Bernard Pretfitch

Bernhard von Prittwitz , known in Poland like Bernard Prettwicz (born in 1500 Silesia - died in 1563 with Trembovla), called the Terror of the Tatar S, Silesian officer with the service of king de Pologne, Staroