Stanislaw Koniecpolski
Encyclopedia
Stanisław Koniecpolski (1590 or 1594 – 11 March 1646) was a Polish noble (szlachcic
), magnate
, official
(starosta
and castellan
), governor of Sandomierz
from 1625, and Crown Field Hetman
and later Crown Grand Hetman (second-highest military commander
, after the King) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
.
Koniecpolski's life involved almost constant warfare. Before he had reached the age of 20, he had fought in the Dymitriads and the Moldavian Magnate Wars
, and he was captured by Ottoman
forces at the Battle of Cecora (Ţuţora)
(1620). After release in 1623, he defeated the Ottomans' Tatar
vassal
s several times in 1624–26.
With inferior numbers, he fought the Swedish
forces of Gustavus Adolphus to a stalemate in Prussia
. Koniecpolski engaged the Swedes again several times, but was repulsed during the second phase of the Polish-Swedish War (1626–29), which ended in the Truce of Altmark
. Later he defeated a major Turkish invasion at Kamieniec Podolski
(Kamianets-Podilskyi), Ukraine
, in 1634. Over his military career, he led many successful campaigns against rebelling Cossacks and invading Tatars.
Koniecpolski is regarded as one of the most capable military commanders in the history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
.
Stanisław Koniecpolski was born between 1590 and 1594 into the szlachta
and magnate
family of Koniecpolski
, likely at their seat in Koniecpol
. His father was Aleksander Koniecpolski, a wealthy magnate, voivode (palatine
) of Sieradz
, a staunch supporter of King Sigismund III
of the Swedish House of Vasa
. His mother was Anna Sroczycka, daughter of Stanisław Sroczycki, voivode of Kamieniec Podolski
, who brought into the Koniecpolski family large estates
in Podole
. Stanisław's brothers were Krzysztof Koniecpolski (chorąży koronny, voivode of Bełsk from 1641), Remigiusz Koniecpolski
(bishop of Chełm, died 1640), Jan Koniecpolski (castellan
and voivode of Sieradz
) and Przedbor Koniecpolski (died 1611).
Stanisław Koniecpolski had a speech impediment, and throughout life he stuttered on longer words. When he was 15, his father's influence at the royal court
got him the Commonwealth district office of starosta
(mayor) of Wieluń
. Around that time (1603) he studied at the Kraków Academy
. After several years of studies, he was sent by his father to the royal court to continue his education in a more practical fashion; he stayed there a year or two. He may also have undertaken a several months' tour of Western Europe
, mainly France. Afterward Koniecpolski returned home to his family's estates.
Koniecpolski chose to follow a military career. In 1610 he took part in the Dymitriads against Muscovy. He participated in the Battle of Klushino
(4 July 1610). During the Siege of Smolensk, on 8 July 1611, the collapsing fortress walls killed his brother Przedbor, and Stanislaw returned to Koniecpol with his body. In autumn of the same year he rejoined the army and, under the command of Grand Lithuanian Hetman
Jan Karol Chodkiewicz
, took part in the effort to relieve and supply the besieged
Polish forces in the Moscow Kremlin
. During that time, he was entrusted by the Hetman with command of the right flank
of the Polish forces.
In 1612 Koniecpolski joined the wojsko kwarciane
(regular Commonwealth army) in Ukraine under the command of Hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski, who greatly influenced his career. In 1614 he was entrusted with destroying rebellious wojsko kwarciane units led by Jan Karwacki. On 17 May, with Jan Żółkiewski, he won the Battle of Rohatyn and captured Karwacki. In 1615 he married Żółkiewski's daughter Katarzyna (Catherine). Soon after the wedding, he received the official rank of podstoli koronny.
In 1615–16 Koniecpolski gained experience in Ukraine
, fighting the Tatar hordes, but failed to break or capture any sizable enemy units. In 1616 his first wife, Katarzyna, died in labor with his first son, Andrzej. In 1617, alongside Żołkiewski, he took part in the Moldavian Magnate Wars
and stood against the powerful Turkish army of Iskender Pasha
. The conflict ended that year in a negotiated cease-fire. Koniecpolski also negotiated with the Cossacks near , where the Cossack register
(list of privileged Cossacks in the Commonwealth military) was limited to 1,000 and Cossack raids on the Black Sea
were banned. Such raids, which pillaged wealthy Ottoman
cities, contributed to the Cossacks' income but provoked retaliatory raids into Commonwealth territory.
In 1618, during the session of the Commonwealth parliament
(Sejm
), disregarding the opposition of magnate Krzysztof Zbaraski
and his allies, King Sigismund III Vasa
granted the buława (ceremonial mace
or baton
) of Crown Grand Hetman to Stanisław Żółkiewski and the baton of Crown Field Hetman to Koniecpolski. Soon afterward, Koniecpolski was defeated by the Tatars near Orynin, where he committed the mistake of pursuing the enemy against overwhelming odds and barely made it out of the battle alive. Soon afterward, Koniecpolski married Krystyna Lubomirska, who in 1620 gave birth to Aleksander Koniecpolski.
In 1620 Koniecpolski and Żólkiewski led an army to Cecora to fight the horde of Kantymir (Khan Temir
). The army numbered over 10,000 and included private regiments of the Korecki, Zasławski, Kazanowski, Kalinowski and Potocki
magnates. Koniecpolski commanded the right flank of the Commonwealth forces at the Battle of Cecora (Ţuţora)
. On 19 September the Polish forces were defeated but were able to retreat in good order. The army's morale
was low and, while Koniecpolski prevented the army's disintegration on 20–21 September, during the later retreat the army collapsed and ran for the river. In the ensuing battle, Żólkiewski was killed and Koniecpolski and many magnates (Samuel Korecki
, Mikołaj Struś, Mikołaj Potocki, Jan Żółkiewski, son of Stanisław, and Łukasz Żółkiewski) were taken captive. The prisoners were transported to Białograd (Bilhorod)
, to Iskender Pasha
, then to the Castle of Seven Towers at Istanbul
, where they were held in the Black Tower. They returned to Poland in spring 1623 following the Ottoman defeat at Khotyn
and the stabilization of Polish-Ottoman relations, which was helped by Krzysztof Zbaraski
's diplomatic mission
, which purchased the captives' freedom for 30,000 thaler
s.
While Khan
Canibek Giray sought to respect the Treaty of Khotyn
, which aimed to prevent further border hostilities, Khan Temir
(Kantymir), who aimed to usurp his position, continued raiding the borderlands. He repeated the raids in June 1623; soon afterward Koniecpolski was given command of local Commonwealth forces and ordered to stop the incursions. About February 1624 Khan Temir's forces (the Budjak
horde) attacked southern Poland. One of its armies was intercepted and destroyed on 6 February by Koniecpolski near Szmańkowice and Oryszkowce; another, later that year, near Martynów (Battle of Martynów, about 20 June), compelling Khan Temir's forces to retreat in disarray. Kantymir's forces crossed the border on 5 June, and Hetman Koniecpolski crushed them on 20 June. Koniecpolski used a new strategy—light Cossack cavalry
that was as fast as the Tatars', drove the enemy toward fortified positions called tabors, which were reinforced with firearms and artillery. For his victory, soon celebrated throughout the Commonwealth, the Sejm
awarded him 30,000 złotych and made him voivode of Sandomierz
in 1625.
In 1625 the Zaporozhian
Cossacks, led by Marko Zhmailo (Marek Żmajło), rebelled, allied themselves with Szanhin Girej, and attempted to form an alliance with Moscow (the Zhmailo Uprising). Koniecpolski reasoned that the Tatars had their share of trouble with the Porte and that Kantymir's Budjak horde would be unable to send major assistance. He gathered a 12,000-strong army of wojsko kwarciane
and private units. He pledged fair treatment to all Cossacks loyal to the Commonwealth, and death to rebels. On 25 October 1625, near Kryłów, he attacked the Cossacks, who managed to stop the first cavalry assaults and retreated toward Lake Kurukove
. They stopped a second attack, and Koniecpolski was, "at one point, in grave danger". The conflict ended in cease-fire and in the Treaty of Kurukove
; the Cossack register was set at 6,000; and the Cossacks again promised to stop raiding the Black Sea
shores and provoking the Tatars.
