Michał Kazimierz Pac (; 1624 – 4 April 1682 in

Vokė The Vokė is a river in south-east Lithuania. It is a left tributary of Neris. Vokė flows from Papis Lake, near Merkys The Merkys ( be, Мяркіс ''Miarkis'') is a river in southern Lithuania and northern Belarus. It flows for through Be ...

near

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional u ...

) of the Gozdawa Coat of Arms, was a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman and a member of the Pac family. He was a son of

Piotr Pac Piotr Pac ( lt, Petras Pacas) (after 1570–1642) was a szlachcic, Polish-Lithuanian nobility, Lithuanian noble, Offices in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Lithuanian Court Chorąży from 1613, Lithuanian Court Treasurer from 1635, Trakai v ...

(c. 1570-19 July 1640, Lithuanian Court Treasurer 1635-42, Voivode of Trakai 1640-42); and a cousin of Krzysztof Zygmunt Pac, the

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of Lithuania.

Biography

Michał Kazimierz Pac joined the army as a young man and steadily rose through its ranks. In 1663, during the

Second Northern War The Second Northern War (1655–60), (also First or Little Northern War) was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1655–60), the Tsardom of Russia ( 1656–58), Brandenburg-Prussia (1657–60), th ...

(Deluge), when the territory of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ...

was occupied by Russian and Swedish soldiers, Pac was appointed as the Field Hetman of Lithuania and

voivode of Smolensk Smolensk Voivodeship ( la, Palatinatus smolencensis, be, Смале́нскае ваяво́дзтва, pl, Województwo smoleńskie, lt, Smolensko vaivadija) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Li ...

. He was further promoted to Great Hetman in 1667 and voivode of Vilnius in 1669. Pac opposed election of Michael Korybut Wiśniowiecki (ruled 1669–1673) to the throne of the Commonwealth. In 1673, Pac fought in the Battle of Khotyn against the Turks. After the death of Wiśniowiecki, he opposed election of

John III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( pl, Jan III Sobieski; lt, Jonas III Sobieskis; la, Ioannes III Sobiscius; 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobie ...

(ruled 1674–1696). When it was discovered that Pac plotted with

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 square ...

against Sobieski, he fell from public favor. Michał Kazimierz Pac funded the construction of St. Peter and St. Paul Church in Vilnius, considered to be one of the best examples of

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

in Europe. Following his wishes, he was interred in the church vestibule and his grave was marked with a Latin inscription ''Hic iacet pecator'' (English: ''Here lies a sinner'').

Gallery

Tapestry with the Arms of Michał Kazimierz Pac.png, Tapestry with the Arms of Michał Kazimierz Pac Pac plaque in the St Peter and St Paul Church in Vilnius.JPG, Pac plaque in the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in

Timpani in the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Vilnius.JPG, Trophy drum of the Turkish army, brought by Michał Kazimierz Pac from 1673 war with the Turks

References

External links

''Pacowie: materyjały historyczno-genealogiczne / ułożone i wydane przez Józefa Wolffa'', 1885, s. 123–137
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pac, Michal Kazimierz 1624 births 1682 deaths Military personnel from Vilnius Michal Kazimierz Polish nobility Field Hetmans of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Great Hetmans of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Polish people of the Russo-Polish War (1654–1667) Court Marshals of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Voivode of Vilnius Voivodes of Smolensk 17th-century Lithuanian people