Samuel Zborowski (died 1584) was a Polish military commander and a notable member of the ''
szlachta'' (Polish nobility). He is best remembered for having been executed by supporters of the Polish king
Stefan Batory
Stefan may refer to:
* Stefan (given name)
* Stefan (surname)
* Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname
* Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname
* Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer
* Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...
and chancellor
Jan Zamoyski
Jan Sariusz Zamoyski ( la, Ioannes Zamoyski de Zamoscie; 19 March 1542 – 3 June 1605) was a Polish nobleman, magnate, and the 1st '' ordynat'' of Zamość. He served as the Royal Secretary from 1565, Deputy Chancellor from 1576, Grand Cha ...
; an event which caused much uproar among the contemporary Polish nobility.
Biography
Son of
Marcin Zborowski and brother to Andrzej,
Jan
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 Num ...
,
Krzysztof and
Piotr, Samuel was an heir of a significant fortune within Poland. His family was notable for its wealth and influence at the royal court of Poland, his father was a
castellan 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 ...
and his brother Jan was a personal secretary of the king
Sigismund II of Poland
Sigismund II Augustus ( pl, Zygmunt II August, lt, Žygimantas Augustas; 1 August 1520 – 7 July 1572) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. He was the first rule ...
and one of the most influential people of the epoch.
Zborowski rose to the power of a Royal ''
rotmistrz
__NOTOC__
(German and Scandinavian for "riding master" or "cavalry master") is or was a military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in the armies of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A ''Rittmeister'' is typic ...
'' at the court of Sigismund II. The title, quite prestigious at the time, was seen as a base for further titles and powers. After Sigismund's death and the election of
Henry III de Valois as the next
King of Poland, a tournament was held at the
Wawel Castle
The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established o ...
in honour of the new monarch on 23 February 1574. Zborowski had the honour of throwing his
gauntlet as the first knight, yet his proposal of a fight was not responded by any respectable nobleman. Instead, the gauntlet was taken up by certain Karwat, one of non-noble soldiers of the
castellan of
Wojnice Jan Tęczyński. After Karwat defeated Zborowski's servant in a duel, Zborowski felt this as a serious offence and attacked Tęczyński himself, in the presence of a new monarch. Castellan of
Przemyśl Andrzej Wapowski
Andrzej is the Polish form of the given name Andrew.
Notable individuals with the given name Andrzej
* Andrzej Bartkowiak (born 1950), Polish film director and cinematographer
* Andrzej Bobola, S.J. (1591–1657), Polish saint, missionary and m ...
tried to calm down the fighters, but was hit with Zborowski's
mace and was badly hurt. Wapowski refused to rest and instead started a campaign against Zborowski; his wound got infected and he died a week later. Although a murder committed during a
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 ...
(Polish parliament) or in presence of a monarch was punishable by death, the new king did not want to start conflicts with the mighty family of Zborowski and sentenced him to
banishment
Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...
, without
infamy
Infamy, in common usage, is the notoriety gained from a negative incident or reputation (as opposed to fame). The word stems from the Latin ''infamia'', antonym of ''fama'' (in the sense of "good reputation").
Roman law
In Roman law, it took ...
.
Zborowski fled Poland even before the verdict was presented and joined the court of
Stefan Batory
Stefan may refer to:
* Stefan (given name)
* Stefan (surname)
* Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname
* Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname
* Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer
* Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...
, then the Prince of
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
. After several months Henry III renounced his kingship of Poland in favour of the kingship of France. Three years afterwards Batory was elected his successor. Zborowski returned to Poland, expecting that his brothers, some of the most notable supporters of Batory's candidacy, would raise to even greater fame and wealth after the new monarch arrived. However, most of the important offices were taken by the supporters of
Jan Zamoyski
Jan Sariusz Zamoyski ( la, Ioannes Zamoyski de Zamoscie; 19 March 1542 – 3 June 1605) was a Polish nobleman, magnate, and the 1st '' ordynat'' of Zamość. He served as the Royal Secretary from 1565, Deputy Chancellor from 1576, Grand Cha ...
and the Zborowski brothers gradually lost importance. This made them enemies of the new king and two of them, namely
Andrzej
Andrzej is the Polish form of the given name Andrew.
