[June 17] John III, king of Poland

Parents: Jakub Sobieski and Zofia Teofilla Danilowicz

Date of Birth: 17 August 1629

House: Sobieski

Spouse: Marie Casimire Louise, daughter of Henri de la Grange d'Arquien and François de la Châtre

Predecessor: Michael

Reign: 1674 – 1696

Summary: Born to a noble Polish family living in Ukraine, neither of John's parents were royal or powerful by any stretch of the terms. John graduated from Nowodworski College in Kraków then went to Jagiellonian University. Following two decades of study, the man travelled to Western Europe for two years, meeting many of the important monarchs of the day and learning French, German, Italian, and Latin. When the Khmelnytsky Uprising began, John returned to Poland and volunteered for the army. He founded his own cavalry unit and fought with increasing distinction over the years. King John II recognized his talents and sent him to Istanbul in the mid-1650s as an envoy of Poland to the Ottoman Empire. During the Battle of Warsaw, John received recognition for his loyalty to the state and was made Lord Standard-Bearer of the Crown.  A decade later, he was made Grand Marshal and then Field Hetman (Field General). He continued to make a name for himself during the Polish-Cossack-Tatar War of the late 1660s and became the highest military leader in Poland beneath the king. When King Michael died in 1673 while John was fighting in the Polish-Ottoman War, John became the leading contender for the throne despite his pedigree. A year later, he was elected king of the Commonwealth.

Fifty years of near-constant war had put Poland in an interesting position. The government had no money and there was nothing to encourage loyalty from the magnates. Within two years, John III forced a peace treaty with the Ottomans, ending the war in the south. The new king intended to capture and annex Prussia, which jutted harshly into Poland, using French and Swedish troops, but he was unable to because of the Ottoman war and political maneuvering by the Hohenzollerns who controlled Prussia. Despite setbacks and constant interference from the Hohenzollerns and Habsburgs, John managed to build up and reform his army into modern regimented units. He expanded the use of guns and artillery in his army, and decreased older medieval weaponry. He attempted to build up an anti-German alliance of France, Poland, and the Ottoman Empire but the plan had to be abandoned in 1683. Desperate for an ally, Poland finally allied with the Habsburgs which ensured the stability of Poland's southern borders. In 1683, John mandated a universal military conscription to protect against an Ottoman invasion. This was followed quickly by John joining the Holy League. At the Battle of Vienna, John achieved his greatest success. Leading a combined force of Polish, Austrian, and German troops against Ottoman commander Kara Mustafa, the Polish king decimated the invading force. John was proclaimed the "Savior of Vienna and Western European civilization." The triumphant king lived for another thirteen years before dying and being buried at Wawel Cathedral. An unrelated German prince, Augustus II, succeeded him.

Date of Death: 17 June 1696

Successor: Augustus II

Other Monarch Deaths:

Boleslaw I, king of Poland (1025)

Dirk V, count of Holland (1091)

Ashikaga Yoshiteru, shogun of Japan (1565)

Agha Muhammad Khan, shahanshah of Persia (1797)