Lipka Rebellion
Encyclopedia
The Lipka Rebellion was a mutiny of several choragwie
(regiments) of Lipka Tatar cavalry in 1672, which had been serving in the forces of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth since the 14th century. The immediate cause of the rebellion was arrears of payment of soldiers' wages, although increasing restrictions on their established privileges and religious freedoms also played a role.
who settled in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
in the 14th century, and later in the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth. They were given noble status and fought on the Polish-Lithuanian side in the Battle of Grunwald
. They formed a military caste within the Commonwealth, while retaining their Sunni religion and Tatar traditions.
Prior to this incident the Lipka Tatars had dutifully served the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and were considered to be some of its best and most loyal soldiers. At the beginning of sixteenth century, emissaries of the Crimean Khanate
tried to persuade them to betray the Commonwealth and received the reply:
Subsequently the Lipkas fought on the Polish-Lithuanian side against the Ottomans and the Crimean Khanate at Battle of Cecora
, the first Battle of Chocim
and against the forces of Mehmed Abazy Pasha in the Polish-Ottoman War of 1633.
However the situation of the Tatars within the Commonwealth worsened in the second half of the 17th century. The Chmielnicki Uprising and the Russian invasion of Lithuania
destroyed much of the basis of Tatar livelihood. At the same time, in its wars against various invaders the Commonwealth employed many foreign, non Lipka
Tatar mercenaries who often, in situations of chaos and lax discipline, pillaged local farms and landholdings. This, combined with the growing effects of the Counter Reformation and the associated decrease in traditional religious freedom in the Commonwealth, led the Polish szlachta
to increasingly view all Tatars, including the Lipkas with hostility. This culminated in passage of several laws in 1667 which rescinded Tatar privileges and restricted their religious freedoms. In particular, the new laws limited the promotion of Tatars to posts of military command and also forbid the construction of new mosques within the Ruthenian voivodeships (in Ukraine) of the Commonwealth. Finally, the Sejm
decided that only the fourth of the wages owed to the Tatar soldiers were to be paid out (this also applied to Wallachia
n units).
Simmering unrest among the Lipkas led the Polish King Jan Kazimierz in 1669, shortly before his abdication, to rescind the laws. But the insult had been made, and crucially, the promised back wages were never paid out.
The rebellion involved between 2000 and 3000 Tatar soldiers although exact numbers have not been established. Notably, only those Tatar units serving in the army of the Crown rebelled, but not the units which served in the army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
. Some sources also state that an unknown number of Chermis, who had been deprived of livelihood by the Chmielnicki Uprising, also joined the rebellion.
As a result of the rebellion, the Lipkas became subjects of the Ottoman
Sultan
Mehmed IV
. Initially, the mutinied units joined forces with Ottoman allied Cossack
Hetman Petro Doroshenko
and awaited for the anticipated invasion of the Commonwealth by the Sultan's army. During the campaign of the Polish-Ottoman War the rebels served as guides and scouts for the Sultan's main army as they were very familiar with the terrain, and as a result caused great harm to the Polish-Lithuanian war effort. The leader of the mutiny, rotmistrz (rotamaster) Aleksander Kryczynski, was made the Bey
of Bar
by the Sultan as a reward for his defection.
While the main Turkish army besieged Kamieniec Podolski
, the Tatar units pillaged and burnt the surrounding areas of Podole
. On several occasions the Lipkas, dressed in Polish uniforms would ride into Polish villages as allies, then quickly attack and capture the surprised inhabitants. After the fall of Kamieniec, the Sultan settled some of the Lipkas around it and later, after the end of the rebellion, these tended to be the Tatars which did not return to the Commonwealth. The Kamieniec Lipkas still hold on to their separate traditions to this day.
However, soon, most rank and file Tatar soldiers under Kryczynski became dissatisfied with their lot under the Sultan. In the same month that Kamieniec fell, some of Kryczynski's captains sent a secret letter to the Polish Hetman Jan Sobieski which included ten conditions under which the Tatars were willing to come back to the side of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. For the time being, this offer was not accepted.
