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Stanisław Żółkiewski (; 1547 – 7 October 1620) was a Polish
nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...
of the Lubicz coat of arms, a
magnate The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...
, military commander, and Chancellor of the Polish Crown in the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...
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 of
Castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...
of
Lwów Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
(from 1590),
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of Kiev Province, and Great Chancellor of the Crown (from 1618). From 1588 he was also a Field Crown
Hetman ''Hetman'' is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders (comparable to a field marshal or imperial marshal in the Holy Roman Empire). First used by the Czechs in Bohemia in the 15th century, ...
, and in 1618 was promoted to Grand Hetman of the Crown. He won major battles against
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
,
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
, and the
Tatars Tatars ( )Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary
are a group of Turkic peoples across Eas ...
. Żółkiewski's best-known victory was against combined Russian and Swedish forces at the 1610 battle of Klushino, in whose wake the Poles seized and occupied Moscow. He died in the 1620 Battle 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 the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...
.


Life


Youth

Stanisław Żółkiewski was born in the village of (then
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...
, now western
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
) in 1547 to of the Lubicz coat of arms,
voivode of Ruthenia The Ruthenian Voivodeship (; ; ) was a voivodeship of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland from 1434 until the First Partition of Poland in 1772, with its center in the city of Lwów (lat. Leopolis) (modern day Lviv). Together with a number of ot ...
, and Zofia Lipska. The exact date of his birth is unknown, and even the year is disputed: most sources agree on 1547, although a few suggest 1550. Żółkiewski attended a cathedral school in
Lwów Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
(now Lviv, Ukraine). 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. In 1566 he joined the court of King
Sigismund II Augustus Sigismund II Augustus (, ; 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 ruler of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and t ...
, as an aid to the king's secretary
Jan Zamoyski Jan Sariusz Zamoyski (; 19 March 1542 – 3 June 1605) was a Polish nobleman, magnate, statesman and the 1st '' ordynat'' of Zamość. He served as the Royal Secretary from 1565, Deputy Chancellor from 1576, Grand Chancellor of the Crown f ...
. There he became familiar with the executionist movement, which advocated numerous reforms including military ones. In 1573 he took part in the
diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes ...
to France, sent to meet a newly elected king
Henry III of France Henry III (; ; ; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575. As the fourth son of King Henry II of France, he ...
, and on his way back he was sent to
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
to appease the
Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
.


Early career

Żółkiewski gained his first military experience under King Stefan Batory during the Danzig rebellion in which he commanded a rota of
Polish hussars The Polish hussars (; ), alternatively known as the winged hussars, were an elite heavy cavalry formation active in Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Poland and in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1503 to 1702. Their epithet is derived fr ...
. He subsequently participated in Batory's Livonian campaign, fighting at
Polotsk Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it has a pop ...
, Rossony (Sokół), Velizh and at the Siege of Pskov. Żółkiewski maintained his political alliance with the Zamoyski family after those campaigns ended, particularly in their conflict with the Zborowscy. On the night of 11 to 12 May 1584 he captured Samuel Zborowski, whose subsequent execution caused much controversy. Żółkiewski became notorious for his role in the incident, and was the subject of heated debates during the
Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...
of 1585. In 1588, during the
War of the Polish Succession The War of the Polish Succession (; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a civil war in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth over the succession to Augustus II the Strong, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of ...
between factions of
Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa (, ; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. Re ...
and Maximilian III, Żółkiewski supported Sigismund. Żółkiewski commanded the right flank of Commonwealth forces in the battle of Byczyna, during which he received a knee wound that lamed him for the remainder of his life. For his part in the battle he was appointed a
Field Crown Hetman Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a gras ...
, and became the
starost Starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', ) is a community elder in some Slavic lands. The Slavic root of "starost" translates as "senior". Since the Middle Ages, it has designated an official in a leadersh ...
of
Hrubieszów Hrubieszów (; ; , or ) is a town in southeastern Poland, with a population of around 18,212 (2016). It is the capital of Hrubieszów County within the Lublin Voivodeship. Throughout history, the town's culture and architecture was strongly shaped ...
.


