On 7 October 1620, a few kilometres from the Polish border, Hetman Stanislaw Żółkiewski fell in battle against the Tatars. He was 73 years old at the time of his death. He devoted his whole life in service to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Stanislaw Żółkiewski was born in 1547 into a middle-class noble family in the village of Turynka, near Lwów (now Lviv). He was the third and youngest child of Stanislaw and Zofia of Lipska. His family is first mentioned in historical sources at the beginning of the 15th century. The young Stanislaw was initially educated at home, and later continued his education at the Jesuit college in Lwów. During his studies, he showed great interest in history and literature, especially classical studies. He read the works of Cicero and Horace. Interestingly, in his future writing, he would try to seek a prototype in the works of Julius Caesar. Unlike other representatives of the young noble generation of the period, he did not study abroad, and tried to expand his knowledge on his own. The future fate of young Stanisław was greatly influenced by the protection of his distant relative Jan Zamoyski, who grew into a leader of the nobility in the final years of the reign of King Zygmunt August (1548-1572), the last ruler of Poland from the Jagiellonian dynasty. While spending time with Zamoyski, Żółkiewski learnt the arcana of politics, but also learned foreign languages. Soon he was speaking French, Italian and, most likely, German. This knowledge of languages and Zamoyski’s protection enabled him to be part of a Polish delegation travelling to France after Poland’s first free election. The delegation’s task was to negotiate with the elected king, Henry of Valois, the terms of his assumption of the throne. At that time, apart from France, Żółkiewski also stayed at the court of Emperor Maximilian II. On his return to Poland, together with his protector, he supported the candidacy of the Duke of Transylvania, Stephan Bathory, for king of Poland in the next free election.  Soon, thanks to Zamoyski’s support, Żółkiewski even became the monarch’s personal secretary. His stay in the king’s entourage allowed him to gain military experience, especially during the battles fought against the rebellious Gdansk and, above all, in the war against Russia (1577-1582).

After the death of Stefan Batory in 1586, a double election took place during the next interregnum in Poland. Part of the nobility chose Prince Maximilian of Habsburg as king, while part, headed by Jan Zamoyski, pointed to the Swedish prince Sigismund Vasa, nephew of the last Jagiellon, King Sigismund Augustus. Maximilian and his army attempted to besiege Krakow to crown himself as a future ruler there. He failed, thanks to the defence of the city commanded by Zamoyski, with Stanislaw Żółkiewski fighting by his side. Maximilian, who was leaving Kraków, was defeated in the Battle of Byczyna in January 1588.

The new king Sigismund III Vasa (1587-1632) in March 1588, in recognition of Żółkiewski’s merits, appointed him field hetman of the Crown. His task was to protect the south-eastern lands of Poland, which were particularly vulnerable to the plundering incursions of the Tatars. In 1589, he married Regina Herburt. The marriage resulted in three children, daughters Katarzyna and Zofia and son Jan.

In 1595 Żółkiewski, together with Zamoyski, undertook an armed expedition to Moldavia with the aim of installing a ruler favourable to Poland on the throne there. The intervention ended with the battle of Cecora against the Tartar army. In 1596, Żółkiewski successfully suppressed a Cossack rebellion led by Semen Nalewajka. In 1600, Poland again had to undertake an expedition against Michael the Brave, who was trying to take Moldavia. The Polish army led by Zamoyski defeated the enemy in the Battle of Bukovo. The part of the army commanded by Żółkiewski played a key role in the battle.  In the following years, the hetman took part in the wars with the Swedes, slowly taking over command of the army from the ageing Zamoyski, who died in 1605. Despite the vacancy in the position of Grand Hetman of the Crown, King Sigismund III Vasa did not entrust this post to Żółkiewski. He did not even do so in the face of a rebellion (rokosz) led by Mikołaj Zebrzydowski in 1606. The Hetman remained loyal to the King and took part in the Battle of Guzow in 1607, which ended in the defeat of the rebels. Finally, Żółkiewski received the office of Grand Hetman two years before his death in 1618.

In 1609, Poland, taking advantage of internal problems in Russia, undertook an armed intervention there, led by Stanislaw Żółkiewski, starting the siege of Smolensk. In July 1610, the hetman defeated the overwhelming Russian-Swedish forces at the Battle of Klushino. This impressive victory later enabled him to capture the Russian capital Moscow. Here, he made a deal with the Russians, stipulating that Sigismund III Vasa’s son, Ladislaus, would become tsar on condition that he converted to Orthodoxy. Unfortunately, the ruler of Poland, who himself wanted to become tsar of Russia, did not agree to this arrangement. During the proceedings of the Polish Sejm in 1611.  Żółkiewski solemnly brought the captive Shuisky brothers (the dethroned Tsar Vasyl IV and his two brothers) to pay homage to Sigismund III Vasa. Unfortunately, an uprising soon broke out against the Poles in Russia and the Polish crew eventually left the Kremlin in 1612.

In 1620, Hetman Stanislaw Żołkiewski intervened in Moldavia in favour of Casper Grazziani. Following Zamoyski’s example of a quarter of a century earlier, he entrenched himself in camp at Cecora. On 19 September 1620, the battle against the Turks and Tatars began. Unfortunately, Grazziani went over to the side of the enemy. The outbreak of panic in the camp forced the hetman to decide on a retreat, which proceeded in an efficient and organised manner based on secured and armed stock. The Polish troops managed to traverse 165 kilometres despite continuous Tartar attacks. Unfortunately, a few kilometres before the border, there was another riot in the camp, which was exploited by the Tatars. Żółkiewski refused to flee on the horse that had been brought to him and died armed on 7 October 1620 at the age of 73, being faithful to the motto until the end of his life: “to die beautifully and sweetly for the homeland”.