Prince Michał Serwacy Wiśniowiecki (; 13 May 1680 – 18 September 1744) was a Polish- Lithuanian

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 ...

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 ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

, a successful military commander and the last male representative of the

Wiśniowiecki family The House of Wiśniowiecki () was a Polish-Lithuanian princely family of Ruthenian origin, notable in the history of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. They were powerful magnates with estates predominantly in the Ruthenian lands of the C ...

. He was the Lithuanian Field Hetman in 1703 and between 1707–1735,

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 ...

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

from 1703, Great Hetman of Lithuania in 1703-1707 and again in 1735. Regimentarz of the

Lithuanian army The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Navy, the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Special Operations Force. In wartime, the Lithuan ...

since 1730,

Voivode of Vilnius The Voivode of Vilnius (, ) was a high-ranking Voivode#Commonwealth of Poland–Lithuania, officer in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania who governed the Vilnius Voivodeship from 1413. He was considered as the most influential member of the Lithuanian Co ...

between 1706-1707 and 1735 and marshal of the Lithuanian Tribunal. Great Chancellor of Lithuania from 1720,

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

of 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' ...

from 11 June to 19 August 1703 in

Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...

and Governor of

Pinsk Pinsk (; , ; ; ; ) is a city in Brest Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Pinsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. It is located in the historical region of Polesia, at the confluence of t ...

, Vawkavysk, Hlyniany,

Tuchola Tuchola (; ) is a town in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland. The Pomeranian town, which is the seat of Tuchola County, had a population of 13,418 . Geographical location Tuchola lies about north of Bydgoszcz, close to th ...

, Wilkisk, Wilkowsk, Metel and

Merkinė Merkinė (also known by #Etymology, several other names) is a small town in Alytus County, which is located at the confluence of the Neman and Merkys rivers. The town belongs to the Varėna District Municipality and is located about 26 kilometers ...

. During the Lithuanian Civil War (1697–1702), Wiśniowiecki led the opposition against the Sapieha and defeated them in the battle of Valkininkai, burning their Ruzhany Palace to ashes. Supporter of

Augustus II the Strong Augustus II the Strong (12 May 1670 – 1 February 1733), was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1697 to 1706 and from 1709 until his death in 1733. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the H ...

till 1707, when he switched to

Stanisław Leszczyński Stanisław I Leszczyński (Stanisław Bogusław; 20 October 1677 – 23 February 1766), also Anglicized and Latinized as Stanislaus I, was twice King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and at various times Prince of Deux-Ponts, Duk ...

's side. In the same year imprisoned by the Russians, since 1709 was exiled. In 1716, when he accepted Augustus II the Strong's rule, he returned to the country. In 1733, he supported the Russian intervention and forced election of

Augustus III Augustus III (; – "the Saxon"; ; 17 October 1696 5 October 1763) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1733 until 1763, as well as Elector of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire where he was known as Frederick Augustus II (). He w ...

. Wiśniowiecki was one of the wealthiest magnates 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 ...

and his burial ceremony in Wiśniowiec is considered as the most lavish of the 18th century in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Early life and family

Because Wiśniowiecki's biological father died young, he and his older brother were raised by their stepfather, Jan Karol Dolski. Michał studied at the Jesuit college in

Lviv 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 ...

, where he graduated in 1695. At the same time, his stepfather died and Wiśniowiecki's mother, desiring to keep the property and the wealth of her deceased husband, quickly arranged marriage of his daughter Catherine with Michał, although he was just 15 years old. The wedding took place without any publicity, in order to silence the protests of Catherine's family, who would confiscate her rightful estates and the money. Shortly after the wedding he left his wife in Poland and went on a trip abroad, during which he spent a year in the military academy in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. From abroad he returned in 1697 to take part in the new election of a king, during which he supported the candidacy of the Wettin family member and Elector of Saxony,

. At the same time, a conflict erupted between Michał and his mother about the former wealth of his stepfather. In this case the possession conflict also concerned his wife. Eventually, Michał and his brother inherited the fortune that Dolski left, however, this greatly and negatively influenced the relationship with his mother.

