Piotr Kmita Sobieński
Encyclopedia
Piotr Kmita Sobieński, Piotr Kmita Sobiński of the Kmita (Kmitowie) noble family, Count
of Wiśnicz
, Szreniawa, (Latin: Petrus Kmita de Wisnicze, Petrus Cmitha in Wissnicze, also Kmitha, Ukrainian:
Петро, Кміта, Slovak:
, Hungarian:
Peter Kmita of Sobnia, b. in 1477, d. 31 October 1553) was Grand Marshal of the Crown from 1529 onwards, voivode and starosta
of Kraków
, starosta of Spiš
(1522 – 1553), starosta of Przemyśl
, starosta of Koleński, Castellan
of Sandomierz
, one of the richest and most influential persons in contemporary Poland. He was the heir of 28 villages, including Wiśnicz
, Sobienia and many royal estates, among others, Lipnica Murowana
.
, who inherited from him, among others things, Lesko
and Zagórz
). Grandson of Jan Kmita and brother in law
to Jan Herburt. An educated person who was a lover of books. He gathered a considerable amount of books in the castle Wiśnicz. He was also an ardent supporter of Erasmus of Rotterdam.
, where he distinguished himself for his military valor and humanistic refinement. He fought the Tatars
in the Battle of Wisniowiec
and the Russians in the Battle of Orsha
, and in 1520 he took part in the war against the Teutonic Knights
. In 1518, he became Marshal of the Crown Court and in 1522 member of the Polish parliament on the Reich
of Nuremberg. In 1524 he defeated the Turkish army in Terebovl. In 1520 he received from Sigismund I the Old
the right to collect tributes on the roads to Ustjanowa Dolna
.
Kmita was one of the most trusted followers of Queen Bona Sforza
for the establishment of national factions in Hungary against the Habsburgs and the fight of the nobility for privileges at the end of Sigismund Augustus reign. He traveled to Hungary in support of John Zápolya
, and entered the so-called triumvirate
at Bőny
, alongside with Piotr Gamrat
and Andrzej Krzycki
. In 1532 he became castellan of Sandomierz, and starosta of Bőny in 1533. In 1535 he acquired the Sandomierz province, which in 1536 came to be part of Kraków. In 1523 he received from Emperor Charles V
, the title of Count of Wiśnicz
.
He was a patron of culture, his court in Wiśnicz was one of the finest centers of Polish Renaissance, gathering the era of the best minds of lawyers, writers and poets. Kmita financed the publishing poems of Klemens Janicki
, Stanislaw Orzechowski, and courtier Marcin Bielski
. He also aroused the admiration of his contemporaries in Europe like Desiderius Erasmus
, who dedicated his work to him. He was also a strong opponent of the Protestant Reformation
. Kmita died without descendants on 31 October 1553, and his funeral took place a month later. He was buried in the now defunct St. Anthony Chapel in the Wawel Cathedral, in his family mausoleum.
He is one of the characters on the famous painting by Jan Matejko
, Prussian Homage
.
, Premisliensi
, Sandecensem et Colensi capitaneus (1540).
Hrabia
Hrabia is the title used for a rank of Polish nobility roughly corresponding to that of a Count. An earlier counterpart, komes, was used for a non-hereditary office in Piast Poland and faded from use before the establishment of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.The wife of a hrabia is a hrabina,...
of Wiśnicz
Wisnicz
Wiśnicz is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Małogoszcz, within Jędrzejów County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It lies approximately west of Małogoszcz, north-west of Jędrzejów, and west of the regional capital Kielce.The village has a population of...
, Szreniawa, (Latin: Petrus Kmita de Wisnicze, Petrus Cmitha in Wissnicze, also Kmitha, Ukrainian:
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
Петро, Кміта, Slovak:
Slovak language
Slovak , is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages .Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, where it is spoken by 5 million people...
, Hungarian:
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
Peter Kmita of Sobnia, b. in 1477, d. 31 October 1553) was Grand Marshal of the Crown from 1529 onwards, voivode and starosta
Starosta
Starost is a title for an official or unofficial position of leadership that has been used in various contexts through most of Slavic history. It can be translated as "elder"...
of Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, starosta of Spiš
Spiš
Spiš is a region in north-eastern Slovakia, with a very small area in south-eastern Poland. Spiš is an informal designation of the territory , but it is also the name of one the 21 official tourism regions of Slovakia...