In late January 1626 the Tatars invaded again, with an army of 15,000–20,000, raiding and pillaging territories as far as Podole Voivodeship
, passing Ternopil
and Terebovlia
, while some advance units reached the cities of Lutsk
, Volodymyr-Volynskyi
and Lviv
. Koniecpolski gathered some 13,000 troops and moved to intercept the Tatars, but they refused to engage. Eventually Koniecpolski defeated the rear guard of the main Tatar army, which crossed the borders with much treasure and slaves
. Later that year, fearing a repeat invasion, Koniecpolski violated a Sejm resolution and recruited and fielded an army of 8,000 against an expected Tatar second wave. In many battles at the time, Koniecpolski was aided by an able officer, Bohdan Khmelnytsky
; Khmelnytsky would also score a major victory over the Tatars later that year, after Koniecpolski had departed north to a new battlefield near the Baltic Sea
.
In 1626 the southern threat was overshadowed by a northern one, as the Swedes crossed the Commonwealth's borders, reigniting the Polish-Swedish War. In June 1626 Gustavus Adolphus, with a fleet of 125 ships and an army of over 14,000 men, approached the Polish coast and began collecting tariffs on trade going through Gdańsk
(Danzig). Having taken Piława
and Braniewo
, Swedish forces spread through Pomerania
, taking Frombork
, Tolkmicko
, Elbląg
, Malbork
, Gniew
, Tczew
and Starograd; other Swedish forces landed near Puck
and took that city (the main port of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth fleet). The major city of Gdańsk, however, refused to surrender even in the face of lightning Swedish advances. In a battle near the village of Gniew (22–30 September 1626) Gustavus defeated a Polish army led by King Sigismund, who retreated and called for reinforcements from other parts of the country. Koniecpolski was tasked with defending Royal Prussia
against the Swedish incursion; delayed by the still unstable situation in the south, he finally arrived in Prussia on 1 October.
Koniecpolski's force of 4,200 light cavalry, 1,000 dragoon
s, and 1,000 infantry quickly moved to Prussia. Reinforced by other units, he had 9,000 men against the 20,000-strong Swedish force; Podhorecki gives slightly different estimates—just over 15,000 (including low-quality Gdańsk infantry) against 21,000. Employing maneuver warfare
, using small mobile units to strike at enemy communication lines and smaller units, he stopped the Swedish attack and forced Axel Oxenstierna
into a defensive posture. Meanwhile the Sejm agreed to raise money for the war. The situation of the Commonwealth forces, short of money and food, was difficult. Lithuanian forces were dealt a serious defeat in December 1626 near Koknese in Inflanty Voivodeship and retreated behind the Dvina River. The Swedes planned to strike Koniecpolski from two directions – Oxenstierna, from the Vistula River; and Johann Streiff von Lawentstein and Maxymilian Teuffl, from Swedish-held Pomorze. The Vistula's flooding disrupted their plans and allowed Koniecpolski to intercept the enemy units advancing from Pomorze (Pomerania
).
On 2 April 1627 Koniecpolski managed to recapture Puck
. On 18 April he took Czarne
(Hamersztyn), forcing the Swedish forces to retreat into the city and a week later to surrender, abandoning their banners and insignia. Many mercenaries and some Swedish soldiers changed sides. As a result of the series of Swedish defeats in spring 1627, they lost all their strongholds on the west bank of the Vistula, and their hopes for a quick and decisive victory; the situation also convinced the Elector
of Brandenburg
to declare his support for the Commonwealth, and the Lithuanian forces resumed their offensive in Livonia
.
On 17 May Gustavus landed with 8,000 reinforcements. On the night of 22–23 May, while crossing the Vistula near Kieżmark
and Danzig
, Gustavus encountered Polish forces and was wounded in the hip and forced to retreat. Koniecpolski decided to take back Gniew
and devised a diversionary plan. Polish forces were sent to attempt to take back Braniewo
, forcing Gustavus to relieve the siege; then Gustavus followed the retreating Polish army and laid siege to Orneta
. Koniecpolski, who had foreseen this, responded with a sudden attack on, and capture of, Gniew, his primary objective. Gustavus was reported to be impressed with the speed of Koniecpolski's reaction.
With about 7,800 men (including 2,500 cavalry and hussar
s, the Commonwealth's elite heavy cavalry), Koniecpolski tried near Tczew
to stop the Swedish army from reaching Danzig. On 7–8 August, a battle with the Swedish forces (10,000 men, including 5,000 infantry) took place near the swamp
s of Lake Mołtawa. The Swedes wanted to provoke the Poles into attacking, then destroy them with infantry fire and artillery
, but Koniecpolski decided against attacking. The Swedes then went on the attack with cavalry, but did not manage to draw the Poles within range of their fire. The Swedish attacks dealt severe damage to the Polish cavalry but did not cripple the Polish army (whose morale was kept high by Koniecpolski). The battle ended when Gustavus Adolphus was again wounded and the Swedes retreated.
Koniecpolski now recognized the need to reform his army and strengthen the firepower
of its infantry and artillery to match the Swedes'. The Swedes, on the other hand, had learned the arts of cavalry charges and melée
combat from the Poles. Overall the 1627 campaign had been favorable to the Commonwealth; Puck and Gniew had been retaken, Swedish plans had been thwarted, and the Swedish army had been weakened. The last major engagement of the year saw the surprising defeat of a Swedish flotilla
by the small Polish Navy
on 28 November 1627 at the Battle of Oliwa
.
In 1628 the Polish forces, short of funds, were forced to cease their offensive and go on the defensive. Gustavus Adolphus captured Kwidzyń
, Nowe
and Brodnica
. Koniecpolski counterattacked, putting his small forces to most efficient use — quick cavalry melée attacks, combined with supporting infantry and artillery fire, guerilla warfare, the use of engineers to raise fortifications, and clever use of terrain advantage. Despite his best efforts, he was hampered by insufficient funds. The Sejm
increased funding for the war after the Battle of Górzno, where Stanisław "Rewera" Potocki was defeated. Austria
sent the Commonwealth help in the form of forces under Field Marshal
Johann Georg Arnheim. Arnheim, however, refused to take orders from Koniecpolski.
The final battle took place on 27 June 1629 near Trzciana
(or Trzcianka). The Swedes attacked toward Grudziądz
, were halted, and retreated to Sztum
and Malbork
. Koniecpolski attacked the rear guard
, which was led by Jan Wilhelm Reingraff, Count of Ren, and destroyed it. He also repelled a counterattack by Swedish raitars, who were pushed toward Pułkowice, where another counterattack was led by Gustavus Adolphus with 2,000 raitars. This counterattack was also fended off, and the Swedish forces were saved from total defeat by the last Swedish reserves, led by Field Marshal Herman Wrangel
, who blocked the Polish attack. Gustavus Adolphus was wounded and barely escaped. Of the Swedes, 1,200 were killed, and Reingraff and several hundred others were captured. Polish losses were under 200 killed or injured.
Poland did not follow up this victory politically or militarily. A cease-fire contracted at Stary Targ
(the Truce of Altmark
) on 26 October 1629 favored the Swedes, who received the right to tax Polish trade moving over the Baltic
(3.5% of the value of goods), retained control of many cities in Royal Prussia
, and were recognized as the dominant power on the southern Baltic
coast. Koniecpolski exerted little influence on the negotiations, as he had been called back to Ukraine
to crush a Tartar
incursion near Kodenica and deal with another Cossack
uprising, now led by Taras Fedorovych
.
In 1630 Taras Fedorovych
executed Hryhoriy Chorny, who had opposed the uprising, and captured the fortress of Korsun
. Koniecpolski laid siege to Pereyaslav but, lacking artillery and infantry support, could not breach its walls. The Cossacks, needing supplies and having suffered heavy casualties, agreed to negotiate. The Treaty of Pereyaslav
, signed in August 1630, granted liberal terms, including amnesty for the rebels.
Koniecpolski, as usual, was for harsh punishment, but also argued that in the long run the Cossack situation was better remedied by fairer, more equitable treatment, e.g., through an increase in the number of Cossack soldiers (rejestr—the "register") and the regular payment of wages. Still, he supported policies aimed at turning the Cossacks into serfs, which was one of the main causes of unrest in Ukraine; this, along with his decision to settle his military personnel's living expenses on the local populace instead of paying them wages, led to his extreme unpopularity in Ukraine.
