Silva Rerum | 17.12.2016 In 1647, during his journey through Europe at a young age, John Sobieski paid a visit to England, naturally including London. Although his tutor, Sebastian Gawarecki, left a description of places visited by his wards — John travelled with his elder brother Marek — we do not know what impression those sites made on the young Sobieski brothers, for example, if they liked the English capital and which places they found most interesting.
In his adult life, John Sobieski did not have an opportunity to revisit most of the countries he saw in late 1640s. His duties as a commander and a king required him to be highly mobile, but the focus remained on The Republic of Poland and its direct neighbours. It seems that the journey undertaken at a young age was the only chance John Sobieski had to leave his trace in London.
However it turns out that in the English capital there have been locations closely connected to the name and deeds of John III. In Soho district, the very centre of the city, right next to the famous Oxford Street, there is a street called Poland Street. In the 16th century, this area belonged to a merchant organization and was called Little Gelding's Close. In the 17th century, it was managed by subsequent lessees, until in 1683 it was taken over by a certain James Pollet, a former cook, who started a career as a developer and managed to acquire about 13 acres of land between the already existing Tyburn Road (now Oxford Street) and Wardour Street. In the following years, Pollet continued to purchase further plots, and at the end of 1690, he began subletting them to tenants who wished to live “in a new street, designed in such a manner as to be 30 feet wide and start at the corner of Tyburn Road, next to an inn called”.
The name of the new street was not coincidental, since it can be found in municipal documents dated one year back, although it did not refer to the present Poland Street but the six adjoining properties. It obviously referred to the name of the inn, named so to commemorate Sobieski’s victory in the battle of Vienna. In earlier sources, the name “Poland” does not appear in connection with any London establishment before 1683.
Neither the royal patron, nor references to Poland did initially bring luck to the new enterprise, as construction of houses in Poland Street was significantly delayed and could be completed only in 1707. However, in the end the street became popular and many titled and wealthy London residents were eager to buy or rent a house there. It was also the seat of several diplomatic representative offices. In the 19th century, the neighbourhood deteriorated, but it is confirmed that Robert Shelley lived in Poland Street for some time. Today, it houses mainly offices, shops and service outlets.
Another, although already long gone, London trace of John III Sobieski’s fame was a statue showing an armoured rider on a horse, stamping with its hooves on a lying Turk. The monument was erected in Stocks Market Place in London City. The history of the statue is much more complicated and obscure than the history of Poland Street, where the connection with Sobieski is evident. According to the story repeated many times both in Polish and British literature, the statue showed Charles II and was erected to honour him by Sir Robert Vyner, mayor of London, but initially, it was supposedly designed and made as a sculpture commemorating Sobieski’s victory in the battle of Vienna. One author claims that it was ordered in London by some unidentified “Polish ambassador”, who planned to send the sculpture to The Republic of Poland, but never paid for the finished work. As a result, the figure (or rather a group of figures), already packed and ready for shipment, was bought by Vyner, who ordered the rider’s head to be changed so that the face of the Polish king is removed and replaced by features of Charles II. Then the statue was brought to the City and festively unveiled on king’s birthday. Thus, the “corrected” monument showed not Sobieski conquering the infidels, but Charles II defeating Oliver Cromwell, dressed in a Turkish fashion and wearing a turban. However, there is also information that Vyner could have purchased the sculpture already in the 1660s, during his journey through Western Europe.
As for the sculpture itself, it cannot have been made to commemorate Sobieski’s victory in the battle of Vienna in 1683 because the monument founded by Vyner was erected in 1672, i.e. more than 10 years earlier. For the same reason, the theory that it referred not to Vienna, but to Sobieski’s earlier successes in battles with the Ottoman Empire, does not hold.
Still, the tradition associating the statue of Charles II with John III Sobieski was very strong in London and survived for dozens of years. When in 1730s the monument was moved from its initial location (ultimately, it went to a country residence of descendants of its founder), its supposed history was still remembered. A poem written on the occasion described it in the following manner:
The great Sobieski, on horse with long tail,
I first represented when set up for sale,
A Turk, as you see, was placed under my feet
To prove o’er the sultan my triumph complete.
The legend and tradition turned out to outweigh reliable research, and many historians kept repeating earlier theories in spite of obvious chronological inaccuracies. This proves, however, how strong must have been the conviction — and a right one, too — about the vast popularity enjoyed by John III in his time.