy Dzieduszycki as "comparing to lives of the Knights in song and poem".

Battle of Grunwald

Oleśnicki is best known for his role in the

, which affected Polish/

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

n relations for over a century. According to '' Cronica conflictus'', Dobiesław of Oleśnica thrust a lance through the Grand Master's neck, while Jan Długosz presented Mszczuj of Skrzynno as the killer. With the death of the Grand Master, the

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...

and

n army fell into disarray and were defeated by the Polish/

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

n forces, thus securing Polish supremacy in central Europe. Among 50 Polish units in the battle of Grunwald, Długosz lists Oleśnicki's squadron as the 38th, and his banner as a white cross on a red field.

Life

Oleśnicki was born in Sienno. In 1404, he accompanied King Jogaila to a Congress with the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights,

Konrad von Jungingen Konrad V von Jungingen (c. 1355 – 30 March 1407) was a grand master of the Teutonic Order in 1393-1407. Under his administration the Teutonic Order would reach their greatest extent. Konrad von Jungingen came from the Swabian League. He join ...

. In a tournament organized by the Grand Master, Oleśnicki conquered all challenges by successively dropping from the saddles all previous winners of the fights. In 1413, he married Catherine, the daughter of

Dymitr of Goraj Dymitr of Goraj ( pl, Dymitr z Goraja, links=no) (c.1340–1400) of Clan Korczak was a Grand Crown Marshal from 1390 and Court Treasurer in the years 1364–1370 and 1377–1391. He was one of the wealthiest magnates of his era, and ...

and his wife Beata of Mokrsko (died 30 April 1424). Through his marriage he was the Lord of

, a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Krosno County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship. He began construction of a castle there and in 1409 hosted King Władysław Jagiełło there. In 1431 Dobiesław founded a brick church in the

Gothic style Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

in the nearby town of Sienno, where he was born. With Jan Kobylański of Grzymała, he also besieged the city of

Malbork Malbork; ; * la, Mariaeburgum, ''Mariae castrum'', ''Marianopolis'', ''Civitas Beatae Virginis'' * Kashubian: ''Malbórg'' * Old Prussian: ''Algemin'' is a town in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. It is the seat of Malbork County and has a ...

. As a trusted advisor to the King he was a signatory to the Act of Union of Horodło of 1413 and he signed the peace in Brest Kujawski,Statuta, Prawa Y Constitucie Koronne Łacinskie Y Polskie z Statutow Łaskiego Y Herborta Y Z Constituciy Koronnych Zebrane, Kraków 1600, p749. on 31 December 1435. In 1440, he traveled with his nephew Zbigniew Oleśnicki, the

Bishop of Kraków A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

, to

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

on a diplomatic trip. He died in 1440.

Gallery

File:Ulrich von Jungingen.PNG, Death of Ulrich von Jungingen, detail of the painting by Jan Matejko, 1878 File:Hrunvaldzkaja bitva.jpg, Battle of Grunwald. Engraving by Marcin Bielski, 1564

Family

*Father:

Dobiesław Kurozwęcki Dobiesław - is an old Polish given name of Slavic origin built of two parts: dobie - "appropriate, brave" and sława - "glory, fame". Feminine form is: Dobiesława. The name may refer to: People * Dobiesław Kmita, a Polish nobleman, Lublin Vo ...

(d. 1397) politician and

Castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

of Kraków *Brother: Jan Oleśnicki (d. 1413) Starosta of Vilnius and a judge in Krakow *Brother: Zbigniew Oleśnicki *Son: Dymitr of Sienna (d. 1465),

of Sanok and Priest in Skalbmierski, Canon of

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

in 1452, and Gniezno from 1454, and heir to the Rymanowa *Son: Nicholas Sienna (d. 1484), Canon of Kraków, a '' Scholasticus'' from 1448, Canon of Gniezno from 1455,

Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...

of Sandomierz from 1478 *Son: Jan of Sienno and Oleska (died before 1477)

Lwów 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 ...

, '' Przemysl of the Chamber'' in 1439–1448, and

Starost The starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', german: link=no, Starost, Hauptmann) is a term of Slavic origin denoting a community elder whose role was to administer the assets of a clan or family estates. Th ...

of Sandomierz *Son: Jakob of Sienna (1413–1480),

Archbishop of Gniezno This is a list of archbishops of the Archdiocese of Gniezno, who are simultaneously primates of Poland since 1418.Bishop of Krakow A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

, Bishop of

Włocławek Włocławek (Polish pronunciation: ; german: Leslau) is a city located in central Poland along the Vistula (Wisła) River and is bordered by the Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park. As of December 2021, the population of the city is 106,928. Loc ...

*Son: Paul of Sienna (c. 1410–1444) the Royal Secretary (1439), royal courtier (1444) *Son: Andrzej Sienieński (d. 1494) Chamberlain of Sandomierz *Daughter: Dorothea of Sienna *Son: Zygmunt, died young *Son: Wiktor, died young *Son: Zbigniew, died young *Son: Marcin i Maciej, died young *Son-in-law:

Jan Koniecpolski Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...

(d. 1455) Chancellor of the Crown *Grandson: John Sienieński from Sienna and Oleska (d. between 1510 and 1513),

Małogoszcz Małogoszcz is a town in the Jędrzejów County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland. The Battle of Małogoszcz. one of the biggest battles of the 1863 January Uprising, took place there. Małogoszcz belongs to Lesser Poland; the name of the ...

*Grandson: Victor Sienieński (c. 1463–31 March 1530) Castellan of Małogoszcz *Grandson: John Sienieński from Sienna and Gołogór (d. after 1526), Castellan of Kamieniec

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobislaw z Olesnicy 1440 deaths People in the Battle of Grunwald Diplomats of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 15th-century Polish nobility Oleśnicki 14th-century births