Field Crown Hetman

Soon after becoming a Hetman, Żółkiewski was sent to
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
to repel a Tatar invasion. In 1590 he became the
castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...
of Lwów, but his requests for military reinforcements against the Tatars went unheeded. In 1595 Żółkiewski participated in the Moldavian campaign and the battle of Cecora near the
Prut river The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , ) is a river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube, and is long. Part of its course forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine. Characteristics The Prut originates on the eas ...
. The following year he defeated the
Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...
uprising of Severyn Nalivaiko. 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 in
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, 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 victorious battle of Bukowo. In 1601 Żółkiewski operated in the north, in
Livonia Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia. By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...
(Inflanty), during the
Polish–Swedish War This is a List of wars between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden. Broadly construed, the term refers to a series of wars between 1562 and 1814. More narrowly, it refers to particular wars between 1600 and 1629. These are the wars ...
. He also took part in the successful siege of Wolmar, and in 1602 the taking of Fellin. That same year he led Polish forces at the battle of Reval, which led to a Swedish capitulation at the siege of Biały Kamień. Żólkiewski became ill near the end of the campaign and had to relinquish command of his forces to Hetman
Jan Karol Chodkiewicz Jan Karol Chodkiewicz (; 1561 – 24 September 1621) was a Polish–Lithuanian identity, Polish–Lithuanian military commander of the Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army, who was from 1601 Field Hetman of Lithuania, and from 1605 Grand Hetman of Lit ...
. In 1606 Żółkiewski returned to Ukraine, where he defeated the Tatars at the battle of Udycz. Later that year he decided to support the king during the Zebrzydowski rebellion. His decision was not an obvious one, as his mentor Zamoyski opposed the king. Additionally, Żółkiewski was related to the Zebrzydowski family and was sympathetic to some of the rebels' arguments. In the
battle of Guzów The Battle of Guzów () took place on 5 July 1607, at the village of Guzów (Szydłowiec County), Guzów in Szydłowiec County, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The confrontation was between the forces of the Zebrzydowski Rebellion (10,000 inf ...
he commanded the left flank of the royal forces, but his troops took relatively little part in the battle. Unimpressed with Żółkiewski's performance, the king did not give him the Grand Crown Hetmanship that he coveted, although he was appointed to the office of the voivode of Kiev. In the second half of 1609, Żółkiewski took part in the Polish–Russian War (also known as the ''Dymitriads''). He supported the election of
Władysław IV Vasa Władysław IV Vasa or Ladislaus IV (9 June 1595 – 20 May 1648) was King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania and claimant of the thrones of Monarchy of Sweden, Sweden and List of Russian monarchs, Russia. Born into the House of Vasa as a prince ...
for the title of
tsar of Russia The Tsar of all Russia, formally the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, was the title of the Russian monarch from 1547 to 1721. During this period, the state was a tsardom. The first Russian monarch to be crowned as tsar was Ivan ...
and the idea of a
personal union A personal union is a combination of two or more monarchical states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, involves the constituent states being to some extent in ...
between the Commonwealth and the Tsardom of Russia (the Polish–Lithuanian–Muscovite Commonwealth). During the De la Gardie Campaign in 1610 he achieved another significant victory against combined Russian and Swedish forces at the battle of Klushino. As a result of his successful campaign Żółkiewski seized Moscow and captured the
tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
Vasiliy Shuisky and his brothers, Ivan Shuisky and Dmitry Shuisky. Sigismund rejected Żółkiewski's political plan however, which would have required Władysław to convert to
Orthodoxy Orthodoxy () is adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream- or classically-accepted creed, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical co ...
. Żółkiewski began to write his memoirs after his return from Russia. The ''Początek 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 of Stanisław 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 project ''O chowaniu żołnierza kwarcianego'' (''On the raising of the kwarciane 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.


Final years

Żółkiewski's popularity waned in the latter years of his career. He was accused of not supporting Samuel Korecki during the battle of Sasowy Róg in 1616, of signing the Treaty of Jaruga (Busza) in 1617 which relinquished influence in some borderlands to Moldova and the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
; and of failing to stop the Tatars at the battle of Orynin in 1618. But in 1618 he finally received his coveted
buława The buława (') is a type of ceremonial mace used in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as a symbol of high military authority, primarily by hetmans but also by kings, who were the supreme commanders of the armed forces. The buława was the ...
of the Grand Crown Hetman, and shortly afterwards the office of Grand Crown Chancellor. 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. 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 the battle of Cecora against the Turks, during the Polish–Ottoman War (1620–1621) which marked the end of the Moldavian campaigns. 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. 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). :File:Cecora 1620 111.JPG 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. Żółkiewski was buried in St Lawrence Church in
Żółkiew Zhovkva is a List of cities in Ukraine, city in Lviv Raion, Lviv Oblast (Oblast, region) of western Ukraine. Zhovkva hosts the administration of Zhovkva urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Its population is approximately History A ...
(now Zhovkva, Ukraine), the town he enlarged and where he built the Żółkiew Castle.


