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Jerzy LubomirskiPolish magnate, statesman and crown hetman from the Lubomirsky princely family
Date of Birth: 20.01.1616
Country:  Poland |
Content:
- Biography of Jerzy Lubomirski
- Marriages and Children
- Political and Military Career
- Opposition to King Jan II Kazimierz
- Alliances and Legacy
- Later Years and Legacy
Biography of Jerzy Lubomirski
Jerzy Lubomirski was a Polish magnate, statesman, and crown hetman from the noble Lubomirski family. He was born as the son of Voivode and Starosta Prince Stanisław Lubomirski and Russian princess Sofia Ostrozka.
Marriages and Children
In 1641, Jerzy Lubomirski married Konstancja Ligęza, and after her death, he married Barbara Tarło in 1654. He had several sons and daughters from both marriages, including Augustyn Lubomirski.
Political and Military Career
From 1647, Jerzy Lubomirski served as the starost of Kraków and the Crown Marshal, and from 1650, he became the Grand Crown Marshal. In 1658, he was appointed as the Crown Hetman and also served as the starost of Nowy Sącz and Spisz. Lubomirski was a renowned Polish military commander during the Khmelnytsky Uprising, the Northern War (1655-1660), the Russo-Polish War (1654-1667), and Polish campaigns in Semigalia. In 1655, he organized resistance against the Swedes in southern Poland. In 1657, Lubomirski's troops repelled an attack by Prince György II Rákóczi of Transylvania and subsequently invaded his territories, forcing him to surrender. Together with Crown Hetman Stanisław "Rewera" Potocki, Lubomirski achieved a decisive victory over the Russo-Cossack forces in the Battle of Cudnów.
Opposition to King Jan II Kazimierz
Lubomirski was a fierce advocate of the "Golden Liberty" and led the opposition against Polish King Jan II Kazimierz and his reforms. He attempted to gain the support of Austria and Brandenburg in his struggle against the king. Lubomirski's initiatives led to the failure of the king's reforms in the Polish Sejm in 1660 and 1661. Due to his alliances with other states and his general agitation, the king accused him of treason and stripped him of all titles and positions. Lubomirski was sentenced to death in absentia by the court, while he fled to the Habsburg-controlled Breslau in Silesia.
Alliances and Legacy
From Silesia, Lubomirski established contacts with the Holy Roman Emperor, the Elector of Brandenburg, and the Swedish king, entering into agreements with them against the Polish king and his reforms. He portrayed himself as a defender of the "Golden Liberty" against the alleged emergence of absolutism in Poland. Within the Lubomirski Confederation, he managed to attract part of the Polish nobility to his side and paralyzed the Sejm with the Liberum Veto. During the Russo-Polish War, he defeated the royal army in several battles, including at Częstochowa in 1665 and at Miontów in 1666.
Later Years and Legacy
The Polish king, exhausted from military defeats, was forced to concede to the demands of the rebels. He announced the abandonment of his reform plans, practically laying the foundation for his resignation, which followed in 1668. Lubomirski emerged from the conflict politically strong, but the conflict undermined his health, and he died in Silesia in 1667. In the long run, Lubomirski's prevention of key reforms and centralization of power in Poland was a Pyrrhic victory and became one of the causes of the slow decline of Polish statehood throughout the 18th century. Jerzy Lubomirski is a character in the historical novel "The Deluge" by Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz.
