Mikołaj Kazimierz Szemiot

A witness at Kėdainiai

Mikołaj Kazimierz Szemiot belonged to the Samogitian nobility. Earlier he had served Jeremi Wiśniowiecki and written about his campaigns. He joined the provincial levy near Josvainiai in August 1655 and signed the preliminary Swedish submission proposal on 17 August. In his own later account, Janusz Radziwiłł argued with him at length. Szemiot says he objected at Kėdainiai on grounds of noble liberties and his oath to John Casimir, yet he ultimately signed the acts of 20 October. His conduct resists a simple label.¹

From protection to resistance

He soon joined nobles dissatisfied with Swedish rule in Samogitia. In spring 1656 he led a patrol against troops of Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie and fought in the unsuccessful battle near Šiauliai. On 3 June he signed the Samogitian confederation against Sweden. His later part in the uprising is poorly documented.¹

His most unusual legacy is a poem, Relacja żmudzkiego wejścia i wyjścia ze szwedzkiej opieki (“Account of Samogitia entering and leaving Swedish protection”), signed with the pen name Florus Samogiticus. He explained his initial acceptance of Radziwiłł's arguments and included a letter of 30 June 1657 in which John Casimir promised favour for actions against Sweden. The work is an eyewitness source and also an attempt to defend its author's reputation.¹

After the war; a scene in the novel

Szemiot remained active in Samogitian noble assemblies, later aligned with the Pac family, held a judicial office and wrote political works. He probably died in January 1682. The Polish Biographical Dictionary says his account of a conversation with Radziwiłł provided a model for a scene between the hetman and Andrzej Kmicic in Sienkiewicz's novel. This is a link to one scene, not a claim that Szemiot was the model for the whole fictional character; the dictionary identifies Samuel Kmicic in that role.¹²