John III Sobieski

John III Sobieski (Polish: Jan III Sobieski, Lithuanian: Jonas Sobieskis; 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was one of the most notable monarchs of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, from 1674 until his death King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.

Sobieski's 22-year-reign was marked by a period of the Commonwealth's stabilization, much needed after the turmoil of the Deluge and Khmelnytsky Uprising.[1] Popular among his subjects, he was an able military commander, most famous for the victory over the Turks in the 1683 Battle of Vienna.[2] Following his victories over the Ottoman Empire, he was called by the Turks the "Lion of Lechistan" and held as the saviour of European Christendom by the pope.[3]

Biography

John Sobieski was born on 17 August 1629 in Olesko, a small town near Lwów in Galicia, now Ukraine, then part of the Ruthenian Voivodeship in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to a notable noble family de Sobieszyn Sobieski of Janina coat of arms.[4][5] His father, Jakub Sobieski, was the Voivode of Ruthenia and Castellan of Kraków; his mother, Zofia Teofillia Daniłowicz was a granddaughter of Hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski.[5] John Sobieski spent his childhood in Żółkwia.[5] After graduating from the Nowodworski College in Kraków in 1643, young John Sobieski then graduated from the philosophical faculty of the Jagiellonian University in 1646.[5][6] After finishing his studies, together with his brother Marek Sobieski, John left for western Europe, where he spent more than two years travelling.[5][7] They visited Leipzig, Antwerp, Paris, London, Leiden and Hague.[5] During that time he met influential contemporary figures such as Louis II de Bourbon, Charles II of England and William II, Prince of Orange, and learnt French, German and Italian, in addition to Latin.[8]

Both brothers returned to the Commonwealth in 1648, upon receiving the news of the death of king Władysław IV Waza and the hostilities of the Khmelnytsky Uprising, volunteered for the army.[5][9] They both fought in the siege of Zamość.[5] They founded and commanded their own banners (chorągiew) of cavalry (one light, "cossack", and one heavy, of Polish hussars).[5] Soon the fortunes of war separated the brothers. In 1649 Jakub fought in the Battle of Zboriv.[5] In 1652 Marek died in Tatar captivity after his capture at the Battle of Batoh.[5][10] John was promoted to the rank of pułkownik and fought with distinction in the Battle of Berestechko.[11] A promising commander, John was sent by King John II Casimir to Istanbul in the Ottoman Empire as one of the envoys in a diplomatic mission ofMikołaj Bieganowski.[5][12] There, Sobieski learnt the Tatar language and the Turkish language and studied Turkish military traditions and tactics.[5][12] It is likely he participated as part of the briefly allied Polish-Tatar forces in the 1655 Battle of Okhmativ.[5]

After the start of the Swedish invasion of Poland known as "The Deluge", John Sobieski was among the Greater Polish regiments led by Krzysztof Opaliński, Palatine of Poznań which capitulated at Ujście, and swore allegiance to King Charles X Gustav of Sweden.[5][12] However, around late March 1656 he abandoned their side, returning to the side of Polish king Jan Kazimierz Waza, enlisting under the command of hetmans Stefan Czarniecki andJerzy Sebastian Lubomirski.[5]

Commander

During the three-day long battle of Warsaw of 1656, Sobieski's command of a 2,000-man strong regiment of Tatar cavalry earnt him promotion to the title of Lord Standard-Bearer of the Crown.[14] A strong supporter of the French faction, Sobieski remained loyal to the King during the infamous Lubomirski Rebellion, which further helped his military career. In 1665 he married Marie Casimire Louise de la Grange d'Arquien and was promoted to the rank of Grand Marshal of the Crown, and the following year, to the rank of Field Hetman of the Crown.[4] In 1667 he achieved another great victory over the Cossacks and their Tatar allies in the Battle of Podhajce during the Polish–Cossack–Tatar War (1666–71).[12] On 5 February 1668, by now a famed and esteemed commander, he achieved the rank of Grand Hetman of the Crown, the highest military rank in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and thereby the de facto commander-in-chief of the entire Polish Army.[12]

On 11 November 1673, during the Polish–Ottoman War (1672–76), Sobieski added yet another major victory to his list, this time defeating the Turks in the battle of Chocim and capturing the fortress located there.[12] The news of the battle coincided with the news of the death of Michael I, King of Poland, who had died the day before the battle.[12] This made Sobieski one of the most leading figures in the state, and on 19 May the following year, he was elected as monarch of theCommonwealth.[4] His candidacy was almost universally supported, with only a dozen or so members of the diet opposing him. Among the most notable backers of his candidacy was his wife. Jan Sobieski was crowned Jan III 2 February 1676.[4]

King

Though Poland-Lithuania was at that time the largest and one of the most populous states of Europe, Sobieski became a king of a country devastated by almost half a century of constant war. The treasury was almost empty and the court had little to offer the powerful magnates, who often allied themselves with foreign courts rather than the state. Sobieski decided to stabilise the situation by forcing the Ottomans to accept a peace treaty to end the constant wars on the southern border. In the autumn of 1674 he recommenced the war against the Turks and managed to recapture the fortresses of Kamieniec Podolski, Bar and Reszków, which re-established a strongly fortified line defending Poland's southern border in the Ukraine.[15] Polish historian Oskar Halecki and others noted, that Sobieski also planned to conquer Prussia withSwedish troops and French support.[16] This secret pact, later exposed, failed because the war with Turkey took too long, by which time the Great Elector had made treaties with France, the Swedes had been repelled, and by increased opposition from the Commonwealth's magnates, with many of them on the Great Elector's side. Sobieski's plan was also hurt by Michał Pac, the hetman of Lithuania and a supporter of Brandenburg, who simply defected with his army and then disbanded it.

