Stanisław Koniecpolski Stanisław Koniecpolski ( 1590 or 1594 – 11 March 1646 ) is regarded as one of the most capable military commanders in the history of the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth . He was also a magnate , a royal official ( " starosta " ) , a castellan , a member of the Polish nobility ( " szlachta " ) , and the " voivode " ( governor ) of Sandomierz from 1625 until his death . He led many successful military campaigns against rebelling Cossacks and invading Tatars . From 1618 he held the rank of Field Crown Hetman before becoming the Grand Crown Hetman , the military commander second only to the King , in 1632 . Koniecpolski ' s life was one of almost constant warfare . Before he had reached the age of 20 , he had fought in the Dymitriads and the Moldavian Magnate Wars . Later , in 1620 , he took part in the Battle of Cecora ( Ţuţora ) , during which he was captured by Ottoman forces . After his release in 1623 , he defeated the Ottomans ' Tatar vassals several times between 1624 and 1626 . With inferior numbers , during the Polish – Swedish War of 1626 – 29 , Koniecpolski stopped the Swedish forces of Gustavus Adolphus from conquering Prussia and Pomerania before the war was concluded with the Truce of Altmark . In 1634 , he defeated a major Turkish invasion at Kamianets - Podilskyi ( Kamieniec Podolski ) , in the Ukraine , while in 1644 , his victory against the Tatars at the Battle of Ochmatów brought him international fame and recognition . Youth . The details of Stanisław Koniecpolski ' s birth are unclear . Various dates between 1590 and 1594 have been provided , and none of his biographers identify where he was born . What is known , though , is that his father , Aleksander Koniecpolski , was a wealthy magnate belonging to the " szlachta " ( Polish nobility ) and was also the voviode of Sieradz , and a staunch supporter of King Sigismund III of the Swedish House of Vasa . Koniecpolski ' s mother , Anna Sroczycka , was the daughter of Stanisław Sroczycki , the voivode of Kamieniec Podolski , and had brought several large Podole estates into the Koniecpolski family upon her marriage to Aleksander . Stanisław ' s brothers were Krzysztof , who held the court office of " chorąży wielki koronny " ( Grand Standard - Bearer of the Crown ) and was voivode of Bełsk from 1641 ; Remigiusz , who was the bishop of Chełm before his death in 1640 ; Jan , a castellan and the voivode of Sieradz ; and Przedbór who died in 1611 . Although Koniecpolski had a stutter , when he was 15 , through his father ' s influence in the royal court , he secured an appointment as " starosta " ( mayor ) of Wieluń . In 1603 he began studying at the Kraków Academy , and after several years he was sent to the royal court by his father so that he could continue his education in a more practical fashion . He is believed to have stayed there a year or two . He may also have undertaken a tour of Western Europe for several months , spending the majority of his time in France before returning to his family ' s estates . Early career : 1610 – 26 . From a young age Koniecpolski chose to follow a military career . In 1610 , together with his brother Przedbór , he took part in the Dymitriads against Muscovy , raising a group of 300 men to join the Army of the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth at Smolensk . On 4 July 1610 he participated in the Battle of Klushino before joining the Siege of Smolensk where Przedbór was crushed to death by the fortress ' collapsing walls on 8 July 1611 . After returning to his family mansion at Koniecpol with his brother ' s body , the following autumn Koniecpolski rejoined the army . Under the command of Grand Lithuanian Hetman Jan Karol Chodkiewicz , he took part in the effort to relieve and supply the besieged Polish forces in the Moscow Kremlin . During that time , he was entrusted by the Hetman with command of the right flank of the Polish forces . In 1612 Koniecpolski joined the " wojsko kwarciane " ( regular Commonwealth army ) in Ukraine under the command of Field Crown Hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski , who greatly influenced his career . In 1614 he was entrusted with destroying rebellious regular units led by Jan Karwacki , and on 17 May , with Stanisław Żółkiewski ' s son , Jan , he won the Battle of Rohatyn and captured Karwacki . In 1615 he married Żółkiewski ' s daughter Katarzyna ( Catherine ) . Soon after the wedding , he received the official rank of " podstoli koronny " ( Crown Master of the Pantry ) . Throughout 1615 and 