Notable individuals with the given name Andrzej
* Andrzej Bartkowiak (born 1950), Polish film director and cinematographer
* Andrzej Bobola, S.J. (1591–1657), Polish saint, missionary and ...
and
Krzysztof, started to plot with the courts of Moscow and Vienna against the life of the monarch. Samuel tried to rehabilitate himself by raising a
Cossack regiment and taking part in the war against
Muscovy and the
Velikiye Luki
Velikiye Luki ( rus, Вели́кие Лу́ки, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪjə ˈlukʲɪ; lit. ''great meanders''. Г. П. Смолицкая. "Топонимический словарь Центральной России". "Армада-П ...
(Wielkie Łuki) Campaign of 1580, where he proved to be a courageous warrior. However, the sentence was not changed and the Zborowskis received no reward or recognition for their efforts. Samuel then moved to
Dzikie Pola region where he was a celebrity among the
Cossacks; together they carried several raids against the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, angering king Batory, who wanted to pursue a policy of appeasement with Ottomans.
In 1584
Wojciech Długoraj
Wojciech Długoraj (c. 1557 - after 1619), also called Wiecesław Długoraj, Adalbert Długoraj and Gostinensis, was a Polish Renaissance composer and lutenist.
Biography
His birthplace is unknown, with Polish Gostyń and Ukrainian Gostynets ...
, a notable composer and
virtuoso lutenist
A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted.
More specifically, the term "lute" can re ...
in Zborowski's service who was maltreated by him, turned several incriminating letters written between the Zborowski brothers (Krzysztof and Samuel) to their enemy
Jan Zamoyski
Jan Sariusz Zamoyski ( la, Ioannes Zamoyski de Zamoscie; 19 March 1542 – 3 June 1605) was a Polish nobleman, magnate, and the 1st '' ordynat'' of Zamość. He served as the Royal Secretary from 1565, Deputy Chancellor from 1576, Grand Cha ...
. In these letters they described their preparations for the assassination of the king. Batory told Zamoyski that Zborowski should be executed; however as he had no power to issue such an order, Zamoyski would act on the basis of the 1574 banishment sentence. In May 1584 Zborowski entered the area of
Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a ...
(Małopolska), which was then under jurisdiction of Jan Zamoyski. He was arrested in
Piekary and executed on 26 May 1584 at the
Wawel
The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established o ...
hill by
beheading. Długoraj was forced to flee to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
for fear of Zborowski's heirs, who swore revenge.
Despite the fact that the execution was fully lawful, it was seen by many of the
szlachta, most notably by the Protestants, as an act of vengeance or abuse of monarch power, a warning to the dangers of
absolutism (especially pronounced given the power of Poland's nobility, amounting to a quasi-democracy). Zborowski would be remembered by many as a martyr.
His brothers moved to avenge him and tried to gain support from other nobles. At the November 1585 local sejmik, Krzysztof Zborowski and his men filled the church where the meeting was to take place (and where Zamoyski was to appear) and disrupted the proceedings with brandished weapons, openly calling for the other nobles to hand over Zamoyski. The proceedings were moved to the graveyard, where Zborowski proceeded to "filibuster" by ringing the church bell. Two different marshals were elected at the meeting, one by Zborowski's supporters and one by the opposition, and resolutions were only slowly passed, one of which asked the national Sejm to consider the legality of Zamoyski executing Zborowski.
Earlier that year, at the ''
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 ...
'' of January 1585 two of Zborowski's brothers were tried for their plans and Krzysztof was banished. During the proceedings, evidence against Krzysztof Zborowski amounted, including a letter in which he discussed killing the king. Bathory summoned Krzysztof to appear, but he did not. The second Zborowski was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. This finally broke the power of the once mighty family.
See also
*
Stanislaus of Szczepanów
Stanislaus of Szczepanów ( pl, Stanisław ze Szczepanowa; 26 July 1030 – 11 April 1079) was Bishop of Kraków known chiefly for having been martyred by the Polish king Bolesław II the Generous. Stanislaus is venerated in the Roman Ca ...
*
Zborowski family
Zborowski (feminine Zborowska, plural Zborowscy) is a Polish surname. It may refer to:
* Andriy Zborovskyi (born 1986), Ukrainian footballer
* Eliot Zborowski (1858–1903), American racing driver
* Helmut Zborowski (1905–1969), Austrian aircra ...
References
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zborowski, Samuel
16th-century births
1584 deaths
16th-century Polish nobility
People executed by Poland by decapitation
Samuel Zborowski
Samuel Zborowski (died 1584) was a Polish military commander and a notable member of the ''szlachta'' (Polish nobility). He is best remembered for having been executed by supporters of the Polish king Stefan Batory and chancellor Jan Zamoyski; an ...
People executed by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Executed Polish people
Polish people of the Livonian campaign of Stephen Báthory