(1522 – 1553), starosta of Przemyśl
Przemysl
Przemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....
, starosta of Koleński, Castellan
Castellan
A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
of Sandomierz
Sandomierz
Sandomierz is a city in south-eastern Poland with 25,714 inhabitants . Situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship , previously in Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship . It is the capital of Sandomierz County . Sandomierz is known for its Old Town, a major tourist attraction...
, one of the richest and most influential persons in contemporary Poland. He was the heir of 28 villages, including Wiśnicz
Wisnicz
Wiśnicz is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Małogoszcz, within Jędrzejów County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It lies approximately west of Małogoszcz, north-west of Jędrzejów, and west of the regional capital Kielce.The village has a population of...
, Sobienia and many royal estates, among others, Lipnica Murowana
Lipnica Murowana
Lipnica Murowana is a village in southern Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Bochnia and south-east of the regional capital Kraków. It is the seat of the district called Gmina Lipnica Murowana, within Bochnia County....
.
Family
He was the younger son of Stanisław Kmita and Katarzyna of Tarnowski, husband of childless Barbara Kmita of HerburtówHerburtowo
Herburtowo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wieleń, within Czarnków-Trzcianka County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland.-References:...
, who inherited from him, among others things, Lesko
Lesko
Lesko ; is a town in south-eastern Poland with a population of 5,755 . situated in the Bieszczady mountains. It is located in the heartland of the Doły , and its average altitude is above sea level, although there are some hills located within the confines of the city...
and Zagórz
Zagórz
Zagórz is a town in Sanok County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland, on the river Osława in the Bukowsko Upland mountains, located near the towns of Medzilaborce and Palota...
). Grandson of Jan Kmita and brother in law
Kinship
Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....
to Jan Herburt. An educated person who was a lover of books. He gathered a considerable amount of books in the castle Wiśnicz. He was also an ardent supporter of Erasmus of Rotterdam.
Life
He spent his youth at the court of Emperor Maximilian IMaximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
, where he distinguished himself for his military valor and humanistic refinement. He fought the Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
in the Battle of Wisniowiec
Battle of Wisniowiec
The Battle of Wisniowiec took place on 28 April 1512.The combined Polish-Lithuanian forces under Grand Crown Hetman Mikołaj Kamieniecki and Grand Lithuanian Hetman Konstanty Ostrogski defeated the raid of the Crimean Tatars.The battle was fought in Lopuszno near Wisniowiec.The raids continued.In...
and the Russians in the Battle of Orsha
Battle of Orsha
The Battle of Orsha was fought on 8 September 1514, between the allied forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland, under the command of Hetman Konstanty Ostrogski, and the army of Grand Duchy of Moscow under Konyushy Ivan Chelyadnin and Kniaz Mikhail Golitsin...
, and in 1520 he took part in the war against the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
. In 1518, he became Marshal of the Crown Court and in 1522 member of the Polish parliament on the Reich
Reich
Reich is a German word cognate with the English rich, but also used to designate an empire, realm, or nation. The qualitative connotation from the German is " sovereign state." It is the word traditionally used for a variety of sovereign entities, including Germany in many periods of its history...
of Nuremberg. In 1524 he defeated the Turkish army in Terebovl. In 1520 he received from Sigismund I the Old
Sigismund I the Old
Sigismund I of Poland , of the Jagiellon dynasty, reigned as King of Poland and also as the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until 1548...
the right to collect tributes on the roads to Ustjanowa Dolna
Ustjanowa Dolna
Ustjanowa Dolna is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ustrzyki Dolne, within Bieszczady County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It lies approximately west of Ustrzyki Dolne and south-east of the regional capital Rzeszów....
.
Kmita was one of the most trusted followers of Queen Bona Sforza
Bona Sforza
Bona Sforza was a member of the powerful Milanese House of Sforza. In 1518, she became the second wife of Sigismund I the Old, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and became the Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania.She was the third child of Gian Galeazzo Sforza and his wife...
for the establishment of national factions in Hungary against the Habsburgs and the fight of the nobility for privileges at the end of Sigismund Augustus reign. He traveled to Hungary in support of John Zápolya
John Zápolya
John Zápolya was King of Hungary from 1526 to 1540. His rule was disputed by Archduke Ferdinand I, who also claimed the title King of Hungary between 1526 and 1540. He was the voivode of Transylvania before his coronation.- Biography :...
