Grand Hetman of the Polish Crown
The Grand Hetman of the Polish Crown ( Polish Hetman wielki koronny ) was the commander in chief of the army of the Kingdom of Poland during the personal union of Poland-Lithuania between the 15th and 18th centuries.
After the establishment of the personal union, the post of field hetman and grand hetman was created in both Poland and Lithuania. The authority of the Grand Hetman ended at the border of the kingdom. These command posts were separate from each other and could not be held by one and the same person.
In contrast to the field hetman, the grand hetman stayed at the court of the Polish king during peacetime. He was responsible for the recruitment, supply and funding of the royal army. The Grand Hetman also had judicial power over all members of the Lithuanian army.
In the event of war, he took over command from the field hetman and led the Polish Crown Army into battle. The Lithuanian army was also led by a grand hetman . In most cases, the king appointed the, in his opinion, better Grand Hetman as commander-in-chief of the united army. Nevertheless, he had no direct authority over the other army. The second Grand Hetman was always his deputy.
During the defense of the city of Chotyn against the army of the Ottoman Empire in 1621, after the death of the Grand Hetman of the Polish Crown Stanisław Żółkiewski , the supreme command of the armed forces was transferred to his deputy, the Grand Hetman of Lithuania , Jan Karol Chodkiewicz . He also died defending the city.
The candidates for the Grand Hetman were mostly field hetmans from Lithuania or the Polish crown.
| List of grand hetmans of the Polish crown | ||
|---|---|---|
| appointment | Abdication death |
Surname |
| 1503 | 1515 | Mikołaj Kamieniecki - carried out the post until his death |
| 1515 | 1526 | Mikołaj Firlej - carried out the post until his death |
| 1526 | 1527 | vacant |
| 1527 | 1559 | Jan Amor Tarnowski - resigned from office in 1559 and died 2 years later |
| 1561 | 1569 | Mikołaj Sieniawski - carried out the post until his death |
| 1569 | 1575 | Jerzy Jazłowiecki - was officially the only Hetman of the Crown, carried out the duties of the Grand Hetman without appointment |
| 1575 | 1578 or 1579 | vacant |
| 1578 or 1579 | 1580 | Mikołaj Mielecki , who resigned from office because of a difference of opinion with the Polish King Stephan Báthory and the Imperial Chancellor Jan Zamoyski, died in 1585 |
| 1580 | 1581 | vacant |
| 1581 | 1605 | Jan Zamoyski , he was the first Grand Hetman to be appointed Supreme Army Leader for life, was also Chancellor of the Reich. |
| 1605 | 1618 | vacant |
| 1618 | 1620 | Stanisław Żółkiewski , appointed on February 6, 1618, and on March 6, 1618 as Chancellor. He died in Cecora on October 6, 1620. |
| 1620 | 1632 | vacant |
| 1632 | 1646 | Stanislaw Koniecpolski |
| 1646 | 1651 | Mikołaj Potocki |
| 1651 | 1654 | vacant |
| 1654 | 1667 | Stanisław "Rewera" Potocki |
| 1668 | 1676 | Johann III. Sobieski |
| 1676 | 1682 | Dymitr Jerzy Wiśniowiecki , in 1668 appointed hetman of the Polish crown |
| 1682 | 1683 | vacant |
| 1683 | 1702 | Stanisław Jan Jabłonowski , appointed hetman to the Polish crown in 1676 |
| 1702 | 1702 | Feliks Kazimierz Potocki |
| 1702 | 1706 | Hieronim Augustyn Lubomirski |
| 1706 | 1726 | Adam Mikołaj Sieniawski , appointed hetman to the Polish crown in 1702 |
| 1726 | 1728 | Stanisław Mateusz Rzewuski , 1706 appointed hetman of the Polish crown |
| 1728 | 1735 | vacant |
| 1735 | 1751 | Józef Potocki |
| 1751 | 1752 | vacant |
| 1752 | 1771 | Jan Klemens Branicki |
| 1771 | 1773 | vacant |
| 1773 | 1773 | Wacław Rzewuski , shortly after his appointment, Rzewuski resigned and in 1778 he became castellan of the city of Krakow |
| 1774 | 1793 | Franciszek Ksawery Branicki , led the opposition to the king from 1775, co-founder of the Targowica Confederation |
| 1793 | 1794 | Piotr Ożarowski , hanged for high treason on May 9, 1794 |
Individual evidence
- ^ Maciej Franz, pp. 29–30.
- ↑ Urzędnicy centralni i nadworni Polski XIV-XVIII wieku, spisy.
- ↑ Kronika Powstan polskich 1794-1944. Wydawnictwo Kronika, Warsaw, ISBN 83-86079-02-9 , p. 33
literature
- Maciej Franz, Wojskowość Kozaczyzny Zaporoskiej w XVI-XVII wieku , Toruń 2004 (Polish edition)
- Polish Ministry of Defense Publishing House : Polskie tradycje wojskowe (Military Traditions of the Polish Army). Warsaw (1990). ISBN 83-11-07675-8 .
- Urzędnicy centralni i nadworni Polski XIV-XVIII wieku, spisy, (lists of officials in the services of the Polish Crown XIV.-XVIIIth centuries), ed. PAN , Kórnik (1992)
- Mirosław Nagielski: Poczet hetmanów Rzeczypospolitej. Hetmani koronni , Warsaw (2005)