Historical calendar: 18 October 1672 – treatise in Bucz

Today in our calendar we will look at the situation of the Republic of Poland from 1672 to 1673, in the face of the Turkish-Tatar invasion.

The election after Jan Kazimierz's abdication was held in a scandalous way. The Magnates came to the capital at the head of their private armies, and the forced lodging of the mighty, exhausted the townspeople. There were rapes and robberies, and bribes and another gratuities were on the agenda in exchange for the support of an appropriate candidate for the throne. In the end, the king was Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, boy of Jeremy Wiśniowiecki.

Despite the opposition of magnatery, the nobles chose to be the monarch of “The Sand”. erstwhile choosing, there was an inexperience of young Wiśniowiecki. It was anticipated that he would not follow the example of John Casimir and would not search to strengthen royal power. The coronation parliament was first broken up on 5 November 1669, before the customary deadline. Liberum veto reported protégés of Zamoyski, Radziwiłł and Potocki – Jan Olizar, and for the reason stated the deficiency of settlements on compensation for the exulants from the lost east lands.

It was part of the political conflict of 2 factions – malcontents and regalists. The organization of the malcontents, among which was Hetman Jan Sobieski, Bogusław Radziwiłł and many another magnates, sought to elect a French candidate, and erstwhile he won the Wiśniowiecki, he wanted to throw him off the throne. An crucial figure in this camp was Archbishop of Gniezno and Primate of Poland, Mikołaj Prażmowskiwho turned out to be a traitor, charging 15,000 francs from the French ambassador's money, in exchange for pushing a candidacy from this country.

The registrants, in turn, are mainly the average nobles, supporting the chosen ruler of Wiśniowiecki. They wanted to deprive Sobieski of office. The expanding conflict of parties led to the formation of a rocoche army in the defence of the hetman and the re-break-up of the Sejm by malcontents in April 1670. Magnateria began to presume full power in the country, and the only consequence to the average nobility was to break the Sejm in 1671, at a time erstwhile it was called to establish taxes to defend against an expanding Turkish threat.

This was expected to be a punishment for Sobieski's hetman, who was 1 of the main malcontents. King Wiśniowiecki, who naturally supported regalists, helped the revolt of Stanisław Wyżycki's troops, who, contrary to the Hetmanian orders, withdrew from Volyn, leaving the country undefended. Shortly thereafter, the monarch paid out the army's mutiny, while soldiers faithful to Sobieski did not receive it.

The scandalous attitude of both sides led to tragedy, as Turkey declared war on Poland as early as in the spring of 1672, utilizing the pretext of caring for the Cossack hetmanate. Thanks to the faction fights and the break-up of seisms, the country was completely unprepared for defense.

In August, more than 80,000 Turkish-Tatar army began the siege of the Podolski Stone. The fortress under the command of Mikołaj Potocki (the boy of the hetman of Mikołaj Potocki from the time of the hops) was poorly cast and equipped, but despite the considerable disparity of forces (only about 1,500 soldiers and townspeople) lasted for more than 2 weeks. On 26 August, erstwhile the mines were planted under the advanced castle, the defenders capitulated.

The decision to surrender voluntarily was besides influenced by the fact that, according to Turkish law, the city obtained by storm remains at the disposal of Sultanian soldiers for 3 days, who at the time have the full right to plunder, rape and robbery. Following the announcement of the surrender, the commander of the Hejking artillery blew up the powder depot, killing 800 Polish soldiers leaving the fortress, including an experienced and well-deserved Crown Army colonel, Jerzy Wolodyowski.

The origin of this act was reportedly the unwillingness to hand over crucial amounts of powder to the enemy. However, according to any sources, Heyking feared that while giving the Turks the Stone, his embezzlement related to the equipment of the fortress would emerge.

Despite the honorable surrender, there have been considerable robberies in the acquired fortress and city. Most Catholic temples were converted into mosques, cemeteries, chapels and another objects of worship were destroyed. Additionally, the Turks drove Armenian merchants, where they came, utilizing the Sultanic protection of Jews.

Leaving in Kamieniec a crucial garrison, Ottoman troops moved westward and besieged the Lions. Meanwhile, inside the Republic it was alternatively a civilian war than a concerted action to defend against the Muslim invasion. The king's crown nobles bound the pigeon confederations, and the Lithuanian nobles - the Kobrin confederation. The land estates of Sobieski and another malcontents were plundered, resulting in the attachment of the latter, the confederation of Szczebrzeszyńska.

The king, at the head of a fewer troops, defeated respective Tatar pursuits, but the disastrous situation in which the country found itself in the face of a hostile invasion and a likely civilian war, weighed on Wiśniowiecki's decision to send Members to the Sultan, asking for peace talks. Signed on 18 October 1672 (in another version – 16 October) peace in Buchacz, he made the Republic of Poland de facto Turkish protectorate, akin in form to Moldavian Hospodry, Crimean Khanate or Vołoszczyzna.

Moreover, Poland donated the state of Bracławskie, Podolskie and the confederate part of Kiev to Turkey. Additionally, she was to pay 22,000 thalders a year.

Indignant by the provisions of the peace of the nobility and the magnate, again as during the “ Flood” and the siege of Jasna Góra, she regained her sanity for a moment. Thanks to the mediation of the papal legate Buonvisi and the bishop of Krakow Trzebicki, malcontensants and regalis entered a truce with each other. In March 1673 the Sejm established the common remission of guilt, the rejection of the treaty from Buchacz, the adoption of taxes on the military and the declaration of war by Turkey.

The fast recruitment of soldiers was started, and a crucial amount of cannons were purchased for the sums donated by the pope. In October the king headed about 40,000 troops, but became sick and passed command of the captain Sobieski. The Polish offensive led to the siege of the Turks under Hussein Pasha. The enemy defended himself in the Chocim fortress and old Polish trenches of 1621.

November 11th, in a time of terrible for the unorthodox Turks snowstorm, Sobieski led the assault on the besieged and completely massacred them. From the 35,000th enemy army, only 5,000 survivors reached the Podolski Stone. Hetman Sobieski was named after the conflict by the Turks “Lechistan's Lion”. However, a large triumph did not lead to the recovery of previously lost lands. In the face of the harsh frost, the fighting froze, and the troops spread out into the winter bed.