, and entered the so-called triumvirate
Triumvirate
A triumvirate is a political regime dominated by three powerful individuals, each a triumvir . The arrangement can be formal or informal, and though the three are usually equal on paper, in reality this is rarely the case...
at Bőny
Bony
Bony may refer to:* Adjective related to bone* Bony, a commune of the Aisne département, in France* Bőny, a village in Hungary* A nickname for Napoleon Bonaparte* The Bank of New York...
, alongside with Piotr Gamrat
Piotr Gamrat
Piotr Gamrat of Sulima arms was Archbishop of Gniezno and Primate of Poland.Gamrat was born in Samoklęski near Jasło, Poland. Early in his career, Gamrat was the royal secretary to Sigismund I the Old. Gamrat was bishop of Kamieniec since 1531, of Przemyśl since 1535, of Kraków since 1538 and...
and Andrzej Krzycki
Andrzej Krzycki
Andrzej Krzycki herbu Kotwicz was a Renaissance Polish writer and archbishop. Krzycki wrote in Latin prose, but wrote poetry in Polish. He is often considered one of Poland's greatest humanist writers....
. In 1532 he became castellan of Sandomierz, and starosta of Bőny in 1533. In 1535 he acquired the Sandomierz province, which in 1536 came to be part of Kraków. In 1523 he received from Emperor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
, the title of Count of Wiśnicz
Wisnicz
Wiśnicz is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Małogoszcz, within Jędrzejów County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It lies approximately west of Małogoszcz, north-west of Jędrzejów, and west of the regional capital Kielce.The village has a population of...
.
He was a patron of culture, his court in Wiśnicz was one of the finest centers of Polish Renaissance, gathering the era of the best minds of lawyers, writers and poets. Kmita financed the publishing poems of Klemens Janicki
Klemens Janicki
Klemens Janicki was one of the most outstanding Latin poets of the 16th century. -Biography:Janicki was born in Januszkowo, a village near Żnin, Poland, to a peasant family...
, Stanislaw Orzechowski, and courtier Marcin Bielski
Marcin Bielski
Marcin Bielski was a Polish chronicler and satirical poet. He was born of noble parentage on the patrimonial estate of Biała, Pajęczno County , in the Polish province of Sieradz. The name Wolski is derived from his estate at Wola...
. He also aroused the admiration of his contemporaries in Europe like Desiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus , known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and a theologian....
, who dedicated his work to him. He was also a strong opponent of the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. Kmita died without descendants on 31 October 1553, and his funeral took place a month later. He was buried in the now defunct St. Anthony Chapel in the Wawel Cathedral, in his family mausoleum.
He is one of the characters on the famous painting by Jan Matejko
Jan Matejko
Jan Matejko was a Polish painter known for paintings of notable historical Polish political and military events. His most famous works include oil on canvas paintings like Battle of Grunwald, paintings of numerous other battles and court scenes, and a gallery of Polish kings...
, Prussian Homage
Prussian Homage (painting)
The Prussian Homage is an oil on canvas painting by Polish painter Jan Matejko painted between 1879 and 1882 in Kraków, then part of Austria-Hungary. It depicts a tribute made by Albrecht Hohenzollern, the Duke of Prussia, to King Sigismund I the Old in the Kraków market square on 10 April 1525;...
.
Latin titles
Petrus Cmitha comitus a Vyssnycze, palatinus et capitaneus Cracoviensi, regni Poloniae supremus marsalcus ac ScepusiensiSpiš
Spiš is a region in north-eastern Slovakia, with a very small area in south-eastern Poland. Spiš is an informal designation of the territory , but it is also the name of one the 21 official tourism regions of Slovakia...
, Premisliensi
Przemysl
Przemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....
, Sandecensem et Colensi capitaneus (1540).
See also
For four of Piotr Kmita Sobieński's coat-of-arms see:- Srzeniawa z Krzyżem
- Leliwa, Tarnowska
- Oksza
- Wręby"