1616 Koniecpolski gained further experience in Ukraine , fighting the Tatar hordes , but failed to destroy or capture any sizable enemy units . In 1616 , Katarzyna died while giving birth to in labor with Koniecpolski ' s first son , Andrzej . The following year , Koniecpolski took part in the Moldavian Magnate Wars alongside Żołkiewski , and stood against Iskender Pasha ' s powerful Turkish army . The conflict ended that year with a negotiated cease - fire . Following negotiations with the Cossacks in Olszanica , Koniecpolski reduced the Cossack register to 1 , 000 , thereby limiting the number of positions that the Cossacks could hold in the Commonwealth military . He also banned raids on the Black Sea . Such raids , which pillaged wealthy Ottoman cities , contributed to the Cossacks ' income but provoked retaliatory raids into Commonwealth territory . In 1618 , during a session of the " Sejm " — the Commonwealth parliament — King Sigismund III Vasa granted the " buława " ( ceremonial mace or baton ) of Grand Crown Hetman to Stanisław Żółkiewski and that of Field Crown Hetman to Koniecpolski , disregarding the opposition of magnate Krzysztof Zbaraski and his allies . Soon afterward , Koniecpolski was defeated by the Tatars near Orynin , where he committed the mistake of pursuing the enemy against overwhelming odds and barely made it out of the battle alive . In 1619 , Koniecpolski married Krystyna Lubomirska , who gave birth to a son , Aleksander , the following year . That year Koniecpolski and Żólkiewski led an army to Moldova to protect Gaspar Graziani , an ally of the Commonwealth . The army numbered over 7 , 000 and included the private regiments of the Korecki , Zasławski , Kazanowski , Kalinowski and Potocki magnates . During the Battle of Cecora ( Ţuţora ) Koniecpolski commanded the right flank of the Commonwealth forces , which were defeated on 19 September by a combined force belonging to Iskender Pasha and Kantymir ( Khan Temir ) . After retreating in good order , the army ' s morale fell and while Koniecpolski prevented the army ' s disintegration on 20 – 21 September , during the later stages of the retreat its resolve collapsed and the men ran for the river . In the ensuing battle , Żólkiewski was killed and Koniecpolski and many magnates including Samuel Korecki , Mikołaj Struś , Mikołaj Potocki , and Jan and Łukasz Żółkiewski were taken captive . The prisoners were transported to Białograd ( Bilhorod ) , to Iskender Pasha , then to the Castle of Seven Towers at Istanbul , where they were held in the Black Tower . Polish - Ottoman relations stabilized in the wake of the Ottoman defeat at Khotyn in 1621 , and in the spring of 1623 the prisoners returned to Poland after a diplomatic mission by Krzysztof Zbaraski purchased their freedom for 30 , 000 thaler s . In the aftermath of the Battle of Khotyn , a treaty had been signed that aimed to prevent further border hostilities . While Khan Canibek Giray resolved to respect the treaty ' s provisions , Kantymir continued to raid the borderlands in an effort to usurp Canibek Giray ' s position . Following fresh raids by Kantymir ' s forces in June 1623 , Koniecpolski was given command of local Commonwealth forces and ordered to stop the incursions . Early the following year , the Budjak horde , under Kantymir ' s command , attacked southern Poland . On 6 February , Koniecpolski intercepted one of the Budjak armies and destroyed it near Szmańkowice and Oryszkowce . Later that year , after Kantymir ' s forces crossed the border in early June , Koniecpolski inflicted a further defeat on him at the Battle of Martynów . Using a new strategy that employed light Cossack cavalry to drive Kantymir ' s forces towards fortified tabors where they were attacked by small arms and artillery , Koniecpolski forced the khan ' s troops to retreat in disarray . His victory was soon celebrated throughout the Commonwealth and , as a reward , Koniecpolski was granted 30 , 000 złoty by the Sejm . He was also appointed voivode of Sandomierz . In 1625 , during the Zhmailo Uprising the Zaporozhian Cossacks , led by Marek Zhmaylo , rebelled . Joineing forces with Szanhin Girej , they attempted to form an alliance with Moscow . Reasoning that the Tatars had their share of trouble with the Porte and that Kantymir ' s Budjak horde would be unable to send major assistance , Koniecpolski gathered a 12 , 000 - strong army of regular and private units to deal with the rebellion . He pledged fair treatment to all Cossacks loyal to the Commonwealth , and death to rebels . On 25 October 1625 , near Kryłów , he launch a cavalry attack against the Cossacks . His initial thrusts were stopped and the Cossacks fell back toward Lake Kurukove where they checked a secondary attack . As the tide of battle went against him , Koniecpolski ' s position was at one point described as " grave " ; however , the conflict eventually ended in a negotiated cease - fire . This was formalized by the Treaty of Kurukove on 6 November under which the Cossack register was set at 6 , 000 , and the Cossacks again promised to stop raiding the Black Sea shores and provoking the Tatars . In late January 1626 the Tatars invaded again . With an army estimated at between 15 , 000 and 20 , 000 , they raided and pillaged territories as far north as the Podole Voivodeship , passing Ternopil and Terebovlia , while some advanced units reached the cities of Lutsk , Volodymyr - Volynskyi and Lviv . In response , Koniecpolski gathered some 13 , 000 troops and moved to intercept the Tatars , but they refused to engage . Eventually Koniecpolski defeated the rear guard of the main Tatar army , which crossed the borders with much treasure and slaves . Later that year , fearing a repeat invasion , Koniecpolski violated a Sejm resolution in recruiting and fielding an army of 8 , 000 against an expected Tatar second wave . During this time , Koniecpolski was aided in a number of battles by a highly capable officer , Bohdan Khmelnytsky ; Khmelnytsky would also score a major victory over the Tatars later that year , after Koniecpolski had departed north to a new battlefield near the Baltic Sea . Fighting Gustavus Adolphus : 1626 – 29 . In 1626 the southern threat to the Commonwealth was overshadowed by a northern one , as an incursion by Swedish forces reignited the Polish - Swedish War . In June , Gustavus Adolphus , with a fleet of 125 ships and an army of over 14 , 000 men , approached the Polish coast and began collecting tariffs on trade passing through Gdańsk ( Danzig ) . Having taken Piława and Braniewo , Swedish forces spread through Pomerania , taking Frombork , Tolkmicko , Elbląg , Malbork , Gniew , Tczew and Starograd , while other Swedish forces landed near Puck — the main port of the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth fleet — and captured it . The major city of Gdańsk , however , refused to surrender even in the face of lightning Swedish advances . In a battle that took place between 22 and 30 September 1626 near the village of Gniew , Gustavus defeated a Polish army led by King Sigismund , who retreated and called for reinforcements from other parts of the country . In response , Koniecpolski was tasked with defending Royal Prussia against the Swedish incursion . He was delayed by the unstable situation in the south , though , and it was not until 1 October that he finally departed for Prussia . Koniecpolski ' s force of 4 , 200 light cavalry , 1 , 000 dragoon s , and 1 , 000 infantry quickly moved to Prussia . Reinforced by other units , he had 9 , 000 men against the 20 , 000 - strong Swedish force . Employing maneuver warfare , using small mobile units to strike at enemy communication lines and smaller units , he stopped the Swedish attack and forced Axel Oxenstierna into a defensive posture . Meanwhile , the Sejm agreed to raise money for the war . The situation of the Commonwealth forces , short of money and food , was difficult . Lithuanian forces were dealt a serious defeat near Koknese , Inflanty Voivodeship , in December 1626 and they subsequently retreated behind the Dvina River . The Swedes then planned to strike Koniecpolski from two directions : Oxenstierna , from the Vistula River , and Johann Streiff von Lawentstein and Maxymilian Teuffl , from Swedish - held Pomorze . The flooding of the Vistula , however , disrupted their plans and allowed Koniecpolski to intercept the enemy units advancing from Pomerania . On 2 April 1627 Koniecpolski managed to recapture Puck . He took Czarne ( Hamersztyn ) on 18 April and forced the Swedish forces to retreat into the city . A week later they surrendered , with many mercenaries and some Swedish abandoning their banners and insignia , and changing sides . As a result of the series of Swedish defeats in spring 1627 , they lost all their strongholds on the west bank of the Vistula , and with those , their hopes for a quick and decisive victory . The situation also convinced the Elector of Brandenburg to declare his support for the Commonwealth , and afterwards the Lithuanian forces resumed their offensive in Livonia . On 17 May Gustavus landed with 8 , 000 