Rafał Leszczyński

Noble person

1579 – 1636

71

Who was Rafał Leszczyński?

Rafał Leszczyński was a Polish-Lithuanian noble and Imperial count. He was the castellan of Kalisz starting in 1618, he became the voivode of Bełz in 1620, and the starost of Hrubieszów in 1633. He was extensively educated in law, humanities, theology, military science, natural sciences, and even studied under Galileo. He also traveled over much of Europe.

Rafał started his political career in the Sejmik of the Sandomierz Voivodeship. He was an opponent of king Sigismund III Vasa, but he never rose up in open rebellion, like the members of Zebrzydowski's Rebellion did. He was Protestant, and was a defender of Protestant rights and religious tolerance in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, dedicating most of his political influence to matters of religion. He provided shelter for Czech brethren and refugees from Silesia during the Thirty Years' War. He sponsored many new Protestant churches and schools, and developed existing ones, like the school in Leszno, under Czech pedagogue Jan Amos Komeński. He was called the "Pope of Calvinists in Poland." In foreign politics, he supported cooperation with both Catholic France and Protestant countries like Sweden.

We need you!

Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!

Born
Oct 1, 1579
Children
Died
Mar 29, 1636
Włodawa

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Rafał Leszczyński." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/biography/rafał-leszczyński/m/0bc49g>.

Discuss this Rafał Leszczyński biography with the community:

0 Comments

    Browse Biographies.net