In 1632, a few months before his death, King Zygmunt III Waza awarded Koniecpolski the post of Crown Grand Hetman. It had stood vacant for 12 years, since the death of Stanisław Żółkiewski; presumably King Zygmunt had feared that Koniecpolski, if given the post earlier, would have become too powerful a magnate
. After the King's death, the Hetman played a major role in directing the political affairs of the Commonwealth and in 1632 supported the election of Zygmunt's son, Władysław IV Waza, as king. In return, a year after his election, King Władysław rewarded Koniecpolski with the office of Castellan
of Kraków
, the most prestigious of the Commonwealth's district offices. Koniecpolski became an influential adviser to the new king, often encouraging him to direct Polish foreign policy against the Tartars. Koniecpolski also supported King Władysław's military reforms. Though generally seen as a supporter of the King, Koniecpolski opposed some of his plans aimed at increasing royal power in the Commonwealth and weakening the Golden Liberty
of the nobility.
In 1633 Koniecpolski thwarted the Turks' attacks on the Commonwealth, defeating their forces on 4 July at Sasowy Róg. On 22 October that year, he repulsed a superior invading Ottoman force of over 20,000 at Kamianets-Podilskyi
, his own forces numbering a mere 11,000. The Ottoman defeats and Koniecpolski's attitude persuaded the Turks to sign a new treaty on 19 August 1634. The treaty repeated the terms of the Treaty of Chocim of 1621 and ended the Ottoman–Commonwealth War (1633–34).
In 1635, after Cossacks under Ivan Sulyma
captured and destroyed the Polish Fort Kudak
(near modern Dnepropetrovsk), Koniecpolski led an expedition that retook the fort and punished the insurgents. Sulima was taken prisoner and executed.
Later that year Koniecpolski returned to Pomerania
to prepare for another war against Sweden, but it was rendered unnecessary by the Treaty of Sztumska Wieś
.
Koniecpolski grasped the need to modernize the Commonwealth's military and worked with King Władysław IV to that end, including the recruitment of mercenaries experienced in western warfare, and further development of artillery (he supervised the construction of arsenal
s at Kudak
, Bar
and Kamieniec Podolski, and built forge
s on his Ukrainian estates). He was patron to many gifted artillery and engineering officers. He may also have sponsored cartographers such as William le Vasseur de Beauplan, who mapped Ukraine
, and Sebastian Aders, who mapped Crimea
. He also supported plans to create a Commonwealth Baltic Fleet.
After 1637 Koniecpolski's declining health made him reliant on the younger Hetman Mikołaj Potocki, who successfully crushed Cossack uprisings in 1637 and 1638 and a Tartar
uprising in 1639. Koniecpolski's influence also protected the outlaw Samuel Łaszcz, whom he saw as another able commander.
One of Koniecpolski's greatest victories occurred during a winter 1644 campaign against the Turks. With a large army of some 19,000 soldiers (60% of them, magnates' private armies; Koniecpolski's own forces numbered 2,200) he dealt a crushing defeat to Toğay bey
's forces near Ochmatów on 30 January 1644. Many Turks drowned near Sina Woda when the ice over the water gave way. The Battle of Ochmatów, the Commonwealth's greatest victory over the Turks in the first half of the 17th century, brought international fame to Koniecpolski, who had not only predicted the time and place of the Turks' attack but had destroyed their forces before they could deploy their usual tactic of splitting their main forces into multiple highly-mobile units (czambuls).
The victory led King Władysław IV to consider an offensive war against the Turks. Koniecpolski supported a limited war against the Crimean Khanate
but opposed the King's plan to wage war on the entire Ottoman Empire
as an unrealistic folly. He set out his strategic views in a plan titled "Dyskurs o zniesieniu Tatarow krymskich" (Discourse on Destruction of the Crimean Tartars). Koniecpolski also strongly urged a coalition with Moscow for such a campaign. King Władysław continued to push for a crusade against Turkey, but it had little internal support and failed to achieve anything except to spread false hopes among the Cossacks, to whom he promised privileges and money in exchange for their participation in his crusade.
Soon after his wife Krystyna died on 15 June 1645, Koniecpolski on 16 January 1646 married 16-year-old Zofia Opalińska, daughter of future Crown Marshal Łukasz Opaliński. Koniecpolski died on 11 March 1646 in Brody
. Sources suggest that his new marriage was the cause of his death; Joachim Jerlicz wrote in his diary that Koniecpolski had overdosed on an aphrodisiac
. His funeral was held in Brody on 30 April 1646.
Over the course of his life, Koniecpolski accumulated much wealth. Most of his possessions were in Ukraine, and he became Ukraine's de facto unofficial ruler; some foreigners referred to him as "viceroy of Ukraine", though no such Commonwealth position ever existed. King Władysław trusted him with most political decisions concerning this southeastern region of the Commonwealth. With the knowledge and support of the King, Koniecpolski sent and received diplomatic missions from Istanbul
, carried out negotiations and signed treaties, and as a hetman he directly controled a substantial part of the Commonwealth's military. He had his own private army and an espionage
network that stretched from Moscow to the Ottoman Empire.
Koniecpolski inherited some 7–8 villages from his father. At his death, he owned 12 districts (starostwa
), with over 300 settlements, including dozens of towns, giving him yearly revenues of over 500,000 złotych. His holdings of land and serf
s in western Ukraine were considerable; he owned 18,548 households in Bratslav
. Koniecpolski invested much of his wealth in developing his Ukrainian estates, and supported settlement of underpopulated regions. He founded and sponsored the development of many towns and cities. He founded the town of Brody
, which flourished with his investments, becoming an important local commercial center; Koniecpolski fortified the town with a citadel
and bastion
s in 1633 and set up workshop
s for producing Persian-type samite
fabrics, carpet
s and rugs. He also constructed a fortified palace
in Pidhirtsi
(Podhorce) with beautiful Italian gardens. Like most magnates, Koniecpolski sponsored artists — painters, sculptors, writers. He founded many churches and sought to upgrade Brody's school to an academy. He sponsored the construction of the Koniecpolski Palace
(now the Presidential Palace) in Warsaw
. He also sponsored military fortifications (Bar, Kudak).
Koniecpolski, who was regarded as a courteous and educated man, participated in all the Sejm
s that he could, though he rarely spoke publicly due to his stutter. He was widely respected and highly popular among his szlachta
peers.
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
), magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
, official
Official
An official is someone who holds an office in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority .A government official or functionary is an official who is involved in public...
(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"...
and 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:...
), governor 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...
from 1625, and Crown Field Hetman
Hetman
Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....
and later Crown Grand Hetman (second-highest military commander
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
, after the King) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
.
Koniecpolski's life involved almost constant warfare. Before he had reached the age of 20, he had fought in the Dymitriads and the Moldavian Magnate Wars
Moldavian Magnate Wars
The Moldavian Magnate Wars refer to the period at the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century when the magnates of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth intervened in the affairs of Moldavia, clashing with the Habsburgs and the Ottoman Empire for domination and influence over the...
, and he was captured by Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
forces at the Battle of Cecora (Ţuţora)
Battle of Tutora (1620)
The Battle of Ţuţora was a battle between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Ottoman forces , fought from 17 September to 7 October 1620 in Moldavia, near the Prut River.- Prelude :Because of the failure of Commonwealth diplomatic mission to Constantinople, and violations of the Treaty of...
(1620). After release in 1623, he defeated the Ottomans' Tatar
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,...
vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
s several times in 1624–26.
With inferior numbers, he fought the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
forces of Gustavus Adolphus to a stalemate in Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
. Koniecpolski engaged the Swedes again several times, but was repulsed during the second phase of the Polish-Swedish War (1626–29), which ended in the Truce of Altmark
Truce of Altmark
The six-year Truce of Altmark was signed on 25 September 1629 at the Altmark , near Danzig by Sweden and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during Thirty Years' War, ending the Polish–Swedish War ....
. Later he defeated a major Turkish invasion at Kamieniec Podolski
Kamianets-Podilskyi
Kamyanets-Podilsky or Kamienets-Podolsky is a city located on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi...
(Kamianets-Podilskyi), Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, in 1634. Over his military career, he led many successful campaigns against rebelling Cossacks and invading Tatars.
Koniecpolski is regarded as one of the most capable military commanders in the history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
.
Youth
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
and magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
family of Koniecpolski
Koniecpolski
Koniecpolski is the surname of a Polish szlachta family. Because Polish adjectives have different forms for the genders, Koniecpolska is the form for a female family member.-History:...
