He is a crystal hero in the pages of the Sienkiewicz trilogy. But according to Lviv residents, "hammer to the Cossacks" was also a coward and a crook. He even robbed ... the Carmelite sisters!
The thing happened shortly after the Battle of Piławce (1648), in which the Polish army suffered a severe defeat against Bohdan Chmielnicki. Units escaping from the battlefield led by Wiśniowiecki headed for Lviv. The first survivors as Henryk Sienkiewicz wrote, they reached the city on the dawn of September 26 .
Regimentar Władysław Dominik Zasławski-Ostrogski, considered to be the main perpetrator of the defeat of Poles just passed the city and ran further deeper into the Commonwealth. Aleksander, the son of Grand Hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski, also followed in his footsteps. The third regiment, Mikołaj Ostroróg, stayed in Lviv. Surrounded by lamenting townspeople, he yielded to their pleas and stayed in the city, promising to defend it. However, he did not see a great chance for victory.
Reluctant Defender
He wasn't the only one unconvinced. It quickly turned out that the army doubted ... the effectiveness of Ostrorog itself. The soldiers refused to obey him , announcing that they would choose a new leader. They wanted prince Wiśniowiecki to become him. However, persuading him to accept this "honor" was not easy. On the contrary:Jeremi refused to accept the mace, pointing out that the appointed regimentary was in town.
When Khmelnytsky's army was approaching Lviv in 1648, the city certainly did not look as idyllic as it did in this 17th-century panorama (source:public domain).
He did not change his opinion after the conference, which took place on September 28 in the Bernardine church. Ostroróg invited all major officers to attend it. Stormy deliberations, amid screams, curses and inventions, ended with the mace being handed over to Wiśniowiecki. The latter, however, stubbornly refused, fearing the accusation of seizing the command without the consent of the states of the Republic.
It is possible that he would have stayed with his opinion had it not been for a certain noblewoman who even threw at the feet of the princes the wealth of the Carmelite nunnery . At the same time, she beseeched him crying for the love of the country, for God, for all the patron saints of the country, to lead the army and save the country. Only this gesture, attached to the numerous voices of the soldiers, made the prince accept the mace from the hands of Ostrorog. He also asked him to stay with him as the second regiment.
Escape the siege
After the nomination, the strenuous work began. The army and the townspeople undertook preparations for defense. The tumult ended and the quarrels ceased, which testified to the enormous respect that Wiśniowiecki enjoyed among the nobility and townspeople of Lviv. Maybe the fear of the Cossacks also worked :just a few days later, on October 2, 1648, news came to Lviv about the approaching 40,000-strong Cossack-Tatar army of Khmelnytsky.
The preparations were in full swing when on October 5 the news spread around the city that Wiśniowiecki had taken the money, gathered the army and… escaped! The people of Lviv, who felt cheated, considered this act a treason . It is not surprising for them. Especially that when they woke up the next day, they saw clouds of Cossack black and Tatars under the city.
What was Wiśniowiecki doing in the meantime? After leaving the city, he headed north, towards Zamość. On the way, he abolished the Tatar detachment. He also sent to Lviv ... a warning against the approaching enemy!
The prince, however, left his instructions behind. He appointed dragoons, German infantry and the castle crew to defend the city. Together, it was only a little over 200 people, but Wiśniowiecki also counted on the active participation of 1,500 townspeople. He appointed the general of artillery, Krzysztof Arciszewski, as commander. This one, however - the third in command! - he relinquished the role to the mayor of Marcin Grozwayer.
This is how the attack of Chmielnicki and Tuhajbei on Lviv was imagined by Jan Matejko (source:public domain).
A traitor… or a strategist?
Trying to justify himself, Wiśniowiecki wrote to the primate that the townspeople did not have forces proportional to the enemy forces. He promised at the same time, and with him, Ostroróg and other dignitaries that they would return to the relief of Lviv and save the city.
The discussion around this controversial decision to leave Lviv just before the Cossack attack continues until today. Władysław Serczyk considers Prince Jeremy's translation to be ridiculous. He has no doubts that Wiśniowiecki has handed over the defenseless city into the hands of the enemy. The same opinion is shared by Władysław Czapliński, who connects leaving Lviv with the upcoming election parliament:Jeremi did not want the election of the king to take place without his participation.
Historians Władysław Tomkiewicz and Jan Widacki see the whole thing in a different light. In their opinion, Wiśniowiecki felt responsible for saving not only Lviv, but the entire Republic of Poland. It must be remembered that the army he had at his disposal was the only organized military force in the Crown. If she had stayed in Lviv, Chmielnicki could have hit the main column on the center of the country stripped of the army.
Józef Brandt, Zaporozhye Camp . Was this the sight of the people of Lviv when they woke up on October 5, 1648? (source:public domain)
Also, Lviv did not have such a strategic value as Zamość, situated more to the north. It was Zamość that stood on the road to Warsaw. On his way to the capital, Chmielnicki could not just bypass this fortress, which threatened the communication lines of the Cossack army. Lviv was more aloof and even thin forces should be enough to defend themselves during the siege.
What is more, when deciding to move to Zamość, Wiśniowiecki could count on the support of Ludwik Wejher, the castellan of Elbląg, the banners and selected infantry. No wonder Tomkiewicz claims that leaving Lviv and leaving himself free to act was the only reasonable way out of the situation on the part of Wiśniowiecki.
A verdict of history
Wiśniowiecki's strategy finally paid off. Chmielnicki besieged Lviv, but did not capture it, content with the ransom. Instead, he pulled it to Zamość. It was the most powerful, next to Kudaku, fortress of 17th-century Poland. In addition, Wiśniowiecki managed to provide her with soldiers and food in advance. The crew was actually strengthened by Wejher's infantry.
The city was waiting for Chmielnicki, well prepared ... But again without Wiśniowiecki! He left Zamość, taking a ride with him. Unnecessary during the siege of the fortress, it could be useful for offensive and drive-by actions behind the enemy's rear.
Prince Jeremi devoted all his energy to the army and rendered his service to the country in this field. Whether his actions and decisions were a masterpiece of the art of war ? Certainly, at least this time they were successful. Undoubtedly, however, Wiśniowiecki wrote the most beautiful page of his biography a little later, in the trenches of Zbaraż and in the fields of Beresteczka.
Chmielnicki does not look scary in the performance of Willem Hondius, but his bad fame might have led many to flee. (source:public domain).
Jeremy Wiśniowiecki's biographer, Władysław Tomkiewicz, wrote about the prince:
Fate has never allowed him to lead the army any longer, which was his life's dream, and as a result we cannot properly evaluate his strategic abilities. However, everything he did as a leader clearly testified that the Commonwealth could have had a worthy successor to Hetman Koniecpolski.
Seeing how the Lviv maneuver was successful, it is difficult to disagree with it. It is understandable that immediately after leaving the city, emotions took over and accusations fell on Wiśniowiecki's head. However, when looking at the full picture, it is impossible to agree with the prosecutors.