With Fire and Sword
Encyclopedia
With Fire and Sword is a historical novel
by the Polish
author Henryk Sienkiewicz
, published in 1884. It is the first volume of a series known to Poles as the Trilogy, followed by The Deluge (Potop, 1886) and Fire in the Steppe
(Pan Wołodyjowski, 1888), also translated as Colonel Wolodyjowski. The novel has been adapted as a film several times, most recently
in 1999.
With Fire and Sword is a historical fiction
novel, set in the 17th century in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
during the Khmelnytsky Uprising
. It was initially serial
ized in several Polish newspapers, chapters appearing in weekly instalments. It gained enormous popularity in Poland, and by the turn of the 20th century had become one of the most popular Polish books ever. It became obligatory reading in Polish schools, and has been translated into English and most European languages.
and Bohdan Khmelnytsky
. Sienkiewicz researched memoirs and chronicles of the Polish nobility, or the szlachta
, for details on life in 17th-century Poland. The book was written, according to the author, "to lift up the heart" of the Polish nation in the unhappy period following the failed January Insurrection during the era of the partitions of Poland
. Thus it often favors epic plots and heroic scenes over historical accuracy. Nonetheless, Sienkiewicz's vivid language made it one of the most popular books about that particular place and era.
Fictional characters:
, was directed by Jerzy Hoffman
and released in 1999. At the time, it was the most expensive Polish film ever made (since surpassed by Quo Vadis
, 2001). Although the novel is the first part of the Trilogy, the film was the last part of Hoffman's version of the trilogy to be made, following The Deluge
, which was filmed in 1974, and Colonel Wolodyjowski, which was filmed in 1969. A video game based on the novel, Mount&Blade: With Fire & Sword
, has been released by video game studio Paradox
.
"Finally, there came winter, so mild that the eldest folks could not recall anything like it. The rivers did not freeze over in the southern provinces and the snow, which melted every morning, emerged from the river beds and flooded the banks."
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
by the Polish
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...
author Henryk Sienkiewicz
Henryk 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...
, published in 1884. It is the first volume of a series known to Poles as the Trilogy, followed by The Deluge (Potop, 1886) and 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...
(Pan Wołodyjowski, 1888), also translated as Colonel Wolodyjowski. The novel has been adapted as a film several times, most recently
With Fire and Sword (film)
With Fire and Sword is the English title of the Polish film Ogniem i Mieczem, a historical drama directed by Jerzy Hoffman, released in 1999...
in 1999.
With Fire and Sword is a historical fiction
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
novel, set in the 17th century in 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...
during the Khmelnytsky Uprising
Khmelnytsky Uprising
The Khmelnytsky Uprising, was a Cossack rebellion in the Ukraine between the years 1648–1657 which turned into a Ukrainian war of liberation from Poland...
. It was initially serial
Serial (literature)
In literature, a serial is a publishing format by which a single large work, most often a work of narrative fiction, is presented in contiguous installments—also known as numbers, parts, or fascicles—either issued as separate publications or appearing in sequential issues of a single periodical...
ized in several Polish newspapers, chapters appearing in weekly instalments. It gained enormous popularity in Poland, and by the turn of the 20th century had become one of the most popular Polish books ever. It became obligatory reading in Polish schools, and has been translated into English and most European languages.
Plot summary
Despite some deviations, the book's historical framework is genuine and the fictional story is woven into real events. Many characters are historical figures, including Jeremi WiśniowieckiJeremi Wisniowiecki
Jeremi Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki was a notable member of the aristocracy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Prince at Wiśniowiec, Łubnie and Chorol and a father of future Polish king Michał I...
and Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Bohdan Zynoviy Mykhailovych Khmelnytsky was a hetman of the Zaporozhian Cossack Hetmanate of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . He led an uprising against the Commonwealth and its magnates which resulted in the creation of a Cossack state...
. Sienkiewicz researched memoirs and chronicles of the Polish nobility, or the 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...
, for details on life in 17th-century Poland. The book was written, according to the author, "to lift up the heart" of the Polish nation in the unhappy period following the failed January Insurrection during the era 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...
. Thus it often favors epic plots and heroic scenes over historical accuracy. Nonetheless, Sienkiewicz's vivid language made it one of the most popular books about that particular place and era.
Major characters
Historical figures:- John Casimir
- Jeremi WiśniowieckiJeremi WisniowieckiJeremi Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki was a notable member of the aristocracy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Prince at Wiśniowiec, Łubnie and Chorol and a father of future Polish king Michał I...
- Bohdan KhmelnytskyBohdan KhmelnytskyBohdan Zynoviy Mykhailovych Khmelnytsky was a hetman of the Zaporozhian Cossack Hetmanate of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . He led an uprising against the Commonwealth and its magnates which resulted in the creation of a Cossack state...
- Adam KisielAdam KisielAdam Świętołdycz Kisiel was the Voivode of Kiev and castellan or voivode of Czernihów . He was the last Orthodox senator of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
- Ivan VyhovskyIvan VyhovskyIvan Vyhovsky was a hetman of the Ukrainian Cossacks during three years of the Russo-Polish War . He was the successor to the famous hetman and rebel leader Bohdan Khmelnytsky...
