The Kostka Napierski uprising () was a

peasant revolt This is a chronological list of conflicts in which peasants played a significant role. Background The history of peasant wars spans over two thousand years. A variety of factors fueled the emergence of the peasant revolt phenomenon, including: ...

in Poland in 1651. It took place at the same time as the more important

Khmelnytsky Uprising The Khmelnytsky Uprising,; in Ukraine known as Khmelʹnychchyna or uk, повстання Богдана Хмельницького; lt, Chmelnickio sukilimas; Belarusian: Паўстанне Багдана Хмяльніцкага; russian: � ...

, in the south-east part 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 ...

, and during the Swedish preparations to invade the Commonwealth.

Aleksander Kostka Napierski Aleksander Leon Kostka-Napierski (1620–1651), Polish captain during the Thirty Years' War in Swedish service, participant of battle in Germany and organizer of the Kostka-Napierski Uprising. According to the historian prof. Paweł Wieczorkiewic ...

was an adventurer and officer in the Polish army. During the revolt, he acted most likely as a spy for

Bohdan Khmelnytsky Bohdan Zynovii Mykhailovych Khmelnytskyi ( Ruthenian: Ѕѣнові Богданъ Хмелнiцкiи; modern ua, Богдан Зиновій Михайлович Хмельницький; 6 August 1657) was a Ukrainian military commander and ...

or 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 A ...

. He recruited his forces from among some rebellious

gorals The Gorals ( pl, Górale; Goral dialect: ''Górole''; sk, Gorali; Cieszyn Silesia dialect, Cieszyn Silesian: ''Gorole''), also known as the Highlanders (in Poland as the Polish Highlanders) are an indigenous ethnographic or ethnic group primar ...

Podhale Podhale (literally "below the mountain pastures") is Poland's southernmost region, sometimes referred to as the "Polish Highlands". The Podhale is located in the foothills of the Tatra range of the Carpathian mountains. It is the most famous ...

, a mountainous region in

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 ...

. They attacked and captured the castle of Czorsztyn in

Pieniny The Pieniny (sometimes also the PieninsSzafer, Władysław. 2013. ''The Vegetation of Poland: International Series of Monographs in Pure and Applied Biology''. Warsaw: Pergamon Press, pp. 156, 388. or the Pienin Mountains,Griffiths, Graham C. D. ...

. Napierski called on every peasant in Poland to rise and overthrow the

nobles Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

and remove them from their positions of power. His attempts to spread the revolt were totally unsuccessful. Napierski and his rebel group remained isolated in the castle, which was soon recaptured by the forces of

Piotr Gembicki Piotr Gembicki (10 October, 1585 – 14 July, 1657), Deputy Crown Chancellor and Bishop of Przemyśl from 1636, Grand Crown Chancellor from 1638, Bishop of Kraków from 1642 in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Biography Piotr Gembicki was bo ...

, 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 ...

. Napierski and the other leaders of the revolt were impaled. Research conducted by Polish historian

Adam Kersten Adam Kersten (26 April 1930 in Kutno - 11 January 1983 in Warsaw) was a Polish historian, expert on the Polish history in the 17th century. Member of the faculty at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University since 1955. From 1980 he was active in the So ...

has shown that many facts about Napierski and his plans are difficult or even impossible to bring to light. It is claimed that Napierski's attempt to lead a revolt by the peasants in Lesser Poland was aimed at disorganizing the Polish defence against Khmelnytsky's advancing armies. In fact, 2000 troops were sent by the king from Ukraine to crush the rebellion. Additionally, Napierski was executed before they had even reached Czorsztyn. Even without those troops, the Polish army won a decisive victory at the

Battle of Berestechko The Battle of Berestechko ( pl, Bitwa pod Beresteczkiem; uk, Берестецька битва, Битва під Берестечком) was fought between the Ukrainian Cossacks, led by Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky, aided by their Crimean Ta ...

External links

Filmpolski.pl ''Podhale w Ogniu''
(1955 film directed by

Jan Batory Jan Batory (23 August 1921 - 1 August 1981) was a Polish film director and screenwriter.http://guide_to_cinema.enacademic.com/15/Batory,_Jan Selected filmography References External links * 1921 births 1981 deaths People from Kalisz ...

and

Henryk Hechtkopf Henryk Hechtkopf ( he, הנריק הכטקופף; April 4, 1910 – July 2004) was an artist, painter, and illustrator. Biography Henryk Hechtkopf was an artist whose legacy is a rare collection of paintings in a variety of media, as well as il ...

based on the uprising)

Sources

* Kersten, Adam, 1970: ''Na tropach Napierskiego'', pp. 174–175. Warszawa * Łepkowski, Tadeusz, 1973: ''Słownik historii Polski''. Warszawa * Szczotka, Stanisław, 1951: ''Powstanie chłopskie pod wodzą Kostki-Napierskiego''. Warszawa: Ludowa Spółdzielnia Wydawnicza Conflicts in 1651 Rebellions in Poland Peasant revolts 17th-century rebellions History of Lesser Poland 1651 in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth {{Poland-hist-stub

See also

External links

Sources