, likely at their seat in Koniecpol
Koniecpol
Koniecpol is a town in Częstochowa County, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, with 6,366 inhabitants . In the times of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth it was the seat of the Koniecpolski magnate family....
. His father was Aleksander Koniecpolski, a wealthy magnate, voivode (palatine
Count palatine
Count palatine is a high noble title, used to render several comital styles, in some cases also shortened to Palatine, which can have other meanings as well.-Comes palatinus:...
) of Sieradz
Sieradz
Sieradz is a town on the Warta river in central Poland with 44,326 inhabitants . It is situated in the Łódź Voivodship , but was previously the eponymous capital of the Sieradz Voivodship , and historically one of the minor duchies in Greater Poland.It is one of the oldest towns in Poland,...
, a staunch supporter of King Sigismund III
Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...
of the Swedish House of Vasa
House of Vasa
The House of Vasa was the Royal House of Sweden 1523-1654 and of Poland 1587-1668. It originated from a noble family in Uppland of which several members had high offices during the 15th century....
. His mother was Anna Sroczycka, daughter of Stanisław Sroczycki, voivode of Kamieniec Podolski
Kamianets-Podilskyi
Kamyanets-Podilsky or Kamienets-Podolsky is a city located on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi...
, who brought into the Koniecpolski family large estates
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
in Podole
Podolia
The region of Podolia is an historical region in the west-central and south-west portions of present-day Ukraine, corresponding to Khmelnytskyi Oblast and Vinnytsia Oblast. Northern Transnistria, in Moldova, is also a part of Podolia...
. Stanisław's brothers were Krzysztof Koniecpolski (chorąży koronny, voivode of Bełsk from 1641), Remigiusz Koniecpolski
Remigiusz Koniecpolski
Remigiusz Koniecpolski was a Polish noble and bishop of Chełm .-Biography:He was likely born in Koniecpol, where the manor of the Koniecpolski magnate family was located. He was the son of Aleksander Koniecpolski, and a brother of the famous military commander , Stanisław Koniecpolski.He became a...
(bishop of Chełm, died 1640), Jan Koniecpolski (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:...
and voivode of Sieradz
Sieradz
Sieradz is a town on the Warta river in central Poland with 44,326 inhabitants . It is situated in the Łódź Voivodship , but was previously the eponymous capital of the Sieradz Voivodship , and historically one of the minor duchies in Greater Poland.It is one of the oldest towns in Poland,...
) and Przedbor Koniecpolski (died 1611).
Stanisław Koniecpolski had a speech impediment, and throughout life he stuttered on longer words. When he was 15, his father's influence at the royal court
Royal court
Royal court, as distinguished from a court of law, may refer to:* The Royal Court , Timbaland's production company*Court , the household and entourage of a monarch or other ruler, the princely court...
got him the Commonwealth district office of 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"...
(mayor) of Wieluń
Wielun
Wieluń is a city in central Poland with 24,347 inhabitants . Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , it was previously in Sieradz Voivodeship .- History :...
. Around that time (1603) he studied at the Kraków Academy
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
. After several years of studies, he was sent by his father to the royal court to continue his education in a more practical fashion; he stayed there a year or two. He may also have undertaken a several months' tour of Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
, mainly France. Afterward Koniecpolski returned home to his family's estates.
Early career: 1610–26
Battle of Klushino
The Battle of Klushino was fought on 4 July 1610, between forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Grand Duchy of Moscow during the Polish-Muscovite War, part of Russia's Time of Troubles. The battle occurred near the village of Klushino near Smolensk...
(4 July 1610). During the Siege of Smolensk, on 8 July 1611, the collapsing fortress walls killed his brother Przedbor, and Stanislaw returned to Koniecpol with his body. In autumn of the same year he rejoined the army and, under the command of Grand Lithuanian Hetman
Hetman
Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....
Jan Karol Chodkiewicz
Jan Karol Chodkiewicz
Jan Karol Chodkiewicz was a famous Lithuanian military commander and one of the most prominent noblemen of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.-Biography:...
, took part in the effort to relieve and supply the besieged
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
Polish forces in the Moscow Kremlin
Moscow Kremlin
The Moscow Kremlin , sometimes referred to as simply The Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River , Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square and the Alexander Garden...
. During that time, he was entrusted by the Hetman with command of the right flank
Flanking maneuver
In military tactics, a flanking maneuver, also called a flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force. If a flanking maneuver succeeds, the opposing force would be surrounded from two or more directions, which significantly reduces the maneuverability of the outflanked force and its...
of the Polish forces.
In 1612 Koniecpolski joined the wojsko kwarciane
Wojsko kwarciane
Wojsko kwarciane was the term used for regular army units of Poland . The term was used from 1562.Wojsko kwarciane was formed from earlier obrona potoczna units....
(regular Commonwealth army) in Ukraine under the command of Hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski, who greatly influenced his career. In 1614 he was entrusted with destroying rebellious wojsko kwarciane units led by Jan Karwacki. On 17 May, with Jan Żółkiewski, he won the Battle of Rohatyn and captured Karwacki. In 1615 he married Żółkiewski's daughter Katarzyna (Catherine). Soon after the wedding, he received the official rank of podstoli koronny.
In 1615–16 Koniecpolski gained experience in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, fighting the Tatar hordes, but failed to break or capture any sizable enemy units. In 1616 his first wife, Katarzyna, died in labor with his first son, Andrzej. In 1617, alongside Żołkiewski, he took part in the Moldavian Magnate Wars
Moldavian Magnate Wars
The Moldavian Magnate Wars refer to the period at the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century when the magnates of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth intervened in the affairs of Moldavia, clashing with the Habsburgs and the Ottoman Empire for domination and influence over the...
and stood against the powerful Turkish army of Iskender Pasha
Iskender Pasha
Iskender Pasha , also Iskender Paşa, was an Ottoman Commander and the beylerbey of Oczakov . In 1620 Iskender Paşa led an Ottoman army, with Wallachian contingents against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the Battle of Ţuţora , where he was victorious.-Notes:...
. The conflict ended that year in a negotiated cease-fire. Koniecpolski also negotiated with the Cossacks near , where the Cossack register
Registered Cossacks
Registered Cossacks is the term used for Cossacks formations of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth armies.-Establishing:The registered cossacks were created on the King's edict of Sigismund II Augustus on June 5, 1572 confirming the orders of the Crown Hetman Jerzy Jazłowiecki. The first senior ...
(list of privileged Cossacks in the Commonwealth military) was limited to 1,000 and Cossack raids on the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
were banned. Such raids, which pillaged wealthy Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
cities, contributed to the Cossacks' income but provoked retaliatory raids into Commonwealth territory.
In 1618, during the session of the Commonwealth parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
(Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
), disregarding the opposition of magnate Krzysztof Zbaraski
Krzysztof Zbaraski
Krzysztof Zbaraski was a Polish-Lithuanian member of the gentry social class...
and his allies, King Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...
granted the buława (ceremonial mace
Ceremonial mace
The ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal or wood, carried before a sovereign or other high official in civic ceremonies by a mace-bearer, intended to represent the official's authority. The mace, as used today, derives from the original mace used as a weapon...
or baton
Baton (symbol)
The ceremonial baton is a short, thick stick, carried by select high-ranking military officers as a uniform article. The baton is distinguished from the swagger stick in being thicker and less functional . Unlike a staff of office, a baton is not rested on the ground...
) of Crown Grand Hetman to Stanisław Żółkiewski and the baton of Crown Field Hetman to Koniecpolski. Soon afterward, Koniecpolski was defeated by the Tatars near Orynin, where he committed the mistake of pursuing the enemy against overwhelming odds and barely made it out of the battle alive. Soon afterward, Koniecpolski married Krystyna Lubomirska, who in 1620 gave birth to Aleksander Koniecpolski.
In 1620 Koniecpolski and Żólkiewski led an army to Cecora to fight the horde of Kantymir (Khan Temir
Khan Temir
Khan Temir was a powerful khan of the Budjak Nogais ; around 1603, he formed and subsequently led the Nogai Khanate.-Biography:...