Battle of Vienna

Sobieski sending message of victory to the Pope after the Battle of Vienna, by Jan Matejko, 1880, National Museum, Kraków

Sobieski's greatest success came in 1683 with his victory at the Battle of Vienna, in joint command of Polish, Austrian and German troops, against the invading Turks under Kara Mustafa.

Upon reaching Vienna, Sobieski had planned to attack on 13 September, but with the Turkish army close to breaching the walls he ordered a full attack on 12 September. At 4 am, the united army of about 81,000 men attacked a Turkish force of about 130,000 men. At about 5 pm, after observing the infantry battle from the hilltop, Sobieski led Polish husaria cavalry along with Austrians and Germans into a massive charge down the hillside. Soon, the Turkish battle line was broken and the Ottoman forces scattered in confusion. At 5:30 pm Sobieski entered the deserted tent of Kara Mustafa and the battle of Vienna ended.

The Pope and other foreign dignitaries hailed Sobieski as the "Savior of Vienna and Western European civilization."[18] In a letter to his wife he wrote, "All the common people kissed my hands, my feet, my clothes; others only touched me, saying: 'Ah, let us kiss so valiant a hand!'"[19]

Later years

King John III Sobieski died in Wilanów, Poland on 17 June 1696. His wife, Maria Kasimira, died in 1716 in Blois, France, and her body was returned to Poland. They are interred together in Wawel Cathedral, Kraków, Poland.

King John III was succeeded by Augustus II who stayed in power primarily because of Russian support. On his death in 1733, a struggle for the crown of Poland ensued, referred to as the War of the Polish Succession.

Sobieski's battles

Battle of Podhajce (1667)
Battle of Bracław (1671)
Battle of Mohylów (1671)
Battle of Kalnik (1671)
Battle of Krasnobród (1672)
Battle of Niemirów (1672)
Battle of Komarno (1672)
Battle of Kałusz (1672)
Battle of Chocim (1673)

Battle of Bar (1674)
Battle of Lwów (1675)
Battle of Trembowla (1675)
Battle of Wojniłów (1675)
Battle of Żurawno (1676)
Battle of Vienna (1683)
Battle of Parkany (1683)
Battle of Jazłowiec (1684)
Battle of Żwaniec (1684)
Battle of Iaşi (1686)
Battle of Suceava (1691)

Legacy

After World War II, a statue of John III Sobieski was "repatriated" to Gdańsk from Lwów (a city now found in Ukraine Lviv. The statue overlooks a little park at the old Gdańsk City Hall museum.
After the battle of Vienna, the newly delineated constellation of Scutum (Latin for shield) was originally named Scutum Sobiescianum by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius, in honor of John III Sobieski. While there are a few stars named after non-astronomers, this is the only constellation named after a real non-astronomer, moreover, one who was still alive when the constellation was named.
A legend of the origins of the bagel refers to John III Sobieski as the king to whom a Jewish baker gave the very first bagel in commemoration of his victory at Vienna in 1683. The round shape of the bagel was said to resemble the stirrups of Sobieski and his mounted warriors.
The EuroCity rail lines running between Vienna and Warsaw (lines 104/105) are named after Sobieski.
There is a modern proposition from non-Polish European newspapers to name the A2 highway in Poland after Sobieski.[20]
Sobieski, a vodka brand named after His Majesty John III.
A cigarette brand owned by British American Tobacco is called Jan III Sobieski.

Royal titles

Official title was (in Latin): Joannes III, Dei Gratia rex Poloniae, magnus dux Lithuaniae, Russiae, Prussiae, Masoviae, Samogitiae, Livoniae, Smolenscie, Kijoviae, Volhyniae, Podlachiae, Severiae, Czernichoviaeque, etc.[21]
Official title (Polish): Jan III, z łaski bożej, król Polski, wielki książę litewski, ruski, pruski, mazowiecki, żmudzki, kijowski, wołyński, podlaski i czernichowski, etc.
English translation: John III, by the grace of God King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Ruthenia, Prussia, Masovia, Samogitia, Livonia, Smolensk, Kiev, Volhynia, Podlasie, Severia and Chernihiv, etc.

