Lithuanian Civil War (1697–1702)

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Lithuanian Civil War
Part of Great Northern War
Date1697-1702[1]
Location
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Belligerents

Anti-Sapieha Coalition Supported by:
John III Sobieski

August II the Strong		 Sapieha family and allies

Lithuanian Civil war (Lithuanian: Lietuvos vidaus karas (1697–1702 m.)[2]) refers to the conflict from 1697 to 1702 between the powerful Sapieha family, which dominated the internal affairs of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and an anti-Sapieha coalition, so-called Republicans or Confederates, composed of the opposing noble families (Radziwiłł, Wiśniowiecki, Pac and Ogiński) that disliked Sapieha family's hegemony in the country.[1] The szlachta was mostly on the side of the Republicans as they were angry at Sapieha's abuse and the taxes imposed on them to finance the Lithuanian army, which was mostly loyal to the Sapiehas.[1]

Background[]

Lithuanian Grand Hetman Jan Kazimierz Sapieha the Younger

The Sapiehas had concentrated all possible offices of the Grand Duchy into their hands by the late 17th century.[3] By 1700, Jan Kazimierz Sapieha the Younger was the Lithuanian Grand Hetman and  [lt] was the Lithuanian podskarbi.[3] Thus, the Sapieha family controlled the Lithuanian army and treasury.[3] Due to their wide-ranging power, the Sapieha family practically controlled the sejmiks.[3]

Hence, an anti-Sapieha coalition formed among a group of magnates that did not want Sapieha's influence to remain unchecked, so they allied themselves with the king and tried to hamper Sapieha's influence.[4] Yet no one dared to openly challenge the Sapieha family, except for the Bishop of Vilnius Konstanty Kazimierz Brzostowski, who was close to the policies of the Grand Lithuanian Duke John III Sobieski and even more so the duchess'.[4]

Bishop of Vilnius Konstanty Kazimierz Brzostowski

Confrontation between Brzostowski and Jan Sapieha[]

1693[]

In 1693, the Grand Hetman of Lithuania Jan Kazimierz Sapieha the Younger quartered the Lithuanian army in the bishop's manors, however it was only allowed to station the army in state estates and forbidden in church estates.[4] Thus, Brzostowski initiated a legal case against Sapieha, which ended with Sapieha financially compensating Brzostowski.[4] Nevertheless, the bishop complained to the king, that Sapieha, with his ties to Austria, wants to depose the king and crown himself.[4] Having received a letter of protection against Sapieha, the bishop began to act defiantly.[4]

1694[]

On 18 April 1694, the bishop excommunited Sapieha in the Vilnius Cathedral, forbidding him to enter churches and receive sacraments.[4] Nonetheless, the Lithuanian army remained loyal to its hetman.[4] In the same evening, nobles of Vilnius and their ladies gathered at Sapieha Palace in Antakalnis.[4] Since almost all the monasteries in Vilnius lived from Sapieha's donations, they did not follow through with the bishop's excommunication as they did not want to upset their main donator.[4] Sapieha, who was never pious, went deliberately to the monastery churches to hear Mass.[4] After Brzostowski confronted the monks, they answered that they could ignore his excommunication as their only chiefs were the superior generals of their religious orders.[4]

Confusion ensued with the whole country being agitated and both sides publishing many pamphlets.[4] The Sapieha's did not follow the bishops and his clergy, and the rowdy local nobility in the sejmiks was controlled by the army.[4] Even Michał Stefan Radziejowski, the Primate of Poland, sent a letter of rebuke to Brzostowski and annulled the excommunication of Sapieha, yet the Pope's nuncio supported the bishop and took Sapieha to a trial in the Warsaw's nunciature.[4]

In 1694, Sapieha marched with his army against the Ottoman army and halted in Dubienka.[4] Once there, his troops sent delegates to the king, declaring their loyalty to Sapieha and demanding that the king pay them appropriate salaries.[4] On 6 October 1694, at  [pl], the Grand Hetman of Lithuania, Jan Sapieha, and the Grand Hetman of the Crown Stanisław Jan Jabłonowski led the forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Crown of Poland respectively to victory against the Ottoman Empire and Tatars from the Crimean Khanate.[4] After the battle, Jabłonowski sent a letter to Pope Innocent XI commending Sapieha.[4] So, Brzostowski had to leave Rome without gaining anything and his excommunication was forgotten.[4] Jan Sapieha was greeted as a victor when he returned to Vilnius.[4] While Sapieha was away, the Lithuanian nobility split into those supporting Sapieha and the anti-Sapieha coalition.[4]

