The Deluge: An Historical Novel of Poland, Sweden, and Russia. Vol. 1Sienkiewicz, Henryk
History
The Deluge: An Historical Novel of Poland, Sweden, and Russia. Vol. 1
Sienkiewicz, Henryk
Historical fiction; Poland -- History -- John II Casimir, 1648-1668 -- Fiction
Discouraged and wearied by many wars and reverses, and more than all by
the endless dissensions of magnates, Yan Kazimir resigned the kingly
office in 1668, and retired to France. Being now a widower, he became
Abbot of St. Germain and St. Martin, and lived on his stipend from
these foundations, for the Poles refused to continue his pension. It
seems, however, that he did not remain in seclusion till the end, for
he is mentioned as marrying in secret a widow who had once been a
laundress. He died in 1672, remembering the world much more than the
world remembered him.
Yan Zamoyski, one of the most celebrated nobles in Polish history, was
the grandfather of Sobiepan Zamoyski. The time of Zamoyski's success
was during the reign of Stephen Batory, who gave him more offices and
power than any citizen of the Commonwealth had ever enjoyed. As
castellan of Cracow, he was the first among lay senators; as starosta
of the same territory, he had extensive jurisdiction over criminals in
Little Poland; as hetman, he was commander of all the military forces
of the kingdom; as chancellor, he held the seals, without which no
official act of the king had validity.
Perhaps the most notable action in Zamoyski's career as a civilian
during Batory's reign was his treatment of the Zborovskis, one of whom
he had beheaded, and another condemned to decapitation and infamy. The
hatred of the Zborovskis for Zamoyski became so intense that later on
they tried to seat their candidate, Maximilian of Austria, in
opposition to Sigismund III., Zamoyski's choice and that of the
majority. The Zborovski party brought their candidate to the gate of
Cracow, intending to enthrone him with armed hand. Zamoyski repulsed
and pursued them to Silesia, where he defeated and made Maximilian
prisoner. The Austrian Archduke was held in captivity till he renounced
all claim to the throne. This is the captivity to which Sobiepan refers
on page 324, Vol. II.
Zamoyski had Sigismund impeached in 1592, not to condemn him, but to
give him a lesson. Zamoyski's course in this affair, and his last
speech in the Diet of 1605 are his most prominent acts during a reign
in which he was first in opposition, as he had been first on the king's
side during Batory's time. Zamoyski died in 1605, alarmed, as Lelevel
says, for the future of his country.
Sobiepan Zamoyski, who conceived such a friendship for Zagloba, married
the daughter of Henri de la Grange, a captain in the guard of Philip,
Duke of Orleans. After Zamoyski's death, his widow, a woman of great
beauty and ambition, married Sobyeski, subsequently elected king to
succeed Michael Vishnyevetski, who is mentioned on page 253, Vol. II.
Kmita, the hero of THE DELUGE, was probably of the Kmitas of Little
Poland, and of those who inherited lands granted Poles in Lithuania and
Russia after the union.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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