Political and military career

Lithuanian Civil War in 1700

Wiśniowiecki's proper political career began on the eve of the Lithuanian Civil War in 1700, when he was the leader of the opposition against Sapieha family clan and defeated them in the battle of Valkininkai, turning their Ruzhany Palace to ashes.

Great Northern War (1700-1721)

Civil war in Poland (1704–1706)

After becoming Speaker of the Parliament in

, in 1703, the noble Diet appointed him Lithuanian Field Hetman, Castellan of Vilnius and eventually he gained the title of the Great Hetman of Lithuania. Throughout the civil war period in the early eighteenth century, Wiśniowiecki supported Augustus II, but only few months after Augustus' abdication in 1707, he switched sides only to favour the new king Stanisław I Leszczyński. Moreover, Michał was forced to give back the title of a Hetman and the province of Vilnius. After the defeat of the Swedish army at the

Battle of Poltava The Battle of Poltava took place 8 July 1709, was the decisive and largest battle of the Great Northern War. The Russian army under the command of Tsar Peter I defeated the Swedish army commanded by Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld. The battle would l ...

that Wiśniowiecki aided and supported, he was forced (from the Russian side) to give up his family and possessions. After his refusal on 8 September 1709 he was immediately imprisoned by the Russian Imperial Army. Despite the intercession of many people, including king Augustus II himself, who then returned to Poland, Tsar Peter I was not going to release the prince, whom he considered a traitor and a liar. Only after a year Michał managed to escape, but for a long time he was unable to return to the country where the Russian troops remained and stationed, especially in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. After several years of trying to restore the Leszczyński family on the Polish throne, and after heavy negotiations with Augustus, in spring of 1716 Wiśniowiecki returned to Poland, but the prince could not count on retaining his former titles and posts as these were already occupied by strong supporters and loyal friends of the king. It was only in 1720 that the post of Chancellor of Lithuania became vacant and after some hesitation, the king allowed Michał to become the Chancellor. Also during this time he was awarded the Order of the White Eagle.

Commander of the Lithuanian military

After the death of the Great Lithuanian Hetman Ludwik Pociej (1730), Prince Michał renewed his efforts to recover the title of a Hetman. But the king refused to trust him and Wiśniowiecki only received the position of commander-General (''Regimentarz'') in practice, however - in the absence of the Hetman - the monarch granted him full authority and command over the Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army.

War of the Polish Succession (1734-1738)

After the death of Tsar Peter I, Wiśniowiecki improved his relations with Russia and, therefore, in the course of the 1733 election he supported the election of

. As one of the few magnates he took part in the king's coronation in

Wawel Cathedral The Wawel Cathedral (), formally titled the Archcathedral Basilica of Stanislaus of Szczepanów, Saint Stanislaus and St. Wenceslas, Saint Wenceslaus, () is a Catholic cathedral situated on Wawel Hill in Kraków, Poland. Nearly 1000 years old, it ...

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

and, ironically, later fought against the supporters of Stanisław Leszczyński, although he himself preferred not to be involved in this conflict. In return for his services to the new king, in 1735 Michał fully regained the title of Hetman. He also received numerous counties, towns, villages and towards the end of his life Wiśniowiecki has become one of the strongest magnates in the Grand Duchy and the Eastern parts of the Commonwealth.

Death and Funeral

He died on 16 September 1744 in the town of

. His third wife, Tekla Róża Radziwiłł organized an extravagant and lavish funeral that lasted nearly three days. During the ceremony, the guards presented the mourners and the audience with 12 portraits of his ancestors and a ceremonial breaking of the shield was conducted as a sign of extinction of the noble family.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wisniowiecki, Michal Serwacy Secular senators of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Field Hetmans of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Great Hetmans of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania 1680 births 1744 deaths Military personnel from Lviv Michal Serwacy Wisniowiecki Grand chancellors of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Voivode of Vilnius Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)