Mikołaj Abramowicz or Abrahamowicz (; 1590s – 1651) was a Polish–Lithuanian soldier who was one of the leading military and diplomatic figures of his period.

Life

szlachcic The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social class, a ...

Jastrzębiec coat of arms Jastrzębiec () is one of the most ancient Polish heraldry, Polish coat of arms. Dating back to the 10th century, it has been used by Poland's oldest szlachta families — Poland's Immemorial nobility — and remains in use today. History Legend ...

, Mikołaj Abramowicz was the son of Smolensk voivode Jan Abramowicz. His birth documents have not survived, but it is recorded that he served as the senior cannon officer (artillery leader) during the 1621–22 war with Sweden. In subsequent conflicts with

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, he fought in the failed 1625 campaign, capturing the bridge crossing at

Daugava The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...

, and particularly distinguished himself as a regimental commander during the 1626–29 war, in the

Battle of Vistula A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

. As one of the last

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

leaders in the predominantly

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

region, he granted his

Lutsk Lutsk (, ; see #Names and etymology, below for other names) is a city on the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of Lutsk Raion within the oblast. Lutsk has a populati ...

mansion to the Lithuanian

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

for use as an evangelical school. Returning to military service, Abramowicz served in the 1633–34

Smolensk War The Smolensk War (1632–1634) was a conflict fought between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia. Hostilities began in October 1632 when Russian forces tried to capture the city of Smolensk. Small military engagements produced mix ...

and, holding the rank of colonel, was one of the negotiators in the June 1634

Treaty of Polyanovka The Treaty of Polyanovka, also known as the Peace of Polyanovka (; ) was a peace treaty signed on 14 June 1634 between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Tsardom of Russia in the village of located near the river between Vyazma and ...

, which ended the conflict. In 1638 King

Władysław IV Vasa Władysław IV Vasa or Ladislaus IV (9 June 1595 – 20 May 1648) was King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania and claimant of the thrones of Monarchy of Sweden, Sweden and List of Russian monarchs, Russia. Born into the House of Vasa as a prince ...

nominated him as

Cześnik A cup-bearer was historically an officer of high rank in royal courts, whose duty was to pour and serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues (such as poisoning), a person had to be regarded as thor ...

Wielki Litewski (Great Grand Duke's Cup-Bearer of Lithuania). He rose to the office of

castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

of Mścisław in 1639, General (top commander) of the artillery of Lithuania in 1640,

Voivode of Mścisław Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

in 1643, and

voivode of Trakai Trakai Voivodeship, Trakai Palatinate, or Troki Voivodeship (, , ), was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1413 until 1795. History Trakai Voivodeship together with Vilnius Voivodeship was ...

in 1647. In view of Abramowicz's prominent activity in the Lithuanian Calvinist synod at a time of increased

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

in the Commonwealth, his ability to retain high offices, was taken as sign of King Władysław's faith in his leadership. The confidence proved particularly well-founded during the 1645 event known as the

Trubchevsk Trubchevsk (, ) is a town and the administrative center of Trubchevsky District in Bryansk Oblast, Russia, located about south of the city of Bryansk, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: History An old Severian town, Trubchevs ...

incident (), as Lithuanian nobles rose in opposition to the king's treaty with Russia, which signed away the fortified border town of Trubchevsk. The king sent Abramowicz at the head of a company of King's Guards to restore order and oversee the territorial transfer. In the aftermath, the

Lithuanian Tribunal The Lithuanian Tribunal ( or ''Lietuvos Tribunolas''; ) was the highest appellate court for the Lithuanian nobility, nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was established by the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of ...

lodged a high complaint against Abramowicz for illegal expropriation of property and sentenced him to loss of honor, banishment and a high compensatory damage. The sentences were never carried out due to the intervention of the king, who rewarded Abramowicz's loyalty with advancement to the

Trakai Voivodeship Trakai Voivodeship, Trakai Palatinate, or Troki Voivodeship (, , ), was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1413 until 1795. History Trakai Voivodeship together with Vilnius Voivodeship wa ...

. In the final three years of his life, Abramowicz served as a diplomat in the 1648 negotiations with Sweden, and in the Senate talks of 1649. In his final public function, he signed the Senate resolution known as the ''Evangelical Salvation'', providing certain rights to Calvinists. He died in Vilnius in his early to mid-fifties.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abramowicz, Mikolaj Secular senators of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 17th-century Lithuanian nobility 17th-century Polish nobility Generals of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Polish Calvinist and Reformed Christians Lithuanian Calvinist and Reformed Christians Polish people of the Smolensk War 1590s births Year of birth uncertain 1651 deaths Voivodes of Trakai

Life

Further reading

References