John III Sobieski 1624-96
King of Poland

A native Pole of noble blood, he was born in Olesko, the son of senator Jacob Sobieski. Appointed Commander-in-Chief in 1668, he fought successful campaigns (1671-73) against Cossack and Tatar invaders, and against a superior Turkish army in Moldavia. He was elected king in 1674, and his queen, Maria Kazimiera, played an important part in directing his prodigious energies and ambitions. Both monarchs were patrons of the arts, and though pious Catholics, pursued a tolerant policy towards the non-Catholic peoples of Poland. His entire reign was spent campaigning. In 1683, in alliance with the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, he led the army that defeated the Turks before Vienna, but subsequent campaigns (1686, 1691) were less successful. He failed to extend Poland to the Black Sea and to rouse the nobility to any sort of patriotism.