Gabriel Woyniłłowicz – the royal cavalry officer from the middle of the 17th century. The biographical sketch

Gabriel Woyniłłowicz belonged to mid-level officers elite in the royal army in the middle of the 17th century. He came from a Rus line, that settled in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in Nowogródek region. He was a son of Hrehor (Polish: Grzegorz, english: Gregory), an owner of the Gieyszewicze estate, located in Słonim province (powiat słonimski). He leased the royal property in Przemyśl region. Most often he is identified with the colonel Woyniłłowcz, who participated in the battle of Żołte Wody in 1648. The sources confirm that he was associated with officers of duke Jeremi Wiśniowiecki. He was a lieutenant of a Cossack regiment (chorągiew), belonged to Wiśniowiecki, during campaigns in Ukraine (Beresteczko, Biała Cerkiew) in the summer of 1651. As a lieutenant of the Stanisław „Rewera” Potocki’s medium cavalry regiment (chorągiew), he took part in Żwaniec campaign in a second half of 1653. Then he commanded the whole Grand Hetman of the Crown’s regiment during the battle of Ochmatów in 1655 and in autumn fights with Cossacks and Muscovy. During the Swedish invasion (the Deluge, Polish: “potop”) he was the first officer of the Crown who left the Swedish service, occupied Krosno in December 1655 and roused anti-Swedish movement in Pogórze region. Woyniłłowicz led the Cossacks royal regiment from January 1656, fighting in Stefan Czarnecki’s division against the Swedes (battle of Prostki, on the borderland between Mazowsze and Prusy, Swedish Pomorze in 1657, in Denmark in 1658) and against Muscovy in battles of Połonka and Basia River in 1660. He killed or died of wounds during campaign in the first half of 1664