reinforcements . On the night of 22 – 23 May , while crossing the Vistula near Kieżmark and Danzig , Gustavus encountered Polish forces . Wounded in the hip , he was forced to retreat . Koniecpolski then decided to take back Gniew and devised a diversionary plan . Polish forces were sent to attempt to take back Braniewo , forcing Gustavus to relieve the siege ; then Gustavus followed the retreating Polish army and laid siege to Orneta . Koniecpolski , who had foreseen this , responded with a sudden attack on Gniew , his primary objective , which he captured . Gustavus was reported to be impressed with the speed of Koniecpolski ' s reaction . Near Tczew , with about 7 , 800 men — including 2 , 500 cavalry and hussar s , the Commonwealth ' s elite heavy cavalry — Koniecpolski tried to stop the Swedish army from reaching Danzig . On 7 – 8 August , he encountered a Swedish force consisting of 10 , 000 men , which included 5 , 000 infantry , near the swamps of Motława . The Swedes wanted to provoke the Poles into attacking , then destroy them with infantry fire and artillery , but Koniecpolski decided against attacking . The Swedes then went on the attack with cavalry , but were unable to draw the Poles within range of their fire . The Swedish attacks dealt severe damage to the Polish cavalry but did not cripple the Polish army whose morale was kept high by Koniecpolski . The battle ended when Gustavus Adolphus was again wounded and the Swedes retreated . Koniecpolski now recognized the need to reform his army and strengthen the firepower of its infantry and artillery to match the Swedes ' . The Swedes , on the other hand , had learned the arts of cavalry charges and melée combat from the Poles . Overall the 1627 campaign had been favorable to the Commonwealth ; Puck and Gniew had been retaken , Swedish plans had been thwarted , and the Swedish army had been weakened . The last major engagement of the year saw the surprising defeat of a Swedish flotilla by the small Polish Navy on 28 November 1627 at the Battle of Oliwa . In 1628 the Polish forces , short of funds , were forced to cease their offensive and go on the defensive . Gustavus Adolphus captured Kwidzyń , Nowe and Brodnica . Koniecpolski counterattacked , putting his small forces to most efficient use — quick cavalry melée attacks , combined with supporting infantry and artillery fire , guerilla warfare , the use of engineers to raise fortifications , and clever use of terrain advantage . Despite his best efforts , he was hampered by insufficient funds . The Sejm increased funding for the war after the Battle of Górzno , where Stanisław " Rewera " Potocki was defeated . Austria sent the Commonwealth help in the form of forces under Field Marshal Johann Georg Arnheim . Arnheim , however , refused to take orders from Koniecpolski . The final battle took place on 27 June 1629 near Trzciana ( or Trzcianka ) . The Swedes attacked toward Grudziądz , were halted , and retreated to Sztum and Malbork . Koniecpolski attacked the rear guard , which was led by Jan Wilhelm Reingraff , Count of Ren , and destroyed it . He also repelled a counterattack by Swedish raitar s , who were pushed toward Pułkowice , where another counterattack was led by Gustavus Adolphus with 2 , 000 raitars . This counterattack was also fended off , and the Swedish forces were saved from total defeat by the last Swedish reserves , led by Field Marshal Herman Wrangel , who blocked the Polish attack . Gustavus Adolphus was wounded and barely escaped . Of the Swedes , 1 , 200 were killed , and Reingraff and several hundred others were captured . Polish losses were under 200 killed or injured . Poland did not follow up this victory politically or militarily . A cease - fire contracted at Stary Targ ( the Truce of Altmark ) on 26 October 1629 favored the Swedes , who received the right to tax Polish trade moving over the Baltic ( 3 . 