The Lwów Oath ( pl, Śluby lwowskie) was an
oath
Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to g ...
made on April 1, 1656 by
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
king
John II Casimir
John II Casimir ( pl, Jan II Kazimierz Waza; lt, Jonas Kazimieras Vaza; 22 March 1609 – 16 December 1672) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1648 until his abdication in 1668 as well as titular King of Sweden from 1648 ...
in
Latin cathedral in the city of
Lwów (today
Lviv
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 Ukrain ...
, western
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
).
Background
During "
the Deluge
The Genesis flood narrative (chapters 6–9 of the Book of Genesis) is the Hebrew version of the universal flood myth. It tells of God's decision to return the universe to its pre- creation state of watery chaos and remake it through the microc ...
", when the Swedish armies invaded
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 Poland and Lithuania ru ...
, which was already
struggling with Muscovy, the
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 ...
of
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
,
Krzysztof Opaliński, surrendered
Greater Poland to Swedish king
Charles Gustav. Other areas also surrendered in rapid succession. Almost the whole country followed suit, with the Swedes entering
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
unopposed in August 1655 and John Casimir fleeing to
Silesia
Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...
, where he took refuge in the town of
Oberglogau ( pl, Głogówek) staying there in a local castle from October 17, 1655 until December 18 of the same year.
However, several places still resisted, most remarkably (and symbolically) the monastery at
Jasna Góra Jasna may refer to:
Places
* Jasna, a village in Poland
* Jasná, a village and ski resort in Slovakia
Other uses
* Jasna (given name), a Slavic female given name
* JASNA, the Jane Austen Society of North America
See also
* Yasna
Yasna (; (November 1655 to January 1656). The defense of Jasna Góra galvanized Polish resistance against the Swedes, as aggression on that place, perceived by Catholic Poles as the most holy sanctuary, created massive anti-Swedish sentiments. In December 1655 the
Tyszowce Confederation
The Tyszowce Confederation (Poland), Confederation (in Polish language, Polish ''Konfederacja tyszowiecka'') was set up by the Polish army under the command of Great Crown Hetman Stanisław Rewera Potocki and Field Crown Hetman Stanisław Lanckor ...
formed in support of the exiled John Casimir.
Spontaneous uprisings started all over the country, attacking the dispersed occupation forces — who, in their turn, retaliated. The uprisings soon merged under the leadership of Polish military leaders
Stefan Czarniecki
Stefan Czarniecki (Polish: of the Łodzia coat of arms, 1599 – 16 February 1665) was a Polish nobleman, general and military commander. In his career, he rose from a petty nobleman to a magnate holding one of the highest offices in the Com ...
and
Grand Hetman of Lithuania
Grand may refer to:
People with the name
* Grand (surname)
* Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor
* Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist
* Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper
Places
* Grand, Oklahoma
* Grand, Vosges, village and c ...
Paweł Jan Sapieha
Paul John Sapieha ( lt, Povilas Jonas Sapiega) (1609–1665) was a Polish–Lithuanian nobleman ( szlachcic).
Sapieha became a Hussar Rotmistrz in 1633, courtier in 1635, Obozny of Lithuania in 1638, Podstoli of Lithuania in 1645, voivode ...
, who started organized counterattacks in order to eliminate those loyal to Charles Gustav.
Considering these facts, John II Casimir decided to return. Trying to pass Swedish troops unexposed, he rode with only a small host from Silesia through
Carpathian Mountains, finally reaching Lwów in March 1656.
The Lwów Oath
As almost the whole country was occupied by the Swedish or
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
armies, the reason behind the vow was to incite the whole nation, including peasantry in the first place, to rise up against the invaders. Thus two main issues raised by the king in the vows were primarily - a necessity to protect the Catholic faith, seen as endangered by the Lutheran (and to some point
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
) aggressors, secondly - to manifest the will to improve the peasantry's condition.
On 1 April 1656, during a holy mass in Lwów's Cathedral conducted by the
papal legate Pietro Vidoni, John Casimir, in a grandiose and elaborate ceremony, entrusted the Commonwealth to the Blessed Virgin Mary's protection, whom he announced as ''The Queen of the Polish Crown and other of his countries''. He also swore to ''protect the Kingdom's folk from any impositions and unjust bondage''.
Today,
the Blessed Virgin Mary is known as the Queen of Poland.
After the King, a similar vow was taken by the
Deputy Chancellor of the Crown and 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 ...
Andrzej Trzebicki
Andrzej Trzebicki (23 November 1607 – 28 December 1679) was a nobleman and priest in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Deputy Chancellor of the Crown from 1652, bishop of Przemyśl since 1655, bishop of Kraków since 1658.
Loyal to king ...
in the name of the
szlachta noblemen of the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth forces finally drove back the Swedes in 1657 and the Russians in 1661. After the war, promises made by John Casimir in Lwów, especially those considering peasants' lot, were not fulfilled, mostly because of
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 ...
's objection. The Sejm represented the
szlachta nobility who were not attracted to the idea of reducing serfdom, which would negatively affect their economic interests.
Queen of Poland
Since the Lwów Oath
Holy Virgin Mary is commonly believed to have saved Poland
miraculously during the
Deluge
A deluge is a large downpour of rain, often a flood.
The Deluge refers to the flood narrative in the Biblical book of Genesis.
Deluge may also refer to:
History
*Deluge (history), the Swedish and Russian invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Com ...
,
Battle of Vienna,
Partitions of Poland,
Polish-Soviet War,
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
and the
Polish People's Republic
The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million ne ...
. She also is believed to have saved the
Polish-Lithuanian city of
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
during the
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...
in 1702.
See also
*
Deluge (history)
The Deluge ( pl, potop szwedzki, lt, švedų tvanas) was a series of mid-17th-century military campaigns in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In a wider sense it applies to the period between the Khmelnytsky Uprising of 1648 and the Truce ...
*
Siege of Jasna Góra
The siege of Jasna Góra (also known less accurately as the ''Battle of Częstochowa'', pl , Oblężenie Jasnej Góry) took place in the winter of 1655 during the Second Northern War, or 'The Deluge' – as the Swedish invasion of ...
*
Black Madonna of Częstochowa
The Black Madonna of Częstochowa ( pl, Czarna Madonna / Matka Boska Częstochowska; la, Imago thaumaturga Beatae Virginis Mariae Immaculatae Conceptae, in Claro Monte, lit=Miraculous Image of the Immaculate Conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary ...
References
*Zbigniew Wójcik, ''Jan Kazimierz Waza'', Ossolineum, Wrocław 1997, p. 115-118
External links
*Full text of the oath in English and Polish translation: http://polishfreedom.pl/en/document/sluby-lwowskie-jana-kazimierza
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lwow Oath
1656 in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
History of Lviv
Black Madonna of Częstochowa
Oaths
The Most Holy Virgin Mary, Queen of Poland
17th-century rebellions