Mikołaj Potocki

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Mikołaj Potocki
Mikolaj Potocki
Noble Family Potocki
Coat of Arms

Clan Pilawa

Parents Jakub Potocki
Jadwiga Prusinowska
Consorts Zofia Firlej
Elżbieta Kazanowska
Children with Zofia Firlej
Piotr Potocki
Stefan Potocki
Mikołaj Potocki
Marianna Potocka
Wiktoria Potocka
Henryk Potocki
with Elżbieta Kazanowska
Jakub Potocki
Joanna Potocka
Dominik Potocki
Date of Birth 1595
Place of Birth  ?
Date of Death November 20, 1651
Place of Death  ?

Mikołaj "Niedźwiedzia Łapa" ("Bearpaw") Potocki, (1595-20th November 1651) was a Polish nobleman, magnate and Field Crown Hetman of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1637 to 1646, Grand Hetman of the Crown from 1646 to 1651, voivode of Braclaw Voivodship from 1636, from 1646 Castellan of Kraków.

Captured during the battle of Cecora by Turks. In 1633 during the battle of Paniowce, along with Prince Jeremi Wisniowiecki and Stanisław Koniecpolski defeated the Turk forces under Abaza pasza.

In 1637 defeated rebellious Cossacks under Pavel Mikhnovych at the battle of Kumejki and in 1638 forced Dmytro Hunia to surrender. After those victories over the Cossacks he received large estates in Ukraine (Kresy).

The 1637-38 Cossack rebellion stifled by Potocki was minutely described by a Polish historian, a Dominican bishop of Russian province, Szymon Okolski who witnessed and directly participated in the developments of those days. His field diaries became valuable information source for historians.

During the Sejm of 1646 Potocki opposed plan of the king Władysław IV Waza to wage war against the Turks.

He was known to be very oppressive to peasantry and Cossacks. His behaviour was one of the causes of the Khmelnytsky Uprising. In 1648 he disregarded monarch's orders and attacked rebellious Cossacks in Ukraine. He was defeated during Battle of Zhovti Vody and Battle of Korsuń and captured by Tatars. In April 1650 he was released from jasyr, during 28-30 June he was victorious over Tatar and Cossack forces at the Battle of Beresteczko.

On 18 September of 1651, after the indecisive Battle of Bila Tserkva he negotiated a treaty with the Cossacks.

He died on 20th November 1651.

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