). The army numbered over 10,000 and included private regiments of the Korecki, Zasławski, Kazanowski, Kalinowski and Potocki
Potocki
Potocki is the surname of a Polish noble family.-History:The Potocki family is a great artistocratic family originated from Potok in the Kraków Voivodeship; their family name derives from that place name. The family is heavily entwined with the cultural development and history of Poland's Eastern...
magnates. Koniecpolski commanded the right flank of the Commonwealth forces at the Battle of Cecora (Ţuţora)
Battle of Tutora (1620)
The Battle of Ţuţora was a battle between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Ottoman forces , fought from 17 September to 7 October 1620 in Moldavia, near the Prut River.- Prelude :Because of the failure of Commonwealth diplomatic mission to Constantinople, and violations of the Treaty of...
. On 19 September the Polish forces were defeated but were able to retreat in good order. The army's morale
Morale
Morale, also known as esprit de corps when discussing the morale of a group, is an intangible term used to describe the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others...
was low and, while Koniecpolski prevented the army's disintegration on 20–21 September, during the later retreat the army collapsed and ran for the river. In the ensuing battle, Żólkiewski was killed and Koniecpolski and many magnates (Samuel Korecki
Samuel Korecki
Samuel Korecki was a nobleman of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. His coat of arms was Pogonia. In his military career he achieved the rank of colonel...
, Mikołaj Struś, Mikołaj Potocki, Jan Żółkiewski, son of Stanisław, and Łukasz Żółkiewski) were taken captive. The prisoners were transported to Białograd (Bilhorod)
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi is a city situated on the right bank of the Dniester Liman in the Odessa Oblast of southwestern Ukraine, in the historical region of Bessarabia...
, to Iskender Pasha
Iskender Pasha
Iskender Pasha , also Iskender Paşa, was an Ottoman Commander and the beylerbey of Oczakov . In 1620 Iskender Paşa led an Ottoman army, with Wallachian contingents against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the Battle of Ţuţora , where he was victorious.-Notes:...
, then to the Castle of Seven Towers at Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, where they were held in the Black Tower. They returned to Poland in spring 1623 following the Ottoman defeat at Khotyn
Battle of Khotyn (1621)
The Battle of Khotyn was a battle fought between a Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth army and an invading Ottoman Imperial army. Here, for a whole month , the Commonwealth forces halted the Ottoman advance...
and the stabilization of Polish-Ottoman relations, which was helped by Krzysztof Zbaraski
Krzysztof Zbaraski
Krzysztof Zbaraski was a Polish-Lithuanian member of the gentry social class...
's diplomatic mission
Diplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one state or an international inter-governmental organisation present in another state to represent the sending state/organisation in the receiving state...
, which purchased the captives' freedom for 30,000 thaler
Thaler
The Thaler was a silver coin used throughout Europe for almost four hundred years. Its name lives on in various currencies as the dollar or tolar. Etymologically, "Thaler" is an abbreviation of "Joachimsthaler", a coin type from the city of Joachimsthal in Bohemia, where some of the first such...
s.
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
Canibek Giray sought to respect the Treaty of Khotyn
Treaty of Khotyn
Treaty of Khotyn , signed in the aftermath of the Battle of Khotyn , ended the Polish-Ottoman War . This peace treaty resulted in no border change but Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth agreed to stop its interference in Moldavia...
, which aimed to prevent further border hostilities, Khan Temir
Khan Temir
Khan Temir was a powerful khan of the Budjak Nogais ; around 1603, he formed and subsequently led the Nogai Khanate.-Biography:...
(Kantymir), who aimed to usurp his position, continued raiding the borderlands. He repeated the raids in June 1623; soon afterward Koniecpolski was given command of local Commonwealth forces and ordered to stop the incursions. About February 1624 Khan Temir's forces (the Budjak
Budjak
Budjak or Budzhak is a historical region in the Odessa Oblast of Ukraine. Lying along the Black Sea between the Danube and Dniester rivers this multiethnic region was the southern part of Bessarabia...
horde) attacked southern Poland. One of its armies was intercepted and destroyed on 6 February by Koniecpolski near Szmańkowice and Oryszkowce; another, later that year, near Martynów (Battle of Martynów, about 20 June), compelling Khan Temir's forces to retreat in disarray. Kantymir's forces crossed the border on 5 June, and Hetman Koniecpolski crushed them on 20 June. Koniecpolski used a new strategy—light Cossack cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
that was as fast as the Tatars', drove the enemy toward fortified positions called tabors, which were reinforced with firearms and artillery. For his victory, soon celebrated throughout the Commonwealth, the Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
awarded him 30,000 złotych and made him voivode 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...
in 1625.
In 1625 the Zaporozhian
Zaporizhia (region)
Zaporizhia , Russian: Запоро́жье, Zaporozhye) is a historical region which is situated about the Dnieper River, below the Dnieper rapids , , hence the name, translated as "territory beyond the rapids"...
Cossacks, led by Marko Zhmailo (Marek Żmajło), rebelled, allied themselves with Szanhin Girej, and attempted to form an alliance with Moscow (the Zhmailo Uprising). Koniecpolski reasoned that the Tatars had their share of trouble with the Porte and that Kantymir's Budjak horde would be unable to send major assistance. He gathered a 12,000-strong army of wojsko kwarciane
Wojsko kwarciane
Wojsko kwarciane was the term used for regular army units of Poland . The term was used from 1562.Wojsko kwarciane was formed from earlier obrona potoczna units....
and private units. He pledged fair treatment to all Cossacks loyal to the Commonwealth, and death to rebels. On 25 October 1625, near Kryłów, he attacked the Cossacks, who managed to stop the first cavalry assaults and retreated toward Lake Kurukove
Lake Kurukove
Kurukove was a freshwater lake located in the central Ukrainian oblast of Poltava.In 1625, the Treaty of Kurukove was signed at the site between the Ukrainian Cossacks and the Poles....
. They stopped a second attack, and Koniecpolski was, "at one point, in grave danger". The conflict ended in cease-fire and in the Treaty of Kurukove
Treaty of Kurukove
The Treaty of Kurukove was an agreement between Hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Mykhailo Doroshenko of the Ukrainian Cossacks. After four days of negotiations, it was signed on 5 November 1625 near Lake Kurukove and what is now Kremenchuk. The treaty was a...
; the Cossack register was set at 6,000; and the Cossacks again promised to stop raiding the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
shores and provoking the Tatars.
In late January 1626 the Tatars invaded again, with an army of 15,000–20,000, raiding and pillaging territories as far as Podole Voivodeship
Podole Voivodeship
The Podole Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland, since the 14th century till 1793/1795, except for a short period of Ottoman Empire administration as Podolia Eyalet. Together with the Bracław Voivodeship it formed the historical province...
, passing Ternopil
Ternopil
Ternopil , is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical region of Galicia...
and Terebovlia
Terebovlia
Terebovlia is a small city in the Ternopil Oblast of western Ukraine, and the administrative center of the Terebovlya Raion . In modern medieval English history texts it is usually written Terebovl....
, while some advance units reached the cities of Lutsk
Lutsk
Lutsk is a city located by the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of the surrounding Lutskyi Raion within the oblast...
, Volodymyr-Volynskyi
Volodymyr-Volynskyi
Volodymyr-Volynsky is a city located in Volyn Oblast, in north-western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative centre of the Volodymyr-Volynsky District, the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
and Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
. Koniecpolski gathered some 13,000 troops and moved to intercept the Tatars, but they refused to engage. Eventually Koniecpolski defeated the rear guard of the main Tatar army, which crossed the borders with much treasure and slaves
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
. Later that year, fearing a repeat invasion, Koniecpolski violated a Sejm resolution and recruited and fielded an army of 8,000 against an expected Tatar second wave. In many battles at the time, Koniecpolski was aided by an able officer, Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Bohdan Zynoviy Mykhailovych Khmelnytsky was a hetman of the Zaporozhian Cossack Hetmanate of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . He led an uprising against the Commonwealth and its magnates which resulted in the creation of a Cossack state...
; Khmelnytsky would also score a major victory over the Tatars later that year, after Koniecpolski had departed north to a new battlefield near the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
.
Gustavus Adolphus: 1626–29
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
(Danzig). Having taken Piława
Baltiysk
Baltiysk , prior to 1945 known by its German name Pillau , is a seaport town and the administrative center of Baltiysky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, located on the northern part of the Vistula Spit, on the shore of the Strait of Baltiysk separating the Vistula Bay from the Gdańsk Bay. Baltiysk...
and Braniewo
Braniewo
Braniewo is a town in northeastern Poland, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, with a population of 18,068 . It is the capital of Braniewo County...
