Samuel Kmicic (1627-1692) was a Lithuanian noble within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and one of its most talented military commanders during the Deluge.
Biography[]
Samuel Kmicic was born to a family of szlachta lineage, and he was a rowdy brawler in his youth. In 1655, he was betrothed to marry Aleksandra Billewiczówna and inherit Lubicz from her grandfather, but she broke off the betrothal after he burned the village of Wołmontowicze in retribution for the Butrym family's murder of several of his drinking companions. Kmicic responded by kidnapping Aleksandra and barricading himself in Lubicz, where Jerzy Wołodyjowski rescued Aleksandra after wounding Kmicic in a duel. Wolodyjowski persuaded Kmicic to serve under Janusz Radziwiłł to wash away his shame, but he soon became aware of Radziwill's plot to betray Poland-Lithuania and achieve Lithuanian independence amid the Swedish Deluge. After failing to kidnap Boguslaw Radziwill, he helped organize the Soldiers' Confederation of Wierzbolow, in which several soldiers renounced obedience to Grand Hetman Janusz Radziwill. On 8 September 1655, he headed the Lithuanian embassy to the Polish king Jan II Casimir, who authorized him to plunder the Radziwill estates. In 1656, he fought in the Russo-Polish War, distinguishing himself at the head of several banners. In 1659, he battled the Swedes in Courland and mutinied against Michal Pac after a leadership dispute. He later allied with Pawel Sapieha against King John Casimir, and he and his confederated army demanded payment of arrears of pay from the king and the reinstatement of Hetman Pawel Sapieha at court. As a result, Kmicic's property was confiscated, but the king later yielded to the ultimatum, restored Kmicic's honor and property, and ended the rebellion. Kmicic commanded the Polish advance guard during the 1660 invasion of Russia, and he fought at the Battle of Polonka and slew 1,500 Russians. He later captured the suburbs of Smolensk in 1663 and threatened Bryansk in 1664. Kmicic ultimately retired to his estates in Orsha, and he supported John Casimir's pro-French policy. He commanded the left wing of King Jan Sobieski's army during his 1674 expedition to Ukraine, and he became Grand Guardian of Lithuania in 1676. He died in 1692.
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