150px, right Mikołaj Mielecki h.

Gryf Gryf ( Polish for "Griffin"), also known as Jaxa, is a Polish coat of arms that was used by many noble families in medieval Poland and later under the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, branches of the original medieval Gryfita-Świebodzic fa ...

(ca. 1540 – 11 May 1585 in

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 ...

) 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 ...

and politician. Since 1569 Mielecki was the voivod of Podolian Voivodship, between 1578 and 1580 he also served in the Polish Army as the Grand Hetman of the Crown.

Biography

One of the most notable partisans of the

Habsburg 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 ...

faction in Poland, since 1562 he took part in various military campaigns to

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

under command of

Mikołaj Sieniawski Mikołaj Sieniawski (c. 1489 – 1569) was a notable Poland, Polish magnate, military commander and a prominent politician of his times. He built stone Brzeżany Castle round which the modern town of Berezhany has developed. Since 1539 Miko ...

. In 1579 he was the commander of all Polish armies in the war against

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow, Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar of all Russia, Tsar and Grand Prince of all R ...

, Grand Duke of

Muscovy Muscovy or Moscovia () is an alternative name for the Principality of Moscow (1263–1547) and the Tsardom of Russia (1547–1721). It may also refer to: *Muscovy Company, an English trading company chartered in 1555 *Muscovy duck (''Cairina mosch ...

. One of his most astonishing successes was capturing the city and the stronghold of

Połock 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 ...

. In 1579 he took the city of Sokol burning it and executing its defenders. Following various disagreements with

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

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 ...

he resigned his posts and retired from public life. Initially a lukewarm

Calvinist 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 Protestantism, Continenta ...

and a member of the

Polish Reformed Church The Polish Reformed Church, officially called the Evangelical Reformed Church in the Republic of Poland (Polish: ''Kościół Ewangelicko-Reformowany w RP'') is a historic Calvinistic Protestant church in Poland established in the 16th century ...

, in the late 1570s he converted to Catholicism, with his wife and children following him a few years later.

Marriage and issue

Mikołaj married

Elżbieta Radziwiłł Elżbieta or Elžbieta may refer to: * Elżbieta, Lublin Voivodeship, a village in eastern Poland * Elżbieta-Kolonia, a village in eastern Poland * Elżbieta, a Polish given name equivalent to Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: Peo ...

, the daughter of Hetman Mikołaj Czarny Radziwiłł in 1566 and had two children: * Zofia Mielecka (1566-1619), married to Prince Szymon Olelkowicz Słucki and later 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 ...

* Katarzyna Mielecka (born ca. 1568), married to Jan Ostroróg, voivode of

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

Bibliography

Jan Łasicki Jan Łasicki (; 1534–1602) was a Polish historian and theologian. He was well-educated and traveled extensively in Western Europe from 1556 to 1581. Around 1557 he converted to Calvinism, becoming a follower of the Unity of the brethren in 1567 ...

''Historia de ingressu Polonorum in Valachiam cum Bogdano Voivoda et caede Turcarum: ducibus Nicolao Mielecio et Nicolao Sieniawscio: A. 1572 ''
* Ryszard Przybyliński. ''Hetman wielki koronny Mikołaj Mielecki (ok. 1540-1585)''. Toruń 2002. * Marcin Spórna. ''Słownik najsłynniejszych wodzów i dowódców polskich''. Kraków 2006.

References

16th-century Polish nobility Great Crown Hetmans 1585 deaths Converts to Roman Catholicism from Calvinism Polish people of the Livonian campaign of Stephen Báthory Polish Roman Catholics Year of birth unknown Mikolaj {{Poland-noble-stub