, Swedish forces spread through Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
, taking Frombork
Frombork
Frombork is a town in northern Poland, on the Vistula Lagoon, in Braniewo County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. It had a population of 2,528 as of 2005....
, Tolkmicko
Tolkmicko
Tolkmicko is a town in northern Poland, on the Vistula Lagoon, about 20 km northeast of Elbląg. It is located in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in Elbląg County. Its population is 2,766 -History:...
, Elbląg
Elblag
Elbląg is a city in northern Poland with 127,892 inhabitants . It is the capital of Elbląg County and has been assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. Before then it was the capital of Elbląg Voivodeship and a county seat in Gdańsk Voivodeship...
, Malbork
Malbork
Malbork is a town in northern Poland in the Żuławy region , with 38,478 inhabitants . Situated in the Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, it was previously assigned to Elbląg Voivodeship...
, Gniew
Gniew
Gniew is a town situated on the left bank of the Vistula River, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. It is located at around .-History:The first recorded mentions of Gniew appear in written documents from the first half of the 13th century, one of which refers to the region as Terra Gymeu...
, Tczew
Tczew
Tczew is a town on the Vistula River in Eastern Pomerania, Kociewie, northern Poland with 60,279 inhabitants . It is an important railway junction with a classification yard dating to the Prussian Eastern Railway...
and Starograd; other Swedish forces landed near Puck
Puck, Poland
Puck is a town in northwestern Poland with 11,350 inhabitants. It is in Gdańsk Pomerania on the south coast of the Baltic Sea . Previously in the Gdańsk Voivodeship , Puck has been the capital of Puck County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999.-History:The settlement became a marketplace...
and took that city (the main port of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth fleet). The major city of Gdańsk, however, refused to surrender even in the face of lightning Swedish advances. In a battle near the village of Gniew (22–30 September 1626) Gustavus defeated a Polish army led by King Sigismund, who retreated and called for reinforcements from other parts of the country. Koniecpolski was tasked with defending Royal Prussia
Royal Prussia
Royal Prussia was a Region of the Kingdom of Poland and of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth . Polish Prussia included Pomerelia, Chełmno Land , Malbork Voivodeship , Gdańsk , Toruń , and Elbląg . It is distinguished from Ducal Prussia...
against the Swedish incursion; delayed by the still unstable situation in the south, he finally arrived in Prussia on 1 October.
Koniecpolski's force of 4,200 light cavalry, 1,000 dragoon
Dragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
s, and 1,000 infantry quickly moved to Prussia. Reinforced by other units, he had 9,000 men against the 20,000-strong Swedish force; Podhorecki gives slightly different estimates—just over 15,000 (including low-quality Gdańsk infantry) against 21,000. Employing maneuver warfare
Maneuver warfare
Maneuver warfare, or manoeuvre warfare , is the term used by military theorists for a concept of warfare that advocates attempting to defeat an adversary by incapacitating their decision-making through shock and disruption brought about by movement...
, using small mobile units to strike at enemy communication lines and smaller units, he stopped the Swedish attack and forced Axel Oxenstierna
Axel Oxenstierna
Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna af Södermöre , Count of Södermöre, was a Swedish statesman. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a confidant of first Gustavus Adolphus and then Queen Christina.Oxenstierna...
into a defensive posture. Meanwhile the Sejm agreed to raise money for the war. The situation of the Commonwealth forces, short of money and food, was difficult. Lithuanian forces were dealt a serious defeat in December 1626 near Koknese in Inflanty Voivodeship and retreated behind the Dvina River. The Swedes planned to strike Koniecpolski from two directions – Oxenstierna, from the Vistula River; and Johann Streiff von Lawentstein and Maxymilian Teuffl, from Swedish-held Pomorze. The Vistula's flooding disrupted their plans and allowed Koniecpolski to intercept the enemy units advancing from Pomorze (Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
).
Puck, Poland
Puck is a town in northwestern Poland with 11,350 inhabitants. It is in Gdańsk Pomerania on the south coast of the Baltic Sea . Previously in the Gdańsk Voivodeship , Puck has been the capital of Puck County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999.-History:The settlement became a marketplace...
. On 18 April he took Czarne
Czarne
Czarne is a town in Człuchów County of Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland. Population: 6,053 .-History:The town was founded on the territories that were formerly part of the Kingdom of Poland. They were acquired by the Monastic State of the Teutonic Order in 1308. Konrad von Jungingen...
(Hamersztyn), forcing the Swedish forces to retreat into the city and a week later to surrender, abandoning their banners and insignia. Many mercenaries and some Swedish soldiers changed sides. As a result of the series of Swedish defeats in spring 1627, they lost all their strongholds on the west bank of the Vistula, and their hopes for a quick and decisive victory; the situation also convinced the Elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
of Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
to declare his support for the Commonwealth, and the Lithuanian forces resumed their offensive in Livonia
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
.
On 17 May Gustavus landed with 8,000 reinforcements. On the night of 22–23 May, while crossing the Vistula near Kieżmark
Kiezmark
Kiezmark is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Cedry Wielkie, within Gdańsk County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland...
and Danzig
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, Gustavus encountered Polish forces and was wounded in the hip and forced to retreat. Koniecpolski decided to take back Gniew
Gniew
Gniew is a town situated on the left bank of the Vistula River, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. It is located at around .-History:The first recorded mentions of Gniew appear in written documents from the first half of the 13th century, one of which refers to the region as Terra Gymeu...
and devised a diversionary plan. Polish forces were sent to attempt to take back Braniewo
Braniewo
Braniewo is a town in northeastern Poland, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, with a population of 18,068 . It is the capital of Braniewo County...
, forcing Gustavus to relieve the siege; then Gustavus followed the retreating Polish army and laid siege to Orneta
Orneta
Orneta is a town in northern Poland, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, with a population of 9,859 .- History :Wormditt, a village of Old Prussians, was first mentioned in 1308...
. Koniecpolski, who had foreseen this, responded with a sudden attack on, and capture of, Gniew, his primary objective. Gustavus was reported to be impressed with the speed of Koniecpolski's reaction.
With about 7,800 men (including 2,500 cavalry and hussar
Hussar
Hussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century, tracing its roots from Serbian medieval cavalry tradition, brought to Hungary in the course of the Serb migrations, which began in the late 14th century....
s, the Commonwealth's elite heavy cavalry), Koniecpolski tried near Tczew
Tczew
Tczew is a town on the Vistula River in Eastern Pomerania, Kociewie, northern Poland with 60,279 inhabitants . It is an important railway junction with a classification yard dating to the Prussian Eastern Railway...
to stop the Swedish army from reaching Danzig. On 7–8 August, a battle with the Swedish forces (10,000 men, including 5,000 infantry) took place near the swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s of Lake Mołtawa. The Swedes wanted to provoke the Poles into attacking, then destroy them with infantry fire and artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, but Koniecpolski decided against attacking. The Swedes then went on the attack with cavalry, but did not manage to draw the Poles within range of their fire. The Swedish attacks dealt severe damage to the Polish cavalry but did not cripple the Polish army (whose morale was kept high by Koniecpolski). The battle ended when Gustavus Adolphus was again wounded and the Swedes retreated.
Koniecpolski now recognized the need to reform his army and strengthen the firepower
Fire power
Firepower is the military capability to direct force at an enemy. It is not to be confused with the concept of rate of fire, which describes cycling of the firing mechanism in a weapon system. It involves the whole range of potential weapons...
of its infantry and artillery to match the Swedes'. The Swedes, on the other hand, had learned the arts of cavalry charges and melée
Mêlée
Melee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
combat from the Poles. Overall the 1627 campaign had been favorable to the Commonwealth; Puck and Gniew had been retaken, Swedish plans had been thwarted, and the Swedish army had been weakened. The last major engagement of the year saw the surprising defeat of a Swedish flotilla
Flotilla
A flotilla , or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same class of warship, such as frigates, destroyers, torpedo boats, submarines, gunboats, or minesweepers...
by the small Polish Navy
Polish Navy
The Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - MW RP Polish Navy, is the branch of Republic of Poland Armed Forces responsible for naval operations...
on 28 November 1627 at the Battle of Oliwa
Battle of Oliwa
The naval Battle of Oliva, also Battle of Oliwa or Battle of Gdańsk Roadstead, took place on 28 November 1627 during the Polish-Swedish War outside Danzig harbour near Oliva , a village outside of Danzig...