Civil war[]

With Sobieski's death, political strife turned into military conflict, as the anti-Sapieha coalition in Samogitia and eastern Lithuania began to openly challenge Sapieha.[4] In 1697, Sapieha's enemies formed the Lietuvos Brasta's Confederation.[4] The Ogiński, Kociełł, Pociej and Kryszpin managed to influence part of the Lithuanian army, and together they started pillaging Sapieha estates.[4] The Lithuanian army under the Voivode of Vilnius and Grand Hetman of Lithuania Jan Kazimierz Sapieha defeated a confederation of a part of the Lithuanian army.[1]

The declared aims of the anti-Sapieha coalition was the Coaequatio iurium, i.e. the equalization of the rights of Lithuania and Poland, a goal which they attained in the royal sejm of 1697.[1] This equalization wanted to limit the powers of Lithuanian ministers, first and foremost those of the Grand Hetman and the Grand Treasurer, positions held respectively by Jan Sapieha and Benediktas Povilas Sapiega.[1]

Royal election of 1697[]

In the royal election of 1697, the Sapiehas supported François Louis, Prince of Conti for the Polish-Lithuanian throne while most of the Lithuanian nobility and the Oginski family supported Augustus II the Strong.[5] Once August II won the election, Sapieha went over to the king's side, who issued a universal, that ordained Oginski and his supporters to cease their activities, regardless, the cruel civil war went on in 1698.[4]

Furthermore, the Coaequatio iurium was passed in the royal election without opposition because the Sapieha's and their loyalists boycotted the election.[4][6] The confrontation turned into civil war when Coaequatio iurium was passed.[1] This law curtailed the powers of Lithuanian ministers, specifically those of the Hetmans' and the Treasurer's.[4] This law specifically targeted the Sapieha family.[4] The Grand Chancellor of Lithuania, Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł, allowed the equalization to go through, even at the cost of his own position's powers.[4] Among the changes passed in the sejm of 1697 was the introduction of the Polish language in Lithuanian documents.[4] Sapieha disregarded the new law, thus giving his enemies an opportunity to accuse him even more of self-will.[4] While the Grand Hetman controlled the Lithuanian army, he managed to curb the violent activity of noble bands.[4] In July 1698, an agreement was reached.[3] This agreement was between the king and Lithuanian nobility and stated that the Lithuanian army's size was to be slashed by more than half in an attempt to subvert the Sapiehas, thus resulting in diarchy.[1][7] As the agreement was superficial, it did not prevent military conflict.[8] In August, a confederation was formed to combat the Sapiehas.[8] Ogiński assembled some szlachta near Jurbarkas, but they were shattered by Casimir Sapieha.[8]

1700 and the Great Northern War[]

In 1700 February, August II was in war with Sweden and thus required military aid from the Sapiehas.[1] On 3 July 1700, without the permission of the Commonwealth's Sejm, the King allowed Jan Sapieha to hire an army of 3,660 soldiers to fight the Swedes.[1] The Republicans opposed the formation of this corps, seeing it as leading to the reestablishment of Sapiehas' hegemony.[1] Their fear was reinforced with the Sapiehas' success in gaining control of Lithuania's Treasury and Tribunal.[1] The szlachta's dissatisfaction increased even more when they heard of the decision to quarter the Saxon Army and Sapieha's auxiliary corps raised for winter in the Grand Duchy's territory, even if the Republicans and the Sapiehas had agreed to disperse the Sapiehan auxiliary corps on 21 August 1700.[1]

Lithuanian Field Hetman Michał Serwacy Wiśniowiecki

Wanting to halt the continued formation, dislocation of Sapieha's corps and the resulting reinstatement of Sapiehan hegemony, a pospolite ruszenie of the Lithuanian nobility was declared by the leaders of the Republicans.[1] They claimed they were doing it in accordance with the King's universal of July 1, which ordered the nobility to prepare the country's defence against Swedish invasion.[1] This was a ruse, however, as there was no danger of Swedish invasion in the autumn of 1700, so it can be concluded that it was aimed at the Sapiehas.[1]

