Jan iii sobieski biography of william

Portrait of Aleksander Benedykt by the circle of Hyacinthe Rigaud, about Anonymous portrait of Prince Jan —painted about Portrait of the Sobieski family by Siemiginowski-Eleuter. Left side: Jakub, Konstanty, Aleksander, Teresa. Right side: Marie Casimire holding Jan — Portrait of the Sobieski family by Henri Gascar. Right side: Aleksander, Teresa and Marie Casimire.

Aleksander Gieysztor History of Poland. ISBN Hammerton Concept Publishing Company. Mario Reading The Complete Prophecies of Nostradamus. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. Liber amicorum. Sobieski was more successful in his foreign policy. One of his greatest ambitions was the union of Christian Europe in a crusade to drive the Turks out of Europe; he partially realized this through the organization of the Holy League and to this he sacrificed other more specifically Polish interests.

When in the Turks laid siege to Vienna, which the Emperor Leopold had abandoned, Sobieski, at the request of the papal nuncio, gathered a force of some 25, Poles and marched to the relief of the city.

Jan iii sobieski biography of william: King Jan III Sobieski

These troops were joined by some 28, troops from the Holy Roman Empire and some 23, men raised among the peoples of the Austrian Empire, to form a combined Christian force of some 76, men led by Sobieski against the Turks, who were led by Kara Mustapha and whose forces numbered fromtomen. On Sept. The resulting relief of Vienna and the liberation of Hungary were the crowning achievements of his career.

Henceforth Turkey ceased to be a serious threat to Christian Europe. Sobieski did not see the culmination of the war, however, since he died three years before the Treaty of Karlowitz was signed.

Jan iii sobieski biography of william: John III Sobieski was King

A devout Catholic and a stanch defender of the Church, Sobieski promoted the cause of the Eastern Catholic Church within his realms. At the same time, he spurred on the reform of the Orthodox Churchassisted the Protestants and scrupulously protected the rights of the Jews. After his reign began the long decline that culminated in Poland's partition.

Bibliography: j. New York Cambridge History of Poland, v. Cambridge, Eng. Rome — 54 — Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. January 8, Retrieved January 08, from Encyclopedia. After returning to Poland, Sobieski pursued a policy of territorial expansion and aimed to reform the Polish state.

However, his efforts faced opposition from Polish nobles and Western neighbors. Despite his military successes, Sobieski's reign was marred by internal divisions and external threats. He died inleaving behind a legacy of military prowess and unfulfilled dreams of national renewal. Contact About Privacy. Sobieski's year reign marked a period of the Commonwealth's stabilization, much needed after the turmoil of previous conflicts.

Both brothers returned to the Commonwealth in InJakub fought in the Battle of Zboriv. Through personal connections, he became a strong supporter of the French faction in the Polish royal court, represented by Queen Marie Louise Gonzaga. Inhe was again elected a deputy to the Sejm, and took part in the work on reforming the military. He was also a member of the Sejm in and In the yearthe Polish-Lithuanian Tatars rose up in open rebellion against the Commonwealth.

This was the widely remembered Lipka rebellion. Thanks to the efforts of Sobieski, who was held in great esteem by the Tatar soldiers, many of the Lipkas seeking asylum and service in the Ottoman Army returned to his command. On 11 NovemberSobieski added a major victory to his list, this time defeating the Ottomans in the Battle of Khotyn and capturing the fortress located there.

Though Poland-Lithuania was at that time the largest and one of the most populous states of Europe, [ 19 ] Sobieski became a king of a country devastated by almost half a century of constant war.

Jan iii sobieski biography of william: the King of Poland, Jan

Sobieski had a number of long-term plans, including establishing his own dynasty in the Commonwealth, regaining lost territories, and strengthening the country through various reforms. The negotiations ended in failure and Sobieski's Baltic goals had to be tempered by the immediate reality of the Ottoman threat to the south. In the autumn ofhe recommenced the war against the Ottomans and managed to recapture a number of cities and fortresses including BratslavMogilevand Barwhich re-established a strongly fortified line defending Poland's southern border in Ukraine.

The treaty with the Ottomans began a period of peace that was much needed for the repair of the country and strengthening of the royal authority. Sobieski managed to reform the Polish army completely. Sobieski wanted to conquer Prussia with Swedish troops and French support. The wars with the Ottoman Empire were not decisively won by the Commonwealth, the ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia made treaties with FrancePrussia defeated the Swedish invasionand Sobieski's plans for the Commonwealth's own military campaign against Prussia was opposed by Commonwealth magnates, many of them taking the Prussian side.

The French-Prussian treaty of meant that Sobieski lost the major foreign ally for his planned campaign against Prussia; consequently, he started to distance himself from the pro-French faction, which, in turn, resulted in the cooling down of the Polish-French relations. During the Sejm ofthe French ambassador was expelled for involvement with a plan to dethrone Sobieski, which definitely marked the end of the Polish-French alliance.

Conscious that Poland lacked allies and risked war against most of its neighbours a situation similar to the DelugeSobieski allied himself by with Leopold Iof the Holy Roman Empire. Meantime, in the spring ofroyal spies uncovered Ottoman preparations for a military campaign. Sobieski's greatest success came inwith his victory at the Battle of Viennain joint command of Polish, Austrian and German troops, against the invading Ottomans under Kara Mustafa.

In the early morning, the united army of about 65, [ 33 ] —76, [ 32 ] men including 22, [ 33 ] —27, Poles [ 27 ] attacked a Turkish force of about[ 33 ] [ 32 ] men. At about pm, after observing the infantry battle from the Kahlenberg hilltop, Sobieski led the Polish husaria cavalry along with Austrians and Germans in a massive charge down the hillside.

Soon, the Ottoman battle line was broken and the Ottoman forces scattered in disarray. InSobieski undertook another expedition to Moldaviawith slightly better results, but still with no decisive victories. Although the King spent much time on the battlefields, which could suggest a good state of health, towards the end of his life he became seriously and increasingly ill.

Sobieski is remembered in Poland as a "hero king", victor at Vienna who defeated the Ottoman threat, an image that became particularly well recognized after his story was told in many works of 19th-century literature. He failed to reform the ailing Commonwealth, and to secure the throne for his heir. Their children were:. When he turned to go back to the camp, he discovered that there was another man up on this hill, a stone's throw away: some kind of monk or holy man, perhaps, as he was dressed in a rough sackcloth robe, with no finery.

But then the bloke whipped out a sword. It was not one of your needle-thin rapiers, such as fops pushed at each other in the streets of London and Paris, but some kind of relic of the Crusades, a two-handed production with a single crossbar instead of a proper guard—the sort of thing Richard the Lionhearted might've used to slay camels in the streets of Jerusalem.

This man went down on one knee in the dirt, and he did it with verve and enthusiasm.