.
In 1628 the Polish forces, short of funds, were forced to cease their offensive and go on the defensive. Gustavus Adolphus captured Kwidzyń
Kwidzyn
Kwidzyn is a town in northern Poland on the Liwa river, with 40,008 inhabitants . It has been a part of the Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously in the Elbląg Voivodeship . It is the capital of Kwidzyn County.-History:...
, Nowe
Nowe
Nowe is a town in Świecie County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, with 6,270 inhabitants ....
and Brodnica
Brodnica
Brodnica is a town in northern Poland with 27,400 inhabitants . Previously part of Toruń Voivodeship [a province], from 1975 to 1998, Brodnica has been situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999...
. Koniecpolski counterattacked, putting his small forces to most efficient use — quick cavalry melée attacks, combined with supporting infantry and artillery fire, guerilla warfare, the use of engineers to raise fortifications, and clever use of terrain advantage. Despite his best efforts, he was hampered by insufficient funds. The Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
increased funding for the war after the Battle of Górzno, where Stanisław "Rewera" Potocki was defeated. Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
sent the Commonwealth help in the form of forces under Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Johann Georg Arnheim. Arnheim, however, refused to take orders from Koniecpolski.
The final battle took place on 27 June 1629 near Trzciana
Battle of Trzciana
The Battle of Trzciana, , which took place in June 1629 was one of many battles of the Polish-Swedish War...
(or Trzcianka). The Swedes attacked toward Grudziądz
Grudziadz
Grudziądz is a city in northern Poland on the Vistula River, with 96 042 inhabitants . Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship , the city was previously in the Toruń Voivodeship .- History :-Early history:...
, were halted, and retreated to Sztum
Sztum
Sztum is a town in northern Poland, located in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is the capital of Sztum County, with some 10,141 inhabitants .-History:...
and Malbork
Malbork
Malbork is a town in northern Poland in the Żuławy region , with 38,478 inhabitants . Situated in the Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, it was previously assigned to Elbląg Voivodeship...
. Koniecpolski attacked the rear guard
Rear guard
A rear guard or rearguard is that part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal...
, which was led by Jan Wilhelm Reingraff, Count of Ren, and destroyed it. He also repelled a counterattack by Swedish raitars, who were pushed toward Pułkowice, where another counterattack was led by Gustavus Adolphus with 2,000 raitars. This counterattack was also fended off, and the Swedish forces were saved from total defeat by the last Swedish reserves, led by Field Marshal Herman Wrangel
Herman Wrangel
Herman Wrangel was a Swedish soldier and politician of Baltic German extraction. He was appointed Field Marshal in 1621, Privy Councillor in 1630, and Governor General of Livonia in 1643...
, who blocked the Polish attack. Gustavus Adolphus was wounded and barely escaped. Of the Swedes, 1,200 were killed, and Reingraff and several hundred others were captured. Polish losses were under 200 killed or injured.
Poland did not follow up this victory politically or militarily. A cease-fire contracted at Stary Targ
Stary Targ
Stary Targ is a village in Sztum County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Stary Targ. It lies approximately east of Sztum and south-east of the regional capital Gdańsk...
(the Truce of Altmark
Truce of Altmark
The six-year Truce of Altmark was signed on 25 September 1629 at the Altmark , near Danzig by Sweden and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during Thirty Years' War, ending the Polish–Swedish War ....
) on 26 October 1629 favored the Swedes, who received the right to tax Polish trade moving over the Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
(3.5% of the value of goods), retained control of many cities in Royal Prussia
Royal Prussia
Royal Prussia was a Region of the Kingdom of Poland and of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth . Polish Prussia included Pomerelia, Chełmno Land , Malbork Voivodeship , Gdańsk , Toruń , and Elbląg . It is distinguished from Ducal Prussia...
, and were recognized as the dominant power on the southern Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
coast. Koniecpolski exerted little influence on the negotiations, as he had been called back to Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
to crush a Tartar
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,...
incursion near Kodenica and deal with another Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
uprising, now led by Taras Fedorovych
Taras Fedorovych
Taras Fedorovych was a prominent leader of the Dnieper Cossacks, a popular Hetman elected by unregistered Cossacks....
.
Crown Grand Hetman: 1630–37
Taras Fedorovych
Taras Fedorovych was a prominent leader of the Dnieper Cossacks, a popular Hetman elected by unregistered Cossacks....
executed Hryhoriy Chorny, who had opposed the uprising, and captured the fortress of Korsun
Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi
Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi is a city located in the Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine. The city rests on the banks of the Ros' River, and is the administrative center of the Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi Raion ....
. Koniecpolski laid siege to Pereyaslav but, lacking artillery and infantry support, could not breach its walls. The Cossacks, needing supplies and having suffered heavy casualties, agreed to negotiate. The Treaty of Pereyaslav
Treaty of Pereyaslav (1630)
Treaty of Pereiaslav was signed in late June 1630 between rebellious Cossack forces of Taras Fedorovych and Polish forces led by hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski....
, signed in August 1630, granted liberal terms, including amnesty for the rebels.
Koniecpolski, as usual, was for harsh punishment, but also argued that in the long run the Cossack situation was better remedied by fairer, more equitable treatment, e.g., through an increase in the number of Cossack soldiers (rejestr—the "register") and the regular payment of wages. Still, he supported policies aimed at turning the Cossacks into serfs, which was one of the main causes of unrest in Ukraine; this, along with his decision to settle his military personnel's living expenses on the local populace instead of paying them wages, led to his extreme unpopularity in Ukraine.
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
. After the King's death, the Hetman played a major role in directing the political affairs of the Commonwealth and in 1632 supported the election of Zygmunt's son, Władysław IV Waza, as king. In return, a year after his election, King Władysław rewarded Koniecpolski with the office of 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 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...
, the most prestigious of the Commonwealth's district offices. Koniecpolski became an influential adviser to the new king, often encouraging him to direct Polish foreign policy against the Tartars. Koniecpolski also supported King Władysław's military reforms. Though generally seen as a supporter of the King, Koniecpolski opposed some of his plans aimed at increasing royal power in the Commonwealth and weakening the Golden Liberty
Golden Liberty
Golden Liberty , sometimes referred to as Golden Freedoms, Nobles' Democracy or Nobles' Commonwealth refers to a unique aristocratic political system in the Kingdom of Poland and later, after the Union of Lublin , in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
of the nobility.
In 1633 Koniecpolski thwarted the Turks' attacks on the Commonwealth, defeating their forces on 4 July at Sasowy Róg. On 22 October that year, he repulsed a superior invading Ottoman force of over 20,000 at Kamianets-Podilskyi
Kamianets-Podilskyi
Kamyanets-Podilsky or Kamienets-Podolsky is a city located on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi...
, his own forces numbering a mere 11,000. The Ottoman defeats and Koniecpolski's attitude persuaded the Turks to sign a new treaty on 19 August 1634. The treaty repeated the terms of the Treaty of Chocim of 1621 and ended the Ottoman–Commonwealth War (1633–34).
In 1635, after Cossacks under Ivan Sulyma
Ivan Sulyma
Ivan Sulyma was a Senior of Registered Cossacks in 1628-29 and a Kosh Otaman in 1630-35.-Life and Death:Son of Mykhailo Sulyma, Ivan came from a petty noble family. He was born in Rogoszcze...
captured and destroyed the Polish Fort Kudak
Kodak fortress
Kodak fortress was a fort built in 1635 by the order of Polish king Władysław IV Vasa and the Sejm over the Dnieper River, near what was to become the town of Stari Kodaky...
(near modern Dnepropetrovsk), Koniecpolski led an expedition that retook the fort and punished the insurgents. Sulima was taken prisoner and executed.
Later that year Koniecpolski returned to Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
to prepare for another war against Sweden, but it was rendered unnecessary by the Treaty of Sztumska Wieś
Treaty of Sztumska Wies
The Treaty of Stuhmsdorf or Sztumska Wieś was a treaty signed on 12 September 1635 between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden in the village of Stuhmsdorf , Royal Prussia, just south of Stuhm ....
.
Koniecpolski grasped the need to modernize the Commonwealth's military and worked with King Władysław IV to that end, including the recruitment of mercenaries experienced in western warfare, and further development of artillery (he supervised the construction of arsenal
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...
s at Kudak
Kodak fortress
Kodak fortress was a fort built in 1635 by the order of Polish king Władysław IV Vasa and the Sejm over the Dnieper River, near what was to become the town of Stari Kodaky...
