Andrzej Leszczyński (1606–1651) was

Voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

Dorpat Voivodeship The Dorpat Voivodeship ( or ''województwo derpskie'') was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Duchy of Livonia, part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, from 1598 until the Swedish conquest of Livonia in the 1620 ...

, Imperial Count and a supporter of

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

Calvinists Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...

. He was a son of

Rafał Leszczyński (1579–1636) Rafał Leszczyński (October 1579 – 29 March 1636) was a Polish–Lithuanian noble and Imperial count. He was the castellan of Kalisz starting in 1618, he became the voivode of Bełz in 1620, and the starost of Hrubieszów in 1633. He was exte ...

Biography

Educated abroad, skilled diplomat, poet, advocate of France, friend of French diplomat count

Claude d'Avaux Claude de Mesmes, comte d'Avaux (; 1595–1650) was a 17th-century French diplomat and public administrator. He was sent in various missions to Venice, Rome, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and Poland by Richelieu. In 1635 he guided the negotiation ...

. After finishing his education in 1636, he returned to 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 ...

, and after the death of his father he inherited

Baranów Sandomierski Baranów Sandomierski is a small town in southern Poland, in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodship, Tarnobrzeg County on the Vistula River, with 1,420 inhabitants as of December 2021. Baranów lies near the Vistula river, along ...

and nearby lands in

Sandomierz Voivodeship Sandomierz Voivodeship (, ) was a unit of administration and local government in Poland from the 14th century to the partitions of Poland in 1772–1795. It was part of the Lesser Poland region and the Lesser Poland Province. Originally Sandomier ...

Stary Czartorysk Staryi Chortoryisk (, Romanization of Ukrainian, translit. ''Staryi Chortoryis'k'', ) is a village (''selo'') in north-western Ukraine. It is located on the bank of the Styr River in the Kamin-Kashyrskyi Raion of Volyn Oblast. One of the most anc ...

and Nowy Czartorysk in Wołyń Voivodeship, and starostwo dubieńskie. A Calvinist himself, he was tolerant of any religious minorities, and was a major protector of Calvinist churches in Baranów Sandomierski, Romanów and

Beresteczko Berestechko (, ) is a town in Lutsk Raion, Volyn Oblast, Ukraine. It is located on the Styr River. Population: History Berestechko received Magdeburg rights in 1547. Around the same era, Socinian communities were active in the town. In 1651 ...

. On 3 March 1641 he became the voivode of the Dorpat Voivodeship, but never became too involved in politics. He was married three times: first with Anna Korecka, then (in 1643) with Katarzyna Niemirycz (a Polish Brethren), and finally with Krystyna Kalinowska, widow of

Konstanty Wiśniowiecki Prince Konstanty Wiśniowiecki (1564–1641) was a Polish nobleman, voivode of Belz since 1636, of Ruthenia since 1638 and starost of Czerkasy and Kamieniec was a wealthy, powerful and influential magnate, experienced in both politics and warfa ...

. He had only one son, Samuel Leszczyński, born in 1637, who inherited his father's fortune. Though baptised Calvinist, his

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

uncle

Bogusław Leszczyński Bogusław Leszczyński, count of Leszno (1614–1659) from the Leszczyński Family of Holy Roman Empire counts, was a Polish noble (''szlachcic'') and politician from Wielkopolska region. Biography Traveled abroad from 1632-1636 with his tu ...

was his guardian, and brought up the boy as a Roman Catholic. He also closed down the Calvinist churches in Baranów Sandomierski and Beresteczko, which he saw as a threat to

Leszno Leszno (, , ) is a historic city in western Poland, seat of Leszno County within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the seventh-largest city in the province with an estimated population of 62,200, as of 2021. Leszno is a former residential cit ...

References

1606 births 1651 deaths Polish Calvinist and Reformed Christians

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 ...

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