Anniversary of the disaster of the Polish common start at Piławiec, during the Chmielnicki Uprising.
Today in our calendar we will look at events that led the Republic to the brink of collapse.
While the heroic defence conflict over the Yellow Waters ended with the failure of Polish forces on 16 May 1648 meant small to the result of the war with the Cossack, the defeat at Korsun (26 May) was already a breakthrough event. This defeat was not equal in the full past of the pre-opportunity of the Republic, as the full Crown Army ceased to be as a consequence of it, and both its chieftains – Hetman the large Crown Nicholas Potocki and Hetman Polny the Crown Marcin Kalinowski – got into Tatar captivity.
The importance of these events increased the unexpected death of King Władysław IV on 20 May. The Kresa shortly ignited the unknown never with the fire of rapes, murders and looting. After the march of the zapozhyces, the acquisition of peasant blacks, and the pulpit of the Tatars, and the populous villages and manors of the Ukrainians, the ruins remained. The authorities in Warsaw faced a gigantic crisis, both military and political, and there was no indication of its imminent averting.
Although it was fast for the standards at the time, as early as July, a convocational parliament gathered, he was plunged into typically democratic partisan pushes. On the 1 hand, settlement parties were developed under Chancellor Jerzy Ossoliński, who sought to sign a truce with the goat to gain time and break up a dangerous Zaporo-Tatar alliance. On the another hand, there was a war organization at Jerem Wiśniowiecki, who demanded that the army be gathered and the insurgents be broken up. According to him, the systems were for the weak, and the fire at the Endlands could only be extinguished by force.
Unfortunately for the Polish cause, settlement parties gained the advantage. It led to the beginning of diplomatic talks with Chmielnicki, while agreeing to the establishment of a fresh dense army, assisted by the common movement of the nobility. The natural leader of this army appeared to be Jeremi Wiśniowiecki, surrounded by a fresh triumph over 8 times as many rebel forces in Battle of Constantinov (26-28 July 1648).
Unfortunately, besides this time, private animosities hidden under the cloak of democratic slogans and voting have won over common sense. Under the influence of Jerzy Ossoliński and his acolytes, not 1 but 3 chiefs – Władysław Dominik Ostrogski-Zasławski, Mikołaj Ostrorog and Aleksandra Koniecpolska were chosen. As it shortly turned out, they were inept people who should not be entrusted with command of the last Polish army.
Each had a different concept of campaigning and fighting a decisive battle. The unfortunate chiefs, after many discussions, within the framework of the consensus established a congregational point of the troops under the Glinins and then the Piłacci, in a place poorly suited for defence and besides close to the areas under the uprising. Soldiers and nobles would come to the camp slowly, and logistics and reconnaissance would neglect throughout the line. As a result, the pushes and the distractions, as well as the individual characteristics of the regimentaries, were not respected by the subordinates.
From the beginning, bad atmosphere and success were expected in the early signing of the truce alternatively than in the winning, armed settlement. Henryk Sienkiewicz wrote in his immortal fresh “Fire and Sword”:
But as the rumors of the Tartars approaching, at night... spread from 22 to 23 (in fact from 23 to 24 September 1648 – cars), kthe elders, without revealing any of this intention, secretly rushed to flee, all fled; wagons, food, weapons, spoils were left to the first to benefit happiness... It was in specified fear and haste that any passed 18 miles by dinner. So they fled, not hunted by anyone, forget the nobility, the shame, the state in which the Republic remains.
Indeed, not only did the noblemen of the common movement succumb to panic, but besides the regimentaries who fled, leaving their army to the wilderness of Cossack-Tatar. The honor of the army saved part of the infantry under the leadership of Samuel Osiński, who, in large losses of her own, withdrew with an insured march, covering the rear of the escapees.
After the Pilawiecian defeat, Bohdan Chmielnicki was expected to call the regimenters "Latin, Child, and Bakery".
Nicholas Ostroróg (1593–1651) gained the alias “Latin”. This man was a prominent seismic talker but a mediocre commander. Actually, he had no military experience. He was characterized by an exaggerated love of books. He was able to read various scholarly tracts by candle until late at night, which, as you can see, did small in practice.
The book “piesza” was earned by Władysław Dominik Ostrogski-Zasławski (1618-1656). It was characterized by infirmity, low intelligence and lethargy. He was celebrated for his love of art and comfort, good food and long lay in bed. In addition, he was a pacifist who was disgusted with military affairs – despite his tremendous wealth, he kept only about 150 armed men at his court.
The most unfortunate of the regimentaries was the "child", or Alexander Koniecpolski (1620–1659). Although this magnate was best known among the 3 chiefs on military matters, the arkana of which he learned at his father's side – the prominent hetman Stanislaw Koniecpolski, but due to his youth, megalomania and haughtyness, he was disregarded and disrepute with his subordinate soldiers.
He was besides blamed for provoking the outbreak of the Cossack uprising. It was in his estates and with his consent that Daniel Czapliński persecuted Bohdan Chmielnicki, invading his farm in Subotów, kidnapping his young wife and killing his boy from his first marriage.
Chmielnicki complained about the practices of Koniecpolski himself to King Władysław IV. This resulted in a royal letter reproving a young magnate to halt the abuse of the surrounding small Russian nobility. Unfortunately, in his pride Koniecpolski did not perceive to the king and did not halt the persecution of Chmielnicki. Eventually, this 1 stole Colonel Ivan Barabbas' royal instructions to treat the war against Turkey and fled with them to Sich, where they became a spark on a powder keg.
On the visual graphics: Władysław Dominik Ostrogski-Zasławski.
Previous entry from our calendar is available Here.
