Jan III Sobieski
Reign	From May 21, 1674, until June 17, 1696
Elected	On May 21, 1674 in Wola, today suburb of Warsaw, Poland
Coronation	On February 2, 1676 in the Wawel Cathedral, Kraków, Poland
Noble Family	Sobieski
Coat of Arms	Janina
Parents	Jakub Sobieski Zofia Teofillia Daniłowicz
Consorts	Marie Casimire Louise
Children	with Marie Casimire Louise Jakub Ludwik Sobieski Teresa Teofila Sobieska Berbelune Sobieska La Mannone Sobieska Teresa Kunegunda Sobieska Aleksander Benedykt Sobieski Konstanty Władysław Sobieski
Date of Birth	August 17, 1629
Place of Birth	Olesko , Poland, (now Ukraine)
Date of Death	June 17, 1696
Place of Death	Wilanów, Poland
Place of Burial	Wawel, Saint Leonard's Crypt, Kraków, Poland buried in 1734

John (Jan) III Sobieski (August 17, 1629 - June 17, 1696) was the king of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1674 to 1696.

Royal titles

• Official title was (in Latin): Joannes III, Dei Gratia rex Poloniae, magnus dux Lithuaniae, Russie, Prussiae, Masoviae, Samogitiae, Livoniae, Smolenscie, Kijoviae, Volhyniae, Podlachiae, Severiae, Czernichoviaeque, etc.

• English translation: John III, by God's grace King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Ruthenia (Ukraine & Belarus), Prussia, Masovia, Samogitia, Livonia, Smolensk, Kyiv, Volhynia, Podlasie, Siewierz and Czernichow, etc.

Biography

He was born in 1629 at Olesko , Poland to Jakub (James) Sobieski (1580-1646), Voivod of Ruthenian Voivodship and Castellan of Kraków, Zofia Teofillia (Daniłowicz).

In 1668 King Jan II Kazimierz appointed John Sobieski the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish army. After a distinguished military career, and following the death of King Jan II Kazimierz's successor, Michael Korybut Wisniowiecki, John Sobieski was elected by the szlachta as king of Poland on May 21 1674 and was crowned on February 2, 1676.

John Sobieski's military prowess, as exhibited in a war against the Ottoman Empire, contributed to his election as king of Poland. Later he allied with the Holy Roman Emperor. His greatest success came on September 12, 1683 as victor at the Battle of Vienna, with Polish, Austrian and German troops, once more against the Turks under Kara Mustafa. The pope and other foreign dignitaries then hailed Sobieski as the "Savior of Vienna and Western European civilization." In a letter to his wife he wrote, ...All the common people kissed my hands, my feet, my clothes; others only touched me, saying: Ach, let us kiss so valiant a hand!".

According to Oscar Halecki, noted Polish historical writer, John III planned to occupy Prussia with Swedish cooperation and French support. This undertaking was doomed to failure, because of the war with Turkey, the skillful diplomacy of the Elector of Brandenburg, and the frequent shifts of alliances amongst the western powers.

Upon reaching Vienna, he joined up with the Austrians and Germans. Sobieski planned to attack on the 13th of September, but he had noticed that the Turkish resistance was weak and ordered full attack on September 12, 1683. At 4 a.m. in the morning Sobieski’s army of about 81,000 men attacked a Turkish army that numbered about 130,000. Sobieski charged with his hussars forward and soon after the Turkish battle line was broken as the Turks scattered in confusion. At 5:30 p.m., Sobieski entered the deserted tent of Kara Mustafa and the battle of Vienna was over.

In a strange twist of events a statue of John III Sobieski was brought to the city of Gdansk by people from his native land (from Lwów), when they were resettled there. Already John's family had been famous guests in the city. Now the statue overlooks the little park at the old Gdansk town hall, now a museum.

King John III Sobieski, the last great king of Poland, died in Wilanów, Poland on June 17, 1696. His wife, Marie Casimire, died in 1716 in Blois, France and her body was returned to Poland. They are interred together in Wawel Castle, Kraków, Poland.

King John III was succeeded by Augustus II, elector of Saxony who stayed in power primarily because of Russian support. On his death in 1733, a struggle for the crown of Poland ensued, referred to as the War of the Polish Succession.

Marriage and family

Family tree

He was married to Marie Casimire Louise de la Grange d'Arquien (1641-1716), of Nevers, Burgundy, France. Their children were:

1. James Louis Henry, (1667-1736) - Crown Prince
2. Teresa Kunegunde, (1676-1730) - In 1695, the Princess married Maximilian II Emanuel, elector of Bavaria
3. Aleksander Benedykt, (1677-1713)
4. Konstanty Wladyslaw, (1680-1720)
5. Jan, (1682-1685)

American actress Leelee Sobieski claims to his descendant. This is certainly not where she obtained her surname: John III had no great-grandchildren that bore the name Sobieski or Sobieska.

See also

• Gallery of Jan III Sobieski