Hieronim Ossoliński
Encyclopedia
Hieronim Ossoliński, coat of arms Topór, was a Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...

 statesman, kasztelan of Sandomierz
Sandomierz
Sandomierz is a city in south-eastern Poland with 25,714 inhabitants . Situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship , previously in Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship . It is the capital of Sandomierz County . Sandomierz is known for its Old Town, a major tourist attraction...

 and Wojnicz
Wojnicz
Wojnicz is a town in Tarnów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship.The Battle of Wojnicz took place here on September 23, 1655, against Sweden.- People :* Sebastian Lubomirski* Jan Wielopolski the elder* Jan Krzysztof Tarnowski* Chaim Kreiswirth, rabbi...

, a delegate to the Sejm of 1569 and one of the signatories of the Union of Lublin
Union of Lublin
The Union of Lublin replaced the personal union of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with a real union and an elective monarchy, since Sigismund II Augustus, the last of the Jagiellons, remained childless after three marriages. In addition, the autonomy of Royal Prussia was...

, which formally united Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

 into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...

. Ossoliński was a Calvinist, and a leader of Protestants in the province of Małopolska during the reign of king Zygmunt August.

Early life

In his youth, Hieronim was sent by his family to study abroad. During this time, most likely in Germany, he became familiar with Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...

, converted, and would remain a faithful adherent and advocate for protestantism throughout his life. He also served under Gian Giacomo Medici in Italy and participated in the taking of Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...

.

Executionist movement and Union of Lublin

Ossoliński was one of the leaders of the Executionist movement, which sought to reform 16th century Polish politics. As an "Executionist", Ossoliński promoted the return of state lands illegally seized by some magnates back to the crown, an increase in the powers of the lesser and medium nobility (szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...

), a curtailment of the rights of the Catholic clergy, enforcement of separation of powers
Separation of powers
The separation of powers, often imprecisely used interchangeably with the trias politica principle, is a model for the governance of a state. The model was first developed in ancient Greece and came into widespread use by the Roman Republic as part of the unmodified Constitution of the Roman Republic...

 in regard to the holding of public offices, religious tolerance, and reform of public finances.

Ossoliński, like most other Executionists was also a strong proponent of the unification between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...

 and Crown of Poland. He was considered a main force behind the treaty of unification (Union of Lublin) which was established at the 1569 Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....

. Before the treaty was implemented, Ossoliński argued that Poland and Lithuania were already technically united through the agreements made between Polish king Władysław II Jagiełło (originally from Lithuania) and the Grand Duke Vytautas, and was probably the author of a political pamphlet De unione Lithwaniea ("On the Lithuanian Union"). He was one of the signatories of the treaty.

Continuing this political line, Ossoliński and other Executionists sought closer political integration between the various provinces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that had been established by the 1569 Sejm; Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

, Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...

, Ruthenia
Ruthenia
Ruthenia is the Latin word used onwards from the 13th century, describing lands of the Ancient Rus in European manuscripts. Its geographic and culturo-ethnic name at that time was applied to the parts of Eastern Europe. Essentially, the word is a false Latin rendering of the ancient place name Rus...

 and "Korona".

Protestant leader and advocate for religious toleration

Along with Rafał Leszczyński, the voivode of Brześć Kujawski
Brzesc Kujawski Voivodeship
Brześć Kujawski Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from 14th century to the partitions of Poland in 1772–1795...

,
Ossoliński proposed the establishment of a national church
National church
National church is a concept of a Christian church associated with a specific ethnic group or nation state. The idea was notably discussed during the 19th century, during the emergence of modern nationalism....

 in Poland, with king Zygmunt August as its head. The original proposal envisioned the establishment of such a Church with approval from the Papacy, although both Ossoliński and Leszczyński were willing to cut all ties with Rome
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

 if such approval was not granted. The two politicians made the motion at a Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....

 of Piotrków
Piotrków
Piotrków may refer to the following places in Poland:*Piotrków Trybunalski, a city in Piotrków County, Łódź Voivodeship*Piotrków Kujawski, a city in Gmina Piotrków Kujawski in Radziejów County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship...

 in 1555, but it was not accepted. Three years later, at another sejm, Ossoliński unsuccessfully proposed that Catholic bishops were to be prohibited from sitting in the Polish Senate
Senate of Poland
The Senate is the upper house of the Polish parliament, the lower house being the 'Sejm'. The history of the Polish Senate is rich in tradition and stretches back over 500 years, it was one of the first constituent bodies of a bicameral parliament in Europe and existed without hiatus until the...

