Zbigniew Morsztyn

Who was Zbigniew Morsztyn?

Zbigniew Morsztyn was a Polish poet.

Morsztyn was born in Kraków. For 9 years he was in the army, where he fought the Swedes and Russians during the Northern Wars. His most celebrated work was religious poetry, contrasting with the style of his cousin, Jan Andrzej Morsztyn.

Morsztyn was a member of a Christian sect called the Polish Brethren, which existed from 1562 to 1658. Due to religious persecution in Poland Morsztyn fled in 1662 to the Duchy of Prussia where he became a Ducal Councillor of Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg. With the help of Radziwill he leased Stara Rudówka Since 1669 Morsztyn was an administrator of the estates owned by the duchess Ludwika Karolina Radziwiłł. He died in Königsberg in 1689. He was buried in Stara Rudówka in 1690.