, Bar
Bar, Ukraine
Bar is a city located on the Rov River in the Vinnytsia Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Barskyi Raion , and is part of the historic region of Podolia. The current estimated population is 17,200 .-History:The city was a small trade outpost named Row...
and Kamieniec Podolski, and built forge
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
s on his Ukrainian estates). He was patron to many gifted artillery and engineering officers. He may also have sponsored cartographers such as William le Vasseur de Beauplan, who mapped Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, and Sebastian Aders, who mapped Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
. He also supported plans to create a Commonwealth Baltic Fleet.
Last years: 1637–45
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,...
uprising in 1639. Koniecpolski's influence also protected the outlaw Samuel Łaszcz, whom he saw as another able commander.
One of Koniecpolski's greatest victories occurred during a winter 1644 campaign against the Turks. With a large army of some 19,000 soldiers (60% of them, magnates' private armies; Koniecpolski's own forces numbered 2,200) he dealt a crushing defeat to Toğay bey
Togay bey
Tugay Bey sometimes also spelled as Tugai Bey was a notable military leader and politician of the Crimean Tatars.Toğay descended from the Arğıns - one of noble Crimean families, and his full name is Arğın Doğan Toğay bey...
's forces near Ochmatów on 30 January 1644. Many Turks drowned near Sina Woda when the ice over the water gave way. The Battle of Ochmatów, the Commonwealth's greatest victory over the Turks in the first half of the 17th century, brought international fame to Koniecpolski, who had not only predicted the time and place of the Turks' attack but had destroyed their forces before they could deploy their usual tactic of splitting their main forces into multiple highly-mobile units (czambuls).
The victory led King Władysław IV to consider an offensive war against the Turks. Koniecpolski supported a limited war against the Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate, or Khanate of Crimea , was a state ruled by Crimean Tatars from 1441 to 1783. Its native name was . Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan...
but opposed the King's plan to wage war on the entire Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
as an unrealistic folly. He set out his strategic views in a plan titled "Dyskurs o zniesieniu Tatarow krymskich" (Discourse on Destruction of the Crimean Tartars). Koniecpolski also strongly urged a coalition with Moscow for such a campaign. King Władysław continued to push for a crusade against Turkey, but it had little internal support and failed to achieve anything except to spread false hopes among the Cossacks, to whom he promised privileges and money in exchange for their participation in his crusade.
Soon after his wife Krystyna died on 15 June 1645, Koniecpolski on 16 January 1646 married 16-year-old Zofia Opalińska, daughter of future Crown Marshal Łukasz Opaliński. Koniecpolski died on 11 March 1646 in Brody
Brody
Brody is a city in the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Brody Raion , and is located in the valley of the upper Styr River, approximately 90 kilometres northeast of the oblast capital, Lviv...
. Sources suggest that his new marriage was the cause of his death; Joachim Jerlicz wrote in his diary that Koniecpolski had overdosed on an aphrodisiac
Aphrodisiac
An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases sexual desire. The name comes from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sexuality and love. Throughout history, many foods, drinks, and behaviors have had a reputation for making sex more attainable and/or pleasurable...
. His funeral was held in Brody on 30 April 1646.
Wealth and influence
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, carried out negotiations and signed treaties, and as a hetman he directly controled a substantial part of the Commonwealth's military. He had his own private army and an espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
network that stretched from Moscow to the Ottoman Empire.
Koniecpolski inherited some 7–8 villages from his father. At his death, he owned 12 districts (starostwa
Starostwo
Starostwo , from the 14th century in the Polish Crown and later through the era of the joint state of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until the partitions of Poland in 1795, referred to the crown lands administered by the official known as starosta...
), with over 300 settlements, including dozens of towns, giving him yearly revenues of over 500,000 złotych. His holdings of land and serf
SERF
A spin exchange relaxation-free magnetometer is a type of magnetometer developed at Princeton University in the early 2000s. SERF magnetometers measure magnetic fields by using lasers to detect the interaction between alkali metal atoms in a vapor and the magnetic field.The name for the technique...
s in western Ukraine were considerable; he owned 18,548 households in Bratslav
Bratslav
Bratslav |Breslov]] as the name of a Hasidic group, which originated from this town) is a townlet in Ukraine, located in the Nemyriv Raion of Vinnytsia Oblast, by the Southern Bug river. It is a medieval European city having dramatically lost its importance during 19th-20th centuries...
. Koniecpolski invested much of his wealth in developing his Ukrainian estates, and supported settlement of underpopulated regions. He founded and sponsored the development of many towns and cities. He founded the town of Brody
Brody
Brody is a city in the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Brody Raion , and is located in the valley of the upper Styr River, approximately 90 kilometres northeast of the oblast capital, Lviv...
, which flourished with his investments, becoming an important local commercial center; Koniecpolski fortified the town with a citadel
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
and bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
s in 1633 and set up workshop
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
s for producing Persian-type samite
Samite
Samite may refer to :* Samite, a heavy silk fabric, of a twill-type weave, worn in the Middle Ages* Samite Mulondo, Ugandan-American musician* SS Samite, a Liberty ship...
fabrics, carpet
Carpet
A carpet is a textile floor covering consisting of an upper layer of "pile" attached to a backing. The pile is generally either made from wool or a manmade fibre such as polypropylene,nylon or polyester and usually consists of twisted tufts which are often heat-treated to maintain their...
s and rugs. He also constructed a fortified palace
Palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
in Pidhirtsi
Pidhirtsi
Pidhirtsi is a village of about 1000 inhabitants in the Lviv Oblast of Ukraine, located about 80 km east of Lviv, 17 km south of Brody, 60 km north west of Ternopil, at around...
(Podhorce) with beautiful Italian gardens. Like most magnates, Koniecpolski sponsored artists — painters, sculptors, writers. He founded many churches and sought to upgrade Brody's school to an academy. He sponsored the construction of the Koniecpolski Palace
Presidential Palace, Warsaw
The Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, is the elegant classicist latest version of a building that has stood on the Krakowskie Przedmieście site since 1643. Over the years, it has been rebuilt and remodeled many times...
(now the Presidential Palace) in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. He also sponsored military fortifications (Bar, Kudak).
Koniecpolski, who was regarded as a courteous and educated man, participated in all the Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
s that he could, though he rarely spoke publicly due to his stutter. He was widely respected and highly popular among his szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
peers.
Further reading
- Czapliński, Antoni and Topolski JerzyJerzy TopolskiJerzy Topolski was a Polish historian. Professor of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, he wrote over 30 books and hundreds of articles. He specialized in modern history of Poland and Europe, history of historiography and theory and methodology of history....
(1988). Historia Polski (History of Poland), Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich. ISBN 83-04-01919-1 - Davies, NormanNorman DaviesProfessor Ivor Norman Richard Davies FBA, FRHistS is a leading English historian of Welsh descent, noted for his publications on the history of Europe, Poland, and the United Kingdom.- Academic career :...
, God's PlaygroundGod's PlaygroundGod's Playground is a book written in 1979 by Norman Davies, covering the history of Poland.Davies was inspired to the title by Jan Kochanowski's 1580s Boże igrzysko ....
. New York: Columbia University Press,. ISBN 0-231-05353-3 and ISBN 0-231-05351-7 (two volumes) - Hetmani Rzeczypospolitej Obojga Narodów (1994). Warsaw: Bellona. ISBN 83-11-08275-8.
- Jasienica, Paweł. Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów. Warszawa : Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy. 1982. ISBN 83-06-00788-3
External links
- Short biography at the Polish-American Journal
- Another short bio at www.kresy.co.uk
- Koniecpolski entry in 1911 Britannica and in modern Britannica Entries at Encyklopedia PWN:http://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo.php?id=3925011, Encyklopedia InternauticaEncyklopedia InternauticaEncyklopedia Internautica is a Polish Internet encyclopedia based on the Popularna Encyklopedia Powszechna of Pinnex. It is freely accessible on the pages of Interia, Poland's third largest internet portal. As of 2006 the Encyklopedia Internautica had more than 120,000 entries....
:http://encyklopedia.interia.pl/haslo?hid=79491, Encyklopedia WIEM:http://portalwiedzy.onet.pl/21838,,,,koniecpolski_stanislaw,haslo.html