.

In 1573, Ossoliński was one of the signatories of the Warsaw Confederation
Warsaw Confederation
The Warsaw Confederation , an important development in the history of Poland and Lithuania that extended religious tolerance to nobility and free persons within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. , is considered the formal beginning of religious freedom in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and...

. The confederation issued a document which formally and legally established freedom of religion in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. While previously religious tolerance was a de facto policy of Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Confederation made it constitutionally de jure. In the same year Ossoliński supported the election of Henry of Valois to the throne of Poland and took part in the coronation. Soon, however, Ossoliński came to oppose the king and supported his dethronization.

Family and personal life

Hieronim was the son of Paweł Ossoliński and Zbigniewa Słupecka. He was married to Katarzyna Zborowska (of the Zborowski family
Zborowski family
Zborowski family of the Jastrzębiec coat of arms was a Polish noble family most powerful in the 16th century. First known member of the family was Marcin Zborowski , castellan and voivode. The main line died out with his grandson, Aleksander Zborowski, in 1621.In family's history, the most notable...

). They had eight surviving children:
  • Jan Ossoliński (1576) - Starosta of Płock
  • Hieronim Ossoliński (died 1581)
  • Piotr Ossoliński (died 1580)
  • Mikołaj Ossoliński (died 1598) - Lord of Klimontow
    Klimontów
    Klimontów may refer to the following places in Poland:*Klimontów, Jędrzejów County in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship *Klimontów, Sandomierz County in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship...

  • Zofia, married Stanisław Drohojowski
  • Jan Zbigniew Ossoliński
    Jan Zbigniew Ossolinski
    Jan Zbigniew Ossoliński was a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman, or szlachcic.He held the following offices:*Secretary to the King from 1578*Chamberlain or podkomorzy of Sandomierz from 1593*Castellan of Małogoszcz and Żarnów from 1603...

     (1555–1623) - Starosta of Sandomierz, chancellor to the King of Poland.
  • Andrzej Ossoliński (1616) - Żupnik of Ruthenia
    Ruthenia
    Ruthenia is the Latin word used onwards from the 13th century, describing lands of the Ancient Rus in European manuscripts. Its geographic and culturo-ethnic name at that time was applied to the parts of Eastern Europe. Essentially, the word is a false Latin rendering of the ancient place name Rus...

  • Marcin Ossoliński - Crown Rotamaster


He most likely forced his son, Jan Zbigniew Ossoliński, to convert to Calvinism. After his father's death, Jan, as well as several of the other children reverted back to Catholicism.

He died around 1576 and was buried in Goźlice
Gozlice
Goźlice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Klimontów, within Sandomierz County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It lies approximately north of Klimontów, west of Sandomierz, and east of the regional capital Kielce....

, in a church which he had converted into a Calvinist Zbór
ZBOR
Yugoslav National Movement "Zbor" , commonly known simply as ZBOR, was a Yugoslav fascist and conservative nationalist movement formed in 1935 by Dimitrije Ljotić. ZBOR's ideology was a blend of Italian Fascism, Nazism, and Serbian Orthodox Christian fundamentalism...

 (in Poland-Lithuania and Bohemia a type of Protestant place of worship). His tombstone was sculpted by the Italian-Polish architect Santi Gucci
Santi Gucci
Santi Gucci was a Polish-Italian architect and sculptor.-Biography:He moved to Poland after 1550, most probably from Florence, and became the court artist of king Sigismund II Augustus of Poland, his queen consort Anna Jagiellonka and his successor Stefan Batory of Poland...

, and had been commissioned by Hieronim himself. It was destroyed during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, in 1915, and restored after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

on the basis of archival photographs.
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