Jan Sobieski

Jan Sobieski was one of the most extraordinary and visionary monarchs of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1674 until his death. He was a man of letters, an artistic person, a dedicated ruler but above all the greatest soldier of his time. Popular among his subjects, he won considerable fame for his decisive victory over the Ottomans at the walls of Vienna (1683). For defeating the Muslim invaders, Pope Innocent XI hailed Sobieski as the saviour of Christendom. REVIEWS "Miltiades Varvounis describes Sobieski's personality and lasting accomplishments in an exciting and illuminating way that will captivate the imagination of every reader of History books, while, at the same time, bringing back to life a period of relentless struggles between Christianity and Islam that formed the 'last chapter' of European chivalry." DR NICOLAOS NICOLOUDIS, King¿s College London "This masterpiece by Miltiades Varvounis not only brings to light a forgotten genius but also sheds light onto an important part of the long turbulent Turkish history." CUMA BARAK, University of Gaziantep "The author masterfully brings to light one of the most prominent personalities of the seventeenth century who was not only a great ruler and an astute military leader but who also changed the course of history by saving Europe from the Islamic onslaught." LITHUANIAN HERITAGE magazine "A fascinating, thorough and very much needed biography of a leader whose name is virtually unknown outside of Eastern Europe. Varvounis describes Sobieski with just the right dose of historical detail and imagination - this is a work of history that reads like a work of fiction." EWA BRONOWICZ, The Post Eagle