Jeremi Wiśniowiecki

Jeremi Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki ( _uk. Ярема Вишневецький, the first name is also sometimes spelled as "Jarema" in Polish) (1612- August 20, 1651) was a notable member of the aristocracy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Prince at Wiśniowiec, Łubny and Chorol and a father of future Polish king Michał I. A notable magnate (of Lithuanian/Ukrainian origin) and military commander, Wiśniowiecki was an heir of one of the biggest fortunes of the state and rose to several notable dignities, among others he was made the Palatine of Ruthenia after 1646. He owned 38,000 homesteads, inhabited by 230,000 of his subjects.

Orphaned at the age of seven, he was raised by his uncle, Konstanty Wiśniowiecki. Attended a Jesuit college, briefly an academy in Italy, gained military experience in the Netherlands. In 1631 he returned to the Commonwealth and took over from his uncle the management of the huge estates of his father, which included a large part of what is now Ukraine. The capital of his estate was located at a fortified manor at Lubny. Because of its size, Wiśniowiecki's estate was often named the "Łubnie state", as it exceeded in size most of the states of Europe of that time. There he fielded a private army of between 2000 and 6000 soldiers and from there he headed the colonisation of the steppes on the eastern side of the Dnieper River.

He gained military experience in several wars and campaigns. During the Smolensk Campaign of 1633-1634, he accompanied Aleksander Piaseczyński's southern army and took part in several battles, among them the siege of Putywl. The following year he served in the units of Adam Kisiel and Łukasz Żółkiewski. After the war he engaged in a conflict for the estate of Dowmontów against another notable magnate, Samuel Łaszcz. Although Jeremi was victorious, the conflict caused much opposition to his - almost independent - rule in much of the Ukraine. It was one of the reasons why in 1636 the Sejm opposed the marriage of Polish king Władysław IV Waza with Wiśniowiecki's sister, Anna. Jeremi himself married Gryzelda Zamoyska, daughter of Chancellor Tomasz Zamoyski in 1639. At that time he also engaged in a political campaign to preserve ancient nobility titles and nullify the newer ones, which gained him the enemy in form of another powerful magnate, Jerzy Ossoliński.

In 1637 he fought under Hetman Mikołaj Potocki against a Cossack rebellion of Pavel Pavluk and the following year against the rebellion of Dymitr Hunia. After these rebellions, he and his fellow Polish magnates began a campaign of terror, torturing and killing all who were viewed as having the potential for disobedience. In 1641, after the death of his uncle Konstanty Wiśniowiecki, Jeremi became the last adult male of the Wiśniowiecki family and inherited all the remaining estates of the clan, despite a brief conflict with Aleksander Ludwik Radziwiłł who also claimed the inherited land. He also fought against the Tatars in 1640-1646. In 1644 together with Hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski he took part in the victorious battle of Ochmatów, in which they dealt a terrible defeat to the Crimean Tatars of Toğay bey (Tuhaj Bej).

In 1644 after a false news of the death of Adam Kazanowski he besieged and captured his estate of Rumnia. For this he was sentenced to exile. After he presented strong claims to Rumnia, he gained support from local sejmiks and then from the Sejm and the king. In 1646, after the death of Koniecpolski, he became the voivode of Ruthenia. He invaded and took over the town of Hadziacz which was also being claimed by a son of Koniecpolski, Aleksander Koniecpolski. Then, together with Janusz Tyszkiewicz, he invaded and took over the starostwo kaniowskie from Samuel Łaszcz. After a threat of civil war he negotiated a settlement with Aleksander Koniecpolski over Hadziacz.

He refused to support king Władysław, even through the king offered him the position of Field Hetman. He supported colonisation of Transdnieper (Zadnieprze) which led to many conflicts with Cossacks inhabiting this area. He fought against the Cossacks again during Khmelnytsky Uprising in 1648-1651, commanding defence of Zbaraż in 1649, and in the battle of Beresteczko in 1651. He also took considerable efforts to protect his Jewish subjects. His military prowess earned him the nickname "Uzhas Kozachij" (Cossack's Fear). He was the owner of large estates in Volhynian, Ruthenian and Kyiv Voivodships. Under his management the estate flourished. However, his conversion to Catholicism from the Orthodox religion, the religion of the Ukrainian Cossacks, increased tensions in Ukraine.

Popular culture

Jacek Kaczmarski dedicated one of his songs, "Kniazia Jaremy nawrócenie" to Jeremi Wiśniowiecki.

Andrzej Seweryn played Jeremi Wiśniowiecki in the 1999 film With Fire and Sword

See also

* Lithuanian nobility
* Wiśniowiecki family
* List of szlachta

External links

* [http://www.jarema.art.pl/ Page dedicated to Jeremi Wisniowiecki, in Polish]