August II maneuvered in between the two sides, because he needed Sapieha's support, but still wanted to keep the power of Sapieha's in check.[4] Moreover, the king illegally maintained the Saxon Army in Lithuania, pretending to do it for the protection of the nobles, while actually assembling his forces for the campaign of Livonia, as the Great Northern War had already started in 1700.[4] August II asked the Polish and Lithuanian senators to declare war on Sweden.[4] The Polish refused, but Sapieha agreed, even if he protested against the stationing of the Saxon army.[4] So, Sapieha was forced to recruit an army, which he did with the money he used to give the Saxons, and lead it.[4]

Battle of Valkininkai[]

Sapieha also appealed to the Republicans, inviting them to contribute as well, but the Field Hetman of Lithuania Michał Serwacy Wiśniowiecki, instead of defending his country from the Swedes, attacked Sapieha at the Battle of Valkininkai.[9] Misled by the insincere mediation of Bishop Brzostowski, Sapieha did not assemble enough troops and was defeated.[9]

After the defeat, Sapieha left for Vilnius with his brother  [pl], leaving his son, the Lithuania's Koniuszy Michał Sapieha to negotiate capitulation with the Confederates of Valkininkai.[9] The enraged nobles did not want to negotiate, slashed the young Sapieha with swords and promulgated a confederative act depriving Jan Sapieha of the Grand Hetman's position, manors and wealth.[9][10] Oginskis and his supporters occupied Vilnius, the Sapieha manors were ravaged, with Sapieha himself fleeing to Warsaw.[9] Augustus II appointed a commission to investigate the quarrel and, now with Sapieha's consent, stationed the Saxon army in Lithuania.[9]

Aftermath[]

In the beginning of 1702, Swedish forces defeated Wiśniowiecki, but the Swedish leader himself was captured in March 24 at the Battle of Darsūniškis.[9] On April 5, the Swedes unexpectedly attacked Wiśniowiecki in Vilnius.[9] Without managing to destroy the arsenal, Wiśniowiecki fled Vilnius to Medininkai and from there to Ašmena, from where he reorganised to go on the offensive.[9] On Easter, April 16, Wiśniowiecki ordered Pociej and Valavičius to attempt to regain Vilnius, while Wiśniowiecki himself attempted to enter Kaunas.[9]

There was real confusion: noble meetings, confederations, declarations of pospolite ruszenie, skirmishes and wholesale plunder.[9]

Disappointed by August II, Jan Sapieha greeted the Swedish invasion of Lithuania.[9] When the Swedish army occupied Vilnius on 22 April 1702, the Hetman went to the capital and got Swedish support to assemble a few banners for himself.[9] Jan Sapieha still maintained the will to regain his power and so, the Lithuanian Civil War continued.[9]

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Sliesoriūnas 2013, p. 136.
  2. ^ Sliesoriūnas 2015, p. 8.
  3. ^ a b c d e Mirza 1971, p. 685.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al Budreckis 1971, p. 86.
  5. ^ Mirza 1971, p. 686.
  6. ^ Sliesoriūnas 2015, p. 527.
  7. ^ Sliesoriūnas 2015, p. 536.
  8. ^ a b c Mirza 1971, p. 690.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Budreckis 1971, p. 87.
  10. ^ Mirza 1971, p. 694.

References[]

  • Budreckis, Algirdas (1971). Raulinaitis, Zigmas (ed.). "LIETUVOS DIDIEJI ETMONAI" [Lithuania's Grand Hetmans]. Karys (in Lithuanian). 3.
  • Sliesoriūnas, Gintautas (2013). "Valkininkų mūšis 1700". ŽYMIAUSI LIETUVOS MŪŠIAI IR KARINĖS OPERACIJOS (in Lithuanian). Vilnius. ISBN 9789986827054.
  • Sliesoriūnas, Gintautas (2015). "III. Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės politinė raida 1588-1733 metais". LIETUVOS ISTORIJA (in Lithuanian). 6 - Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė XVI a. pabaigoje – XVIII a. pradžioje (1588-1733 metais). Vilnius: Lietuvos istorijos institutas. ISBN 978-609-8183-07-8.
  • Mirza, Umair (1971). Bromley, J.S. (ed.). The New Cambridge Modern History. VI. Cambridge University Press. LCCN 57-14935.
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