Family

On 5 July 1665, he married the widow of Jan "Sobiepan" Zamoyski, Marie Casimire Louise de la Grange d'Arquien (1641–1716), of Nevers, Burgundy, France. Their children were:

Jakub Ludwik Henryk (2 November 1667 – 19 December 1737), Crown Prince of Poland, married Countess Palatine Hedwig Elisabeth of Neuburg and had issue.
twin daughters (9 May 1669), stillborn or died shortly after birth.
Teresa Teofila (October 1670), was a frail child and failed to survive for more than a month.
Adelajda Ludwika (15 October 1672 – 10 February 1677), called "Barbelune", died at the age of four.
Maria Teresa (18 October 1673 – 7 December 1675), called "La Mannone", died at the age of two.
daughter (October 1674), stillborn or died shortly after birth.
Teresa Kunegunda (4 March 1676 – 10 March 1730), married Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria and had issue.
Aleksander Benedykt (6 September 1677 – 19 November 1714), died unmarried.
daughter (13 November 1678), stillborn or died shortly after birth.
Konstanty Władysław (1 May 1680 – 28 February 1726), married Maria Józefa Wessel but had no issue.
Jan (4 June 1682 – between 1 January and 12 April 1685), died at the age of two.
daughter (20 December 1684), stillborn or died shortly after birth.

Sobieski family

References

1. Aleksander Gieysztor (1979). History of Poland. PWN, Polish Scientific Publishers. p. 223. ISBN 83-01-00392-8.
2. J.A. Hammerton (2007). Peoples of All Nations: Their Life Today And Story Of Their Past. Concept Publishing Company. p. 4142. ISBN 81-7268-144-5.
3. Mario Reading (2009). The Complete Prophecies of Nostradamus. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. p. 382. ISBN 1-906787-39-5.
4. Wojciech Skalmowski, Tatjana Soldatjenkova, Emmanuel Waegemans (2003). Liber amicorum. Peeters Publishers. p. 165. ISBN 90-429-1298-7.
5. Red. (Eds.), Jan III Sobieski', p. 413
6. J.B. Morton. Sobieski, King of Poland. pp. 30–31.
7. Tindal Palmer 1815, p. 5.
8. Daniel Stone (2001). The Polish–Lithuanian state, 1386–1795. University of Washington Press. p. 236. ISBN 0-295-98093-1.
9. Tindal Palmer 1815, p. 7
10. Tindal Palmer 1815, pp. 12–13
11. Tindal Palmer 1815, p. 20
12. Simon Millar, Peter Dennis (2008). Vienna 1683: Christian Europe Repels the Ottomans. Osprey Publishing. p. 17. ISBN 1-84603-231-8.
13. (Polish) Hanna Widacka. "Karacena Jana III Sobieskiego". www.wilanow-palac.art.pl. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
14. Tindal Palmer 1815, pp. 23–24.
15. (Polish) Wojciech Polskie Towarzystwo Historyczne. Oddział w Kielcach, Polska Akademia Nauk. Komisja Nauk Historycznych (2004). "Volume 47,Issues 1–4". Studia historyczne. Polska Akademia Nauk, Oddział w Krakowie, Komisja Nauk Historycznych. p. 274
16. Wiktor Waintraub (1976). Memoirs of the Polish Baroque: the writings of Jan Chryzostom Pasek, a squire of the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania. University of California Press. p. 308. ISBN 0-520-02752-3.
17. (Polish) Mirosław Nagielski (1995). Hetmani Rzeczypospolitej Obojga Narodów. Bellona. p. 227. ISBN 83-11-08275-8.
18. World Book, Inc (2007). "Volume 1". The World Book Encyclopedia. Bellona. p. 132. ISBN 0-7166-0107-9.
19. Mizwa, Stephen Paul (1942). Great Men and Women of Poland. New York: Macmillan. p. 103.
20. http://www.bankier.pl/wiadomosc/Die-Welt-proponuje-nazwe-dla-autostrady-A2-2565831.html.
21. (Polish) Ignacy Zagórski, Edward Rastawiecki (baron) (1845). Monety dawnej polski jakoteż prowincyj i miast do niéj niegdy należacych: z trzech ostatnich wieków zebrane. S.H. Merzbach. p. 75.

Anonymous portrait of Jakub Ludwik, painted about 1685.	Anonymous portrait of Teresa Kunegunda, painted at the end of the 17th century.	Portrait of Aleksander Benedykt by the circle of Hyacinthe Rigaud, about 1696.
Portrait of Konstanty Władysław by the circle of Hyacinthe Rigaud, about 1696.	Anonymous portrait of Prince Jan (1682–1685), painted about 1683.	Portrait of Maria Klementyna, John III's granddaughter, painted by Pier Leone Ghezziaround 1735.
Anonymous portrait of Maria Karolina, John III's granddaughter, painted around 1730.	Portrait of the Sobieski family by Siemiginowski-Eleuter. Left side: Jakub, Konstanty, Aleksander, Teresa. Right side: Marie Casimire holding Jan (1682–1685).	Portrait of the Sobieski family by Henri Gascar. Left side: Konstanty and Jakub (grasping a portrait of John III. Right side: Aleksander, Teresa and Marie Casimire.
	Portrait of the Sobieski family by Henri Gascar. John III and Marie Casimire are in the middle; Konstanty, Aleksander and Jakub are on the left; Teresa Kunegunda and Hedwig of Neuburg holding her daughter Maria Leopoldyna (1693–1695) are on the right.