Remembrance

Żółkiewski's heroic death – portrayed in several works of art by contemporaries such as and Stanisław Witkowski – boosted his reputation and guaranteed him a place among the pantheon of the most famous of Polish military commanders. In the years following his death he was mentioned in the works of writers such as Stefan Żeromski,
Józef Szujski Józef Szujski (16 June 1835 – 7 February 1883) was a Polish politician, historian, poet and professor of the Jagiellonian University. Life Szujski was born on 16 June 1835 in Tarnów. He studied at Tarnów, then at Kraków (1854) and at Vi ...
, Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz and Maria Konopnicka. 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". A monument was built at the site of Żółkiewski's death (now in Berezovca in
Ocnița District Ocnița () is a district () in the north of Moldova, with the administrative center at Ocnița. The other major cities are Otaci and Frunză, Ocnița, Frunză. As of 1 January 2011, its population was 56,100. History The first evidence of a loc ...
,
Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
) by his son Jan, in 1621. It is inscribed with a motto from
Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...
: "'' Quam dulce et decorum est pro patria mori''" (How sweet and fitting it is to die for one's country). The monument was destroyed in 1868, rebuilt in 1912, and renovated in 2003. It is a venue for events organized by the Polish minority in Moldova. In 1903 a statue of Żółkiewski was built in Źółkiew, but it was demolished in 1939 by Soviet troops in the aftermath of the
Soviet invasion of Poland The Soviet invasion of Poland was a military conflict by the Soviet Union without a formal declaration of war. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Second Polish Republic, Poland from the east, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Polan ...
. In modern Poland Źółkiewski is celebrated as a military hero, but modern Russia's Unity Day instead celebrates the anniversary of the surrender of the Polish forces he installed in the Moscow garrison. As of 2011, the St. Lawrence's Church and castle in Źółkwia were being renovated by a team of Polish and Ukrainian conservators.


Family and assets

Żółkiewski was married to Regina Herbutówna; they had a son, , and two daughters, Katarzyna and Zofia. Over the course of his career Żółkiewski amassed a large fortune, and acquired lands near Boryspil,
Brody Brody (, ; ; ; ) is a city in Zolochiv Raion, Lviv Oblast, Zolochiv Raion, Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine. It is located in the valley of the upper Styr, Styr River, approximately northeast of the oblast capital, Lviv. Brody hosts the administrati ...
,
Vinnytsia Vinnytsia ( ; , ) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug. It serves as the administrative centre, administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast. It is the largest city in the historic region of Podillia. It also s ...
and Żółkiew. His annual income of more than 100,000 zlotys made him one of the wealthiest
magnate The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...
s in the Commonwealth. Żółkiewski's assets were eventually inherited by Jakub Sobieski, whose son Jan became a Polish king and another renowned Polish commander.


Works

* ''Początek i progres wojny moskiewskiej'' (''On the Beginning and the End of the Muscovite War'', also known as The Beginning and Progress of the Muscovy War) – Żółkiewski's memoires describing his campaigns and diplomatic activity, written in the third person, and presenting a concise account of the
Polish–Muscovite War (1605–1618) Polish–Muscovite War can refer to: * Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars * Polish–Muscovite War (1605–18) * Smolensk War (1631–34) * Russo-Polish War (1654–67) {{Disambiguation ...
.


See also

* Army of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth *
List of Poles This is a partial list of notable Polish people, Polish or Polish language, Polish-speaking or -writing people. People of partial Polish heritage have their respective ancestries credited. Physics *Miedziak Antal * Czesław Białobrzesk ...
* *


References


Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zolkiewski, Stanislaw Secular senators of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1547 births 1620 deaths Field Crown Hetmans Great Crown Hetmans Polish military writers Polish Roman Catholics Ruthenian nobility of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Polish military personnel killed in action Polish people of the Livonian campaign of Stephen Báthory People of the Polish–Ottoman War (1620–21) Date of birth unknown Stanislaw Voivodes of Kiev