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Jan Sobieski’s military and political career
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Sarmatian culture
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Stories about the Wilanów residence
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Without a doubt, Jan Sobieski counts among the most outstanding Polish military leaders. While he owes his fame to the triumphs at Khotyn and Vienna, many of his other achievements were just as glorious.
Initially a simple soldier, Jan Sobieski rose to become a standard-bearer, a Hetman – first Field, and then Grand Hetman of the Crown – and finally the King. Though history rates his military and leadership skills higher than his political abilities, his reign marked the last moment of glory for the Commonwealth, with the weakening yet again playing a decisive role in European grand politics.