5 % of the value of goods ) , retained control of many cities in Royal Prussia , and were recognized as the dominant power on the southern Baltic coast . Koniecpolski exerted little influence on the negotiations , as he had been called back to Ukraine to crush a Tartar incursion . Grand Crown Hetman : 1630 – 37 . In 1630 , the Cossack leader , Taras Fedorovych , executed the moderate Hryhoriy Chorny , and began a Cossack uprising , later dubbed the " Fedorovych Uprising " . Soon afterwards he captured the fortress of Korsun . In an effort to restore the situation , Koniecpolski laid siege to Pereyaslav . Lacking artillery and infantry support , he could not breach its walls , but the Cossacks , needing supplies and having suffered heavy casualties , agreed to negotiate . The Treaty of Pereyaslav , signed in August 1630 , resulted . It granted liberal terms , including amnesty for the rebels . Koniecpolski , as usual , was for harsh punishment , but also argued that in the long run the Cossack situation was better remedied by more equitable treatment , including an increase in the Cossack register and the regular payment of wages . Still , he supported policies aimed at turning the Cossacks into serfs , which was one of the main causes of unrest in Ukraine ; this , along with his decision to settle his soldiers ' living expenses on the local populace instead of paying them wages , led to his extreme unpopularity in Ukraine . In 1632 , a few months before his death , King Sigismund III Vasa awarded Koniecpolski the post of Grand Crown Hetman . It had stood vacant for 12 years , since the death of Stanisław Żółkiewski ; presumably King Sigismund had feared that Koniecpolski , if given the post earlier , would have become too powerful a magnate . After the King ' s death , Koniecpolski played a major role in directing the political affairs of the Commonwealth and in 1632 supported the election of Sigismund ' s son , Władysław IV Vasa , as king . In return , a year after his election , King Władysław IV rewarded Koniecpolski with the office of Castellan of Kraków , the most prestigious of the Commonwealth ' s district offices . Koniecpolski became an influential adviser to the new king , often encouraging him to direct Polish foreign policy against the Tartars . Koniecpolski also supported King Władysław IV ' s military reforms . Though generally seen as a supporter of the King , Koniecpolski opposed some of his plans aimed at increasing royal power in the Commonwealth and weakening the Golden Liberty of the nobility . In 1633 Koniecpolski thwarted the Turks ' attacks on the Commonwealth , defeating their forces on 4 July at Sasowy Róg . On 22 October that year , he repulsed a superior invading Ottoman force of over 20 , 000 at Kamianets - Podilskyi , his own forces numbering a mere 11 , 000 . The Ottoman defeats and Koniecpolski ' s attitude persuaded the Turks to sign a new treaty on 19 August 1634 . The treaty repeated the terms of the Treaty of Chocim of 1621 and ended the Ottoman – Commonwealth War ( 1633 – 34 ) . In 1635 , in the short lived Sulima Uprising , after Cossacks under Ivan Sulyma captured and destroyed the Polish Kodak Fortress ( near modern Dnepropetrovsk ) , Koniecpolski led an expedition that retook the fort and punished the insurgents . Sulima was taken prisoner and executed . Later that year Koniecpolski returned to Pomerania to prepare for another war against Sweden , but it was rendered unnecessary by the Treaty of Sztumska Wieś . Koniecpolski grasped the need to modernize the Commonwealth ' s military and worked with King Władysław IV to that end , including the recruitment of mercenaries experienced in western warfare , and further development of artillery ( he supervised the construction of arsenal s at Kudak , Bar and Kamieniec Podolski , and built forges on his Ukrainian estates ) . He was patron to many gifted artillery and engineering officers . He may also have sponsored cartographer s such as William le Vasseur de Beauplan , who mapped Ukraine , and Sebastian Aders , who mapped Crimea . He also supported plans to create a Commonwealth Baltic Fleet . Last years : 1637 – 45 . After 1637 Koniecpolski ' s declining health made him reliant on the younger Hetman Mikołaj Potocki , who successfully crushed Cossack uprisings in 1637 and 1638 , and a Tartar uprising in 1639 . Koniecpolski ' s influence also protected the outlaw Samuel Łaszcz , whom he saw as another able commander . One of Koniecpolski ' s greatest victories occurred during a winter 1644 campaign against the Turks . With a large army of some 19 , 000 soldiers ( 60 % of them , magnates ' private armies ; Koniecpolski ' s own forces numbered 2 , 200 ) he dealt a crushing defeat to Toğay bey ' s forces near Ochmatów on 30 January 1644 . Many Turks drowned near Sina Woda when the ice over the water gave way . The Battle of Ochmatów , the Commonwealth ' s greatest victory over the Turks in the first half of the 17th century , brought international fame to Koniecpolski , who had not only predicted the time and place of the Turks ' attack but had destroyed their forces before they could deploy their usual tactic of splitting their main forces into multiple highly - mobile units ( " czambul s " ) . The victory led King Władysław IV to consider an offensive war against the Turks . Koniecpolski supported a limited war against the Crimean Khanate but opposed the King ' s plan to wage war on the entire Ottoman Empire , believing it to be an unrealistic folly . Setting out his strategic views in a plan titled " " Dyskurs o zniesieniu Tatarow krymskich " " ( Discourse on Destruction of the Crimean Tartars ) , Koniecpolski also strongly urged a coalition with Moscow for such a campaign . King Władysław IV continued to push for a crusade against Turkey , but it had little internal support and failed to achieve anything except to spread false hopes among the Cossacks , to whom he promised privileges and money in exchange for their participation . On 15 June 1645 , Koniecpolski ' s wife , Krystyna , died . Koniecpolski remarried soon after , taking the hand of 16 - year - old Zofia Opalińska , daughter of future Crown Marshal Łukasz Opaliński , on 16 January 1646 . The marriage was short lived , though , ending with Koniecpolski ' s death in Brody on 11 March 1646 . Sources suggest that his new marriage was the cause of his death ; Joachim Jerlicz wrote in his diary that Koniecpolski had overdosed on an aphrodisiac . His funeral was held in Brody on 30 April 1646 . Wealth and influence . Over the course of his life , Koniecpolski accumulated much wealth . Most of his possessions were in Ukraine , and he became Ukraine ' s unofficial ruler ; some foreigners referred to him as " viceroy of Ukraine " , though no such Commonwealth position ever existed . King Władysław IV trusted him with most political decisions concerning this southeastern region of the Commonwealth . With the knowledge and support of the King , Koniecpolski sent and received diplomatic missions from Constantinople , carried out negotiations and signed treaties , and as the Grand Crown Hetman he directly controlled a substantial part of the Commonwealth ' s military . He had his own private army and an espionage network that stretched from Moscow to the Ottoman Empire . Koniecpolski inherited some seven or eight villages from his father . At his death , he owned 12 starostwo districts , with over 300 settlements , including dozens of towns , giving him yearly revenues of over 500 , 000 złoty . His holdings of land and serf s in western Ukraine were considerable ; he owned 18 , 548 households in Bratslav . Koniecpolski invested much of his wealth in developing his Ukrainian estates , and supported settlement of underpopulated regions . He founded and sponsored the development of many towns and cities , including the town of Brody , which flourished with his investments , and became an important local commercial center . Koniecpolski fortified the town with a citadel and bastion s in 1633 and set up workshop s for producing Persian - type samite fabrics , carpet s and rugs . He also constructed a fortified palace in Pidhirtsi ( Podhorce ) with beautiful Italian garden s . Like most magnates , Koniecpolski was a patron of the arts , sponsoring painters , sculptors , writers . He also founded many churches and sought to upgrade Brody ' s school to an academy . He sponsored the construction of the Koniecpolski Palace ( now the Presidential Palace ) in Warsaw , and military fortifications in Bar and Kudak . Regarded as a courteous and educated man , Koniecpolski participated in all the Sejm sessions that he could , though he rarely spoke publicly due to his stutter . He was widely respected and highly popular among his " szlachta " peers . Notes . a . The year of Koniecpolski ' s birth is not certain and several different dates are provided by historians . The earliest date mentioned is 1590 , while 1594 is the latest . Leszek Podhorodecki , in his biography " Stanisław Koniecpolski ok . 1592 – 1646 " , states that 1591 is the date that is most commonly given by historians , noting that " Encyclopædia Britannica " provides this date . Nevertheless , Podhorodecki chose to mark Koniecpolski ' s date of birth as circa 1592 , based on the diary of Karol Ogier , a French courtier , who noted that in 1635 Koniecpolski was 43 years old . The date of 1593 or 1594 has also been proposed in historian Władysław Czapliński ' s " Polski Słownik Biograficzny " . In discussing this possibility , Podhorodecki recognizes Czapliński as " a great specialist of that era " , while noting , though , that his work fails to justify this date . b . Podhorodecki gives slightly different estimates — just over 15 , 000 ( including low - quality Gdańsk infantry ) against 21 , 000 .