Wincenty Korwin Gosiewski

Wincenty Korwin Gosiewski (ca. 1620–1662) was a Polish politician and military commander, a notable member of the szlachta.

He was born some time about 1620 as Wincenty Aleksander Korwin Gosiewski to Aleksander Korwin Gosiewski, a renowned Polish-Lithuanian diplomat and the voivode of the Smolensk Voivodeship. Little is known of his early life. He studied at the University of Bologna. By 1646 he received the title of Master of the Pantry for Lithuania. Between November 21 and December 24 1650 he also served as the marshal of the Sejm. At the same time he must have served in the Polish–Lithuanian army since in 1651 he was promoted to general of artillery.

The following year Gosiewski became the Grand Treasurer of Lithuania. At the same time he continued his military career and in 1654 he was promoted to the rank of Field Lithuanian Hetman, one of the two highest ranks in the Polish–Lithuanian armed forces. As such he took part in fights against the Cossacks during the Chmielnicki Uprising. During the Swedish invasion of 1655, known as The Deluge, Gosiewski at first submitted his forces to the Swedish king Charles X, following the politics of "de facto" overlords of Lithuania, Princes Janusz Radziwiłł and Bogusław Radziwiłł. However, afterwards he rebelled with his troops and joined the Polish forces fighting the Swedes.

With his forces he took part in the Battle of Warsaw of 1656. After the Polish defeat, he crossed the Swedish lines and operated with his forces behind the enemy lines in Prussia and northern Masovia. He took part in the victorious battles of Prostki, (where he defeated Prince Bogusław Radziwiłł), and Filipów. After the Swedish defeat in Poland and Denmark, Gosiewski was one of the people behind preparation of the Welawa-Bydgoszcz Treaty.

After the Muscovy declared war on Poland, Gosiewski moved his forces to the area of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, where he fought with distinction. However, in 1658 after the defeat in the Battle of Werki he was captured by the Muscovite forces and remained in their captivity until 1662.

He reassumed his earlier posts and became one of the supporters of the Polish king John II Casimir. He followed the policy of support for strong and centralized royal power, known as Vivente rege. In 1662 he was taken by the anti-royal Lithuanian confederates and shot to death on November 29 of that year.

Dynastic Genealogy has only records of one daughter, Teresa. The existence of Boguslaw Korwin Gosiewski, and Zofia, comes from a misunderstanding or from a no quoted source.

External links

* [http://www.jurzak.pl Dynastic Genealogy]
* [http://www.gosiewski.pl Marcin Gosiewski (Slepowron CoA)]
* [http://republika.pl/akromer/herby_hetmani.html “Maly Herbarz” (Hetmani Polni Litewscy) by Adam Kromer]