In the end, the mutiny was short lived. The Lithuanian and Polish Tatars were used to holding privileged positions within the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth and exercising many personal freedoms. As a result they found it hard to accept the strict and absolute rule of the Sultan. Furthermore, the area around Bar which, together with their commander, they had been given by the Ottomans, was poor and devastated by war and not of much value to ordinary soldiers. As early as 1673, Tatar privates rioted in Bar and seized and killed Kryczynski. At the same time, Polish and Lithuanian forces began to turn the tide of the war with the Turks and were scoring many successes (for example, at the second Battle of Chocim
). In 1674 Hetman Jan Sobieski
took Bar, which was defended by the Lipkas. Rather than punishing the mutineers however, he allowed them to return to their former service. During the Polish Swedish war, Sobieski had commanded a 2000 strong regiment of Tatar cavalry and as a result the Tatars and Sobieski held each other in great esteem. Most of the Lipkas returned into the ranks of the Polish Lithuanian army and fought the remainder of the Polish-Ottoman War on the side of the Commonwealth. The last of the mutinous Lipka units were readmitted into the Commonwealth in 1691.
restored the Tatars' privileges and religious freedoms and the overdue wages were paid in land (some of which came out of Sobieski's private holdings). Most of the bestowed holdings were in eastern Poland and were made in perpetuity in exchange for a guarantee of future military service (which was duly fulfilled in all subsequent wars). Regular soldiers received small farms, while the officers larger land holdings. One local legends tells that the King promised one particularly distinguished rotmistrz, Olejewski, as much land as he could ride around on a horse in one day.
In the subsequent years the Lipkas remained loyal to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. They fought with Sobieski in his rescue of Vienna
in 1683 (where Tatar Colonel Samuel Mirza Krzeczowski saved the king's life in a follow up battle at Parkany
). The Lipka Tatars who fought at Vienna wore a sprig of straw in their helmets to distinguish themselves from the Tatars fighting under Kara Mustafa on the Turkish side. Lipkas visiting Vienna traditionally wear straw hats to commemorate their ancestors’ participation in the breaking of the Siege of Vienna.
During the period of the partitions of Poland
they fought for Polish and Lithuanian independence
in several
insurrections
. They also served in the Polish army after Poland regained its independence, and fought against Nazi Germany
in World War II
.
's (who was himself of Lipka Tatar origin) historical trilogy Fire in the Steppe
.
"Polish thrust towards Kaminiec; large Turkish convoy, going from Walachia in direction of Kaminiec, attacked by Russian woiwode on orders of King of Poland who will next turn upon Barr, a strong town whose garrison includes many Lithuanians and Tartars rebelling against Polish crown." Folio 170, covering Nov.27th to Dec.7th, 1674.
"The Queen of Poland has visited Tarnow; at Barr, chief officers have unconditionally surrendered to King of Poland who sent nearly 12,000 Tartars to Lithuania, Turks to Kaminiec and the governor to the Khan; Mohilow and other towns having capitulated, Polish army going to their winter quarters, except that Kaminiec is to be kept `encompassed'. Folio 180, covering Dec.14th to Dec. 24th, 1674
Choragiew
Chorągiew was the basic administrative unit of the Polish cavalry from the 14th century. An alternative name until the 17th century was Rota.The name may derive from Slavic word Khorugv ....
(regiments) of Lipka Tatar cavalry in 1672, which had been serving in the forces of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth since the 14th century. The immediate cause of the rebellion was arrears of payment of soldiers' wages, although increasing restrictions on their established privileges and religious freedoms also played a role.
Background
The Lipka Tatars were a group of TatarsTatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
who settled in 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...
in the 14th century, and later in the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth. They were given noble status and fought on the Polish-Lithuanian side in the Battle of Grunwald
Battle of Grunwald
The Battle of Grunwald or 1st Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410, during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Jogaila and Grand Duke Vytautas , decisively defeated the Teutonic Knights, led...
. They formed a military caste within the Commonwealth, while retaining their Sunni religion and Tatar traditions.
Prior to this incident the Lipka Tatars had dutifully served the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and were considered to be some of its best and most loyal soldiers. At the beginning of sixteenth century, emissaries of the Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate, or Khanate of Crimea , was a state ruled by Crimean Tatars from 1441 to 1783. Its native name was . Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan...
tried to persuade them to betray the Commonwealth and received the reply:
Subsequently the Lipkas fought on the Polish-Lithuanian side against the Ottomans and the Crimean Khanate at Battle of Cecora
Battle of Tutora (1620)
The Battle of Ţuţora was a battle between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Ottoman forces , fought from 17 September to 7 October 1620 in Moldavia, near the Prut River.- Prelude :Because of the failure of Commonwealth diplomatic mission to Constantinople, and violations of the Treaty of...
