1883, Poland. John III Sobieski & the Siege of Vienna Anniversary Medal. RR!

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1883, Poland. John III Sobieski & the Siege of Vienna Anniversary Medal. RR! Mint Year: 1883 Mint Place: Krakow Condition: A nice XF+ Reference: Horsky 4272. R! Medallist: M Kurnatowskiego Denomination: Medal - 200th Anniversary of the Siege of Vienna, 1683-1883. Material: Bronze Weight: 67.81gmDiameter: 53mm Obverse: Laureate, armored Sobieski bust right, wearing lion's head on shoulder. Legend: PAMIATKA DWÓCHSETLETNIA * OSWOBODZENIA WIEDNIA 1883 * Inner Legend: JAN III SOBIESKI KRÓL POLSKI Reverse: Troops hailing Sobieski on horseback l. after the defeat of the Turks before Vienna. Legend: " Ach unser brave Koenig !" (" Our dear King! ") / DNIA 12go WRZESNIA 1683 Commanding a joint Polish-Austrian-German army, Poland's King Jan III Sobieski routed the Turks under Kara Mustafa who were laying siege to Vienna, delivering the city and Europe from the Ottoman hordes. In the vicissitudes of power and history, no statue was erected to Sobieski in Vienna, though many were quickly erected to Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I (who had fled the city before the Turkish onslaught). As a matter of thanks, Poland would be greedily partitioned three times by Prussia, Austria and Russia until it was wiped off the map and the name Poland forbidden to be spoken. Authenticity unconditionally guaranteeed. ! John III Sobieski (Polish: Jan III Sobieski , Lithuanian: Jonas Sobieskis ) (17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was one of the most notable monarchs of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, from 1674 until his death King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. Sobieski's 22-year-reign was marked by a period of the Commonwealth's stabilization, much needed after the turmoil of the Deluge and Khmelnytsky Uprising. Popular among his subjects, he was an able military commander, most famous for the victory over the Turks in the 1683 Battle of Vienna. Following his victories over the Ottoman Empire, he was called by the Turks the "Lion of Lechistan" and held as the saviour of European Christendom by the pope.During the three-day long battle of Warsaw of 1656, Sobieski's command of a 2,000 man strong regiment of Tatar cavalry earnt him promotion to the title of Lord Standard-Bearer of the Crown. A strong supporter of the French faction, Sobieski remained loyal to the King during the infamous Lubomirski Rebellion, which further helped his military career. In 1665 he married Marie Casimire Louise de la Grange d'Arquien and was promoted to the rank of Grand Marshal of the Crown, and the following year, to the rank of Field Hetman of the Crown. In 1667 he achieved another great victory over the Cossacks and their Tatar allies in the Battle of Podhajce during the Polish–Cossack–Tatar War (1666–71). On 5 February 1668, by now a famed and esteemed commander, he achieved the rank of Grand Hetman of the Crown, the highest military rank in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and thereby the de facto commander-in-chief of the entire Polish Army. On 11 November 1673, during the Polish–Ottoman War (1672–76), Sobieski added yet another major victory to his list, this time defeating the Turks in the battle of Chocim and capturing the fortress located there. The news of the battle coincided with the news of the death of Michael I, King of Poland, who had died the day before the battle. This made Sobieski one of the most leading figures in the state, and on 19 May the following year, he was elected as monarch of the Commonwealth. His candidacy was almost universally supported, with only a dozen or so members of the diet opposing him. Among the most notable backers of his candidacy was his wife. Jan Sobieski was crowned Jan III 2 February 1676.Though Poland-Lithuania was at that time the largest and one of the most populous states of Europe, Sobieski became a king of a country devastated by almost half a century of constant war. The treasury was almost empty and the court had little to offer the powerful magnates, who often all... read more

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