'Jan Zamoyski' (also known as 'Jan Zamojski')
1542-
1605, was a
Polish szlachcic,
magnate, 1st
Ordynat of the
Zamosc estate.
Royal Secretary from
1566, Lesser Crown
Kanclerz (
Chancellor) from
1576, Greater Crown Kanclerz from
1578, and Greater Crown
Hetman of the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from
1581. General
starost of
Kraków from
1580 to
1585, starost of
Bełz,
Międzyrzecze,
Krzeszów,
Knyszyn and
Derpsk. Important advisor to
Kings Sigismund II Augustus and
Stephen Báthory, he was one of the major opponents of Bathory successor,
Sigismund III Vasa, and one of the most skilled diplomats, politicians and statesmen of his time, standing as a major figure in the politics of the Commonwealth throughout his life.
Biography
Early years: the royal supporter
He attended the
University of
Paris and
University of
Padua. Since his student days he become deeply interested in politics. After he returned to Poland, he was appointed secretary to King Sigismund II. In
1563 he wrote ''De senatu Romano'', a
brochure about
Ancient Rome government, in which he sought to apply constitutional principles of
republican Rome to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Jan Zamoyski
After the extinction of the
Jagiellon dynasty in
1572 during the
election sejm (Polish ''sejm konwokacyjny'') he used his influence to enforce the ''victrom election procedure'' (meaning all nobles had the right to vote for the king) and the
majority voting procedure. During that time he wrote the ''Modus electionis'' brochure. He was a friend of
Mikołaj Sienicki and
Hieronim Ossolinski, and he soon become the most important leader of the faction of the lesser and middle nobility (
szlachta) in the Commonwealth, whose goal was the reform the country, forming the
execution movement (or 'executionist movement', Polish: ''egzekucja praw'', ''egzekucja dóbr'', ''popularysci'', ''ruch egzekucyjny'') - preserving the unique constitutional and parliamentary government of the Commonwealth with the dominant role of lesser nobility (
Golden Freedom). He was so influential that this group was later called 'zamojczycy' (Polish adjective form of his surname - "Zamoyski's people").
He opposed the
magnate faction, which wished to offer the throne to a member of the
Habsburg branch. During the
1573 election he was in favour of
Henryk II Walezy. During the
1575 election he championed the case of anti-Habsburg
Stephen Bathory. At that time he was one of the most powerful people in the country, having obtained both the power of Grand
Hetman (commander in chief of the armed forces) and that of chancellor, and soon becoming one of the richest Polish magnates. He supported Batory's politics, which were opposed to both the Habsburgs and
Ottomans and supported him in his efforts to strengthen the royal power. He took part in the preparation and war against
Muscovy in
1579-
1581, when he captured
Wielize and
Zawoloc.
Later years: in opposition to the throne
After the death of Batory in
1586, Zamoyski helped
Sigismund III Vasa to gain the Polish throne, fighting in the brief
civil war against the forces supporting Habsburg
archduke Maximilian III of Austria, and defeating them in the
Battle of Byczyna in
1588, when Maximilian and his magnate supporters tried to seize
Kraków, the Polish capital. Maximilian was taken prisoner and had to give up all pretences to the Polish crown.
However, from the very beginning of Sigismund III's reign, Zamoyski, who was once a staunch supporter of the Commonwealth kings, joined the opposition against the monarch's intentions of transforming the Commonwealth into an
absolute monarchy. Sigismund had quickly allied himself with the Habsburgs and other
Counter-Reformation forces, in order to secure their help for regaining the
Swedish throne. The new King feared the chancellor's power, but due to Commonwealth laws he was unable to dismiss him from his posts. In turn, Zamoyski treated the King as a pawn and ignorant foreigner. In opposition to the king, Zamoyski advocated
religious tolerance, opposed the growing power of the
Roman Catholic Church and
Jesuits, and warned against forcing the Commonwealth into useless dynasty wars with Sweden, especially with the constant danger from the
Ottoman Empire. His politics and actions where responsible for Poland opposing and eventually avoiding the trend toward absolutism that characterized the other states of Europe. Open conflict between king and chancellor broke out during the
Sejm (Polish Diet) of
1592, when Zamoyski found out that Sigismund was plotting to cede the Polish crown to the Habsburgs in exchange for their support of his right to the Swedish throne. Zamoyski failed to dethrone Sigismund but won for himself a free hand in the
Moldavian campaign where in
1595 he helped
hospodar Ieremia Movilă (Jeremi Mohyła) to gain the throne. In
1600 he fought against
Michael the Brave (Michal Waleczny, Mihai Viteazul),
hospodar of
Wallachia and the new
Prince of
Transylvania, who had conquered
Moldavia a few months earlier. He defeated him under
Bukova (Bucovu; see
Battle of the Teleajăn River) and restored Ieremia to the throne, even helping his brother,
Simion Movilă to become brief ruler of Wallachia, thus spreading the influence of the Commonwealth to the Central
Danube.
In 1600 and
1601 he took part in the
war against Sweden commanding the Commonwealth forces in
Livonia (Inflanty). In 1600 he recaptured some strongholds from the Swedes and year later captured
Wolmar and
Fellin, and in
1602 Bialy Kamien. The rigours of the campaign, however, placed a strain on his health, and he resigned the command.
Legacy
In 1580 he founded the city of
Zamość, built and designed as a
renaissance “citta ideale” or “
ideal city” by the
Italian architect Bernardo Morando. During his life he gathered much wealth - he owned 11 cities and 200 villages (around 6400 km²) and was a royal caretaker of another 112 cities and 612 villages (around 17500 km²). In 1595 he founded the
Akademia Zamojska.
Jan Zamoyski is one of the characters in the famous painting by
Jan Matejko: ''Sermon of
Skarga''.
See also
★
Moldavian Magnate Wars
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