, the first Battle of Chocim
Battle of Khotyn (1621)
The Battle of Khotyn was a battle fought between a Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth army and an invading Ottoman Imperial army. Here, for a whole month , the Commonwealth forces halted the Ottoman advance...
and against the forces of Mehmed Abazy Pasha in the Polish-Ottoman War of 1633.
However the situation of the Tatars within the Commonwealth worsened in the second half of the 17th century. The Chmielnicki Uprising and the Russian invasion of Lithuania
Russo-Polish War (1654–1667)
The Russo-Polish War of 1654–1667, also called Thirteen Years' War, First Northern War, War for Ukraine was the last major conflict between Tsardom of Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Between 1655 and 1660, the Second Northern War was also fought in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth,...
destroyed much of the basis of Tatar livelihood. At the same time, in its wars against various invaders the Commonwealth employed many foreign, non Lipka
Nogai Horde
The Nogai Horde was a confederation of about eighteen Turkic and Mongol tribes that occupied the Pontic-Caspian steppe from about 1500 until they were pushed west by the Kalmyks and south by the Russians in the 17th century. The Mongol tribe called the Manghits constituted a core of the Horde...
Tatar mercenaries who often, in situations of chaos and lax discipline, pillaged local farms and landholdings. This, combined with the growing effects of the Counter Reformation and the associated decrease in traditional religious freedom in the Commonwealth, led the Polish 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...
to increasingly view all Tatars, including the Lipkas with hostility. This culminated in passage of several laws in 1667 which rescinded Tatar privileges and restricted their religious freedoms. In particular, the new laws limited the promotion of Tatars to posts of military command and also forbid the construction of new mosques within the Ruthenian voivodeships (in Ukraine) of the Commonwealth. Finally, the 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 ....
decided that only the fourth of the wages owed to the Tatar soldiers were to be paid out (this also applied to Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
n units).
Simmering unrest among the Lipkas led the Polish King Jan Kazimierz in 1669, shortly before his abdication, to rescind the laws. But the insult had been made, and crucially, the promised back wages were never paid out.
The Rebellion
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...
. Some sources also state that an unknown number of Chermis, who had been deprived of livelihood by the Chmielnicki Uprising, also joined the rebellion.
As a result of the rebellion, the Lipkas became subjects of the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV Modern Turkish Mehmet was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687...
. Initially, the mutinied units joined forces with Ottoman allied Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
Hetman Petro Doroshenko
Petro Doroshenko
Petro Dorofeyevych Doroshenko was a Cossack political and military leader, Hetman of Right-bank Ukraine and a Russian voyevoda.-Earlier life:...
and awaited for the anticipated invasion of the Commonwealth by the Sultan's army. During the campaign of the Polish-Ottoman War the rebels served as guides and scouts for the Sultan's main army as they were very familiar with the terrain, and as a result caused great harm to the Polish-Lithuanian war effort. The leader of the mutiny, rotmistrz (rotamaster) Aleksander Kryczynski, was made the Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
of Bar
Bar, Ukraine
Bar is a city located on the Rov River in the Vinnytsia Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Barskyi Raion , and is part of the historic region of Podolia. The current estimated population is 17,200 .-History:The city was a small trade outpost named Row...
by the Sultan as a reward for his defection.
While the main Turkish army besieged Kamieniec Podolski
Kamianets-Podilskyi
Kamyanets-Podilsky or Kamienets-Podolsky is a city located on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi...
, the Tatar units pillaged and burnt the surrounding areas of Podole
Podole
Podole may refer to:*Podolia, a region in Ukraine*Podole, Aleksandrów County in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship *Podole, Lipno County in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship...
. On several occasions the Lipkas, dressed in Polish uniforms would ride into Polish villages as allies, then quickly attack and capture the surprised inhabitants. After the fall of Kamieniec, the Sultan settled some of the Lipkas around it and later, after the end of the rebellion, these tended to be the Tatars which did not return to the Commonwealth. The Kamieniec Lipkas still hold on to their separate traditions to this day.
