Starost of Lublin Zbigniew Firlej (1611–1649) and His Last Will of 31 December 1648. A Page of the History of Firlej Family, Lewart Coat of Arms, from the mid-16th to the mid-17th Century

Abstract

The paper focuses primarily on Zbigniew of Dąbrowica Firlej, Lewart coat of arms (1611–1649), son of the Sandomierz voivode Mikołaj (d. 1636) and the daughter of Lublin voivode Regina Oleśnicka, Dębno coat of arms. It also briefly presents the people who made up the family circle of the eponymous character, i.e. both of his grandfathers, Mikołaj Firlej (d. 1600) and Mikołaj Oleśnicki (d. 1629), his parents and their siblings, as well as the siblings of Zbigniew himself. The article discusses their family situation, property status and public activity. Much attention is paid, in particular, to the grandfather and father of the Lublin starost. Zbigniew Firlej was undoubtedly one of the last representatives of the Firlej family to play an important role on the political scene of the Polish- -Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was an educated man who spent several years studying abroad. In 1633, he became the starost of Lublin. After he had returned to Poland in 1636, he was very active politically. He participated in the sessions of the Lublin regional assembly (sejmik), served as a deputy to the Sejm many times, and was also a deputy to the Crown Tribunal. In 1638, he married Princess Anna Wiśniowiecka, Korybut coat of arms. Along with her hand, he received a huge dowry. He also became related to the leading families of the Crown magnates. In 1648, after the outbreak of Bohdan Khmelnytsky’s uprising, he headed a cavalry regiment raised at the expense of the nobility of the Lublin voivodeship. He was an envoy to the convocation. He took part in the battle of Piławce, which was lost by the Crown Army. After arriving in Warsaw, he took part in the election and cast his vote for Jan Kazimierz. The author thoroughly traces both Zbigniew Firlej’s achievements in the public sphere as well as his financial situation and activities in private life. The article contains many new findings. Several misleading or inaccurate findings concerning the closest family of the Lublin starost were also corrected. It is also worth noting that after the death of his first wife, Zbigniew Firlej remarried Katarzyna Opalińska of Bnin, the daughter of the Grand Marshal of the Crown Łukasz, who was only 10 years old at the time of the wedding. From his first marriage he left an only son Mikołaj (d. 1678). On 31 December 1648, Zbigniew Firlej, who was terminally ill at that time, made in Warsaw a very interesting will attached as an annex to this work. He died before 27 January 1649.