Published: 2025-10-05

Organisational Issues of the 1676 Hearth-Based Levy: A Case Study of the Lesser Poland Volvodeships

Dariusz Kupisz
Saeculum Christianum. Historical Writings
Section: Rozprawy i Artykuły
https://doi.org/10.21697/sc.2025.32.1.10

Abstract

The author examines the challenges faced by the sejmiks of the Lesser Poland Province with the organisation of a new type of military unit made up of recruits from a proportionate number of hearths (Polish pl.: dymy) in response to another Turkish offensive against the Commonwealth in 1676. On the basis of King Jan III Sobieski’s memorandum, the Coronation Sejm convened that same year passed a constitution aimed at improving the military recruitment process conducted by the sejmiki, addressing the shortcomings of previous recruitments of łan troops, i.e., soldiers drafted per the income or land area (the number of lans, in Polish łan, in Latin laneus) and hearth soldiers. 

The article argues that, despite these efforts, the nobility gathered at the sejmiks either failed or, in many cases, deliberately refused to strictly follow the parliamentary directives.  The organisation of the hearth infantry in 1676 suffered from the same issues that plagued previous similar undertakings, leading to results that fell far short of expectations. The example of the activities of Lesser Poland’s noble self-government presented here may serve as a useful reference for further research on the attitudes of the nobility in other provinces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Keywords:

Polish army in the 17th century, Polish-Turkish wars, dym soldier, sejmiks, Jan III Sobieski

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Citation rules

Kupisz, D. (2025). Organisational Issues of the 1676 Hearth-Based Levy: A Case Study of the Lesser Poland Volvodeships. Saeculum Christianum. Historical Writings, 32(1), 136–148. https://doi.org/10.21697/sc.2025.32.1.10

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