However, soon, most rank and file Tatar soldiers under Kryczynski became dissatisfied with their lot under the Sultan. In the same month that Kamieniec fell, some of Kryczynski's captains sent a secret letter to the Polish Hetman Jan Sobieski which included ten conditions under which the Tatars were willing to come back to the side of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. For the time being, this offer was not accepted.
Rejoining the Commonwealth
Battle of Khotyn (1673)
Battle of Khotyn on 11 November 1673 was a battle where Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth forces under hetman Jan Sobieski defeated Ottoman Empire forces under Hussain Pasha...
). In 1674 Hetman Jan Sobieski
John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski was one of the most notable monarchs of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, from 1674 until his death King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. Sobieski's 22-year-reign was marked by a period of the Commonwealth's stabilization, much needed after the turmoil of the Deluge and...
took Bar, which was defended by the Lipkas. Rather than punishing the mutineers however, he allowed them to return to their former service. During the Polish Swedish war, Sobieski had commanded a 2000 strong regiment of Tatar cavalry and as a result the Tatars and Sobieski held each other in great esteem. Most of the Lipkas returned into the ranks of the Polish Lithuanian army and fought the remainder of the Polish-Ottoman War on the side of the Commonwealth. The last of the mutinous Lipka units were readmitted into the Commonwealth in 1691.
Afterward
In 1679, thanks to Sobieski, now King of Poland, the SejmSejm
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 ....
restored the Tatars' privileges and religious freedoms and the overdue wages were paid in land (some of which came out of Sobieski's private holdings). Most of the bestowed holdings were in eastern Poland and were made in perpetuity in exchange for a guarantee of future military service (which was duly fulfilled in all subsequent wars). Regular soldiers received small farms, while the officers larger land holdings. One local legends tells that the King promised one particularly distinguished rotmistrz, Olejewski, as much land as he could ride around on a horse in one day.
Battle of Vienna
The Battle of Vienna took place on 11 and 12 September 1683 after Vienna had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months...
in 1683 (where Tatar Colonel Samuel Mirza Krzeczowski saved the king's life in a follow up battle at Parkany
Battle of Párkány
The Battle of Párkány was fought in the town of Párkány , in the Ottoman Empire, and the area surrounding it as part of the Polish-Ottoman War and the Great Turkish War. The battle was fought in two stages...
). The Lipka Tatars who fought at Vienna wore a sprig of straw in their helmets to distinguish themselves from the Tatars fighting under Kara Mustafa on the Turkish side. Lipkas visiting Vienna traditionally wear straw hats to commemorate their ancestors’ participation in the breaking of the Siege of Vienna.
During the period of the partitions of Poland
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
they fought for Polish and Lithuanian independence
Kosciuszko Uprising
The Kościuszko Uprising was an uprising against Imperial Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in Poland, Belarus and Lithuania in 1794...
in several
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
insurrections
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
. They also served in the Polish army after Poland regained its independence, and fought against Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in 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...
.
The Rebellion in Literature
The rebellion and the associated Polish-Ottoman War form the back story to the third part of Henryk SienkiewiczHenryk Sienkiewicz
Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz was a Polish journalist and Nobel Prize-winning novelist. A Polish szlachcic of the Oszyk coat of arms, he was one of the most popular Polish writers at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905 for his...
's (who was himself of Lipka Tatar origin) historical trilogy Fire in the Steppe
Fire in the Steppe
Fire in the Steppe is a historical novel by the Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz, published in 1888. It is the third volume in a series known to Poles as "the Trilogy," preceded by With Fire and Sword and The Deluge...
.
The Lipka Rebellion in the UK National Archives
UK National Archives, Papers of the Secretaries of State: State Papers Foreign. SP 82/12"Polish thrust towards Kaminiec; large Turkish convoy, going from Walachia in direction of Kaminiec, attacked by Russian woiwode on orders of King of Poland who will next turn upon Barr, a strong town whose garrison includes many Lithuanians and Tartars rebelling against Polish crown." Folio 170, covering Nov.27th to Dec.7th, 1674.
"The Queen of Poland has visited Tarnow; at Barr, chief officers have unconditionally surrendered to King of Poland who sent nearly 12,000 Tartars to Lithuania, Turks to Kaminiec and the governor to the Khan; Mohilow and other towns having capitulated, Polish army going to their winter quarters, except that Kaminiec is to be kept `encompassed'. Folio 180, covering Dec.14th to Dec. 24th, 1674