- Ivan BohunIvan BohunIvan Bohun was a Ukrainian Cossack colonel. Close associate and friend of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, he opposed both the pacts with Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and with Tsardom of Russia ....
- Tugay Bey
- Islam III GirayIslâm III Girayİslâm III Giray — a khan of the Crimean Khanate in 1644–1654.In 1648 allied with Zaporozhian Cossack leader Bohdan Khmelnytsky in his revolt against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1654 after the Treaty of Pereyaslav, he switched sides and allied with Poland against the Tsardom of...
Fictional characters:
- Jan SkrzetuskiJan SkrzetuskiJan Skrzetuski is a fictional character created by Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz in the novel With Fire and Sword. He is a man of honour, always faithful to his master, duke Jeremi Wiśniowiecki. He loves Helena Kurcewiczówna, who was kidnapped by the Ukrainian Cossack Bohun, who is also in...
- Jan Onufry Zagłoba
- Michał Wołodyjowski
- Longinus PodbipiętaLonginus PodbipietaLonginus Podbipięta is a fictional character in the novel With Fire and Sword written by Henryk Sienkiewicz. He is a Lithuanian and his coat of arms is called "Zerwikaptur". He had vowed to remain chaste until he cut off three heads with one blow of his huge sword , like his ancestor did at the...
- Yuri Bohun
- Helena KurcewiczównaHelena KurcewiczównaHelena Kurcewicz is a fictional character appearing in the novel With Fire and Sword by Henryk Sienkiewicz as the main female protagonist. She is also mentioned in The Deluge and in Colonel Wolodyjowski.Helena is a beautiful orphaned princess living with her aunt and cousins in Rozłogi...
- RzędzianRzedzianRzędzian is a fictional character created by Henryk Sienkiewicz. He appears as the secondary character in With Fire and Sword and in The Deluge. He is a poor Polish nobleman who serves Jan Skrzetuski. He's cunning and greedy but always loyal to his master. He helps to free Helena Kurcewiczówna from...
- HorpynaHorpynaHorpyna is a fictional character in the novel With Fire and Sword by Henryk Sienkiewicz. She is a witch living in the Devil's Valley. Her brother, Doniec, is a Cossack colonel. Horpyna is Bohun's friend.In 1999 film she is portrayed by Ruslana Pysanka....
Adaptations
The most recent film version of the novel, With Fire and SwordWith Fire and Sword (film)
With Fire and Sword is the English title of the Polish film Ogniem i Mieczem, a historical drama directed by Jerzy Hoffman, released in 1999...
, was directed by Jerzy Hoffman
Jerzy Hoffman
Jerzy Hoffman is a Polish film director and screenwriter. He is the father of early Macintosh development team member Joanna Hoffman.-Selected filmography:*Battle of Warsaw 1920...
and released in 1999. At the time, it was the most expensive Polish film ever made (since surpassed by Quo Vadis
Quo Vadis (2001 film)
Quo Vadis is a 2001 Polish film directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz based on the book of the same title by Henryk Sienkiewicz. It was Poland's submission to the 74th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not nominated....
, 2001). Although the novel is the first part of the Trilogy, the film was the last part of Hoffman's version of the trilogy to be made, following The Deluge
The Deluge (film)
The Deluge is the English title of the Polish film Potop, a historical drama directed by Jerzy Hoffman, released in 1974. The film is based on the novel by the Nobel Prize-winning Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz...
, which was filmed in 1974, and Colonel Wolodyjowski, which was filmed in 1969. A video game based on the novel, Mount&Blade: With Fire & Sword
Mount&Blade: With Fire & Sword
Mount&Blade: With Fire & Sword is a stand-alone expansion for the action role-playing video game Mount&Blade. The game is developed by Sich Studio and TaleWorlds and was published by Paradox Interactive in Europe. The game and its storyline is based on the novel Black Mace by Alex Trubnikov...
, has been released by video game studio Paradox
Paradox Interactive
-External links:*...
.
Quotes
"1647 was a strange year in which signs on earth and the sky seemed to announce disasters and unusual events. Contemporary chroniclers recall the huge numbers of locusts swarming from the Wild Fields and destroying crops and grass, which forecast Tartar raids. There was a grand eclipse of the sun in the summer and shortly after, a comet appeared in the sky.""Finally, there came winter, so mild that the eldest folks could not recall anything like it. The rivers did not freeze over in the southern provinces and the snow, which melted every morning, emerged from the river beds and flooded the banks."
See also
- With Fire and Sword (film)With Fire and Sword (film)With Fire and Sword is the English title of the Polish film Ogniem i Mieczem, a historical drama directed by Jerzy Hoffman, released in 1999...
- Mount&Blade: With Fire & SwordMount&Blade: With Fire & SwordMount&Blade: With Fire & Sword is a stand-alone expansion for the action role-playing video game Mount&Blade. The game is developed by Sich Studio and TaleWorlds and was published by Paradox Interactive in Europe. The game and its storyline is based on the novel Black Mace by Alex Trubnikov...
- Dzikie PolaZaporizhia (region)Zaporizhia , Russian: Запоро́жье, Zaporozhye) is a historical region which is situated about the Dnieper River, below the Dnieper rapids , , hence the name, translated as "territory beyond the rapids"...
- Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthPolish-Lithuanian CommonwealthThe 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...
- List of historical novels