Anniversary of the conflict of Poles with Tatars, Turks and Voloch under Cecora.
Today, in our calendar, we will look at the life and activities of Grand Crown Hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski, who died in the conflict of Cecora.
Stanisław Żółkiewski was the boy of the Russian voivode of the same name and his wife Zofia of the home of Leipzig. Thanks to household and social connections with powerful magnate families, the young noble was given the care of 1 of the most influential people in the Republic of Poland – Jan Zamoyski. Under this comparatively efficient framework for democratic policy, Stanisław improved his diplomatic and military capabilities.
In 1573, he accompanied him in a delegation to France to inform Henry Walez that he had been elected king of the Republic. After taking the throne by Stefan Batory, he became his secretary and trusted associate. He took part in the monarch's expedition against rebellious Protestants from Gdańsk and marked himself in the conflict of Lubiew. During the wars with Moscow from 1579 to 1582 he successfully commanded the flag of driving. Turns out he has a large tactical sense and a large chief.
Stanislaw himself felt that the military field was the 1 in which he wanted to be fulfilled as a man and a loving patriot. Thanks to his talents, integrity, modesty, loyalty to the ruler and nobility of customs, he rapidly advanced into the military hierarchy. As the most faithful of the faithful, the king entrusted him with the most hard missions. 1 of them was an operation to capture and bring to justice the magnate outlaw Samuel Zborowski. The task ended with the complete success and execution of a criminal in the courtyard of Wawel Castle.
In 1588, Żółkiewski stood alongside Jan Zamoyski against the Austrian intervention aimed at placing a typical of the Habsburg dynasty on the Polish throne. Battle of the Bull, in which he was badly wounded proved that the old Polish martial arts were not equal in both the east and west of Europe. For this victory, Żółkiewski was appointed by the fresh ruler – Zygmunt III Vasa – a captain of the crown field. Since then, he has devoted himself completely to military affairs.
The first major mission assigned to him in his fresh post was to intervene in Moldova and in Vołoszczyń. The authorities of the Republic hoped that political pillars could be planted on the thrones there, and that both hospodars could be removed from the hands of a flax dependency from Istanbul. The shortsightedness of Warsaw led to the liquidation of the interesting task of the Romanian statehood Michał Waleczny, which could cover Poland from the south, while at the same time insulating the Crimean Chanat. However, Stanisław Żółkiewski again showed his military skill, this time at the conflict of Bukov.
In 1602, as an independent commander, he beat the Swedes under the Rewlem. During Rokosz Zebrzydowski he sided with Zygmunt III Vasa, although he did not full support his political agenda. In the conflict of Guzow he commanded with John Karol Chodkiewicz. Leading the left wing, he led to the defeat of the political opponents of the monarch. As a reward for merit, he was appointed the Kiev Voivodeship. In the meantime, he bloodyly suppressed further Cossack uprisings and destroyed a number of looting Tatar raids (e.g. in the conflict of the Udycz River in 1606).
He opposed the participation of Polish magnates in dimitriads. Nor did he support the thought of the authoritative intervention of the armed forces of the Republic. Despite this, obedience was always the most crucial to him, and in 1609 he headed the Polish troops at Smolensk. Without waiting for the result of the siege of the fortress, he went deep into the territory of his opponent and fought the most crucial conflict of his career under Kłuszyn on 4 July 1610.
At the head of much weaker forces in a beautiful kind he crushed the combined Swedish-Moscow troops. This triumph opened his way to Moscow, which he triumphantly entered. The fighters offered him the throne of the Tsar, which he refused – offering representatives of the Waz dynasty. It was he who brought prisoners of war to Warsaw in the form of Tsar Shujski and his brothers who paid the alleged Russian tribute to Sigismund III.
In the following years, he again struggled with the Tatars at the south-eastern ends, however, a real conflict ensued with the general parliament, where in 1616 he advocated expanding the Hetman powers and raising the overall army's size. Democratic elites were deaf to his arguments, fearing that strengthening the army would consequence in an increase in absoluteist tendencies.
In 1617 the Turkish threat increased. The Hetman understood them, and seeing the thinness of his own strength, he sought to postpone confrontation in time. He signed a peace in Busza, under which Poland was to cease interference in the interior affairs of the duchy of the Danube. For this he was powerfully criticized by the nobility; even accusations of treason and cowardice arose in the face of the enemy. The king saw the substance differently and promoted Jałkiewski to the post of the large crown captain.
The war was indeed delayed, but only by 2 years. Standing on the orders of the superiors in defence of Poland's favoured hospor Kacpra Grazziani, hetman embarked on an expedition into Moldova. Unfortunately, the Sejm assigned him a very modest force that could not warrant the success of the mission. As if it were little, Grazziani, who promised support, sent only modest meals.
On 18 September 1620, Poles were circled under Cecora by the many stronger Turks and Tatars, besides assisted by the Volochs. A well-organized rolling stock gave hope for a safe return to the homeland, but on October 7, a panic broke out very close to Dniestru, by which most of the army was destroyed. Hetman refused to save himself and pierced the horse that was brought to him. He was going to say, I'm not getting in. I'm glad to die with you. May the Lord God be upon me his judgement which he has made end.
He fought heroically to the end and died among his soldiers. His severed head was taken as a symbol of triumph to the Sultan's Court in Istanbul. The body was later redeemed from Turkish hands by wife Regina and boy of John.
Stanisław Żółkiewski was a prominent chief, statesman and political realist. For many of the next generations, he was an unsurpassed model of the virtues of the actual Pole, among which the courage, valor, allegiance to the ruler and love of the Homeland were the first. He was the first specified high-ranking commander in past to die with a weapon in his hand, laying his life on the altar of freedom and the greatness of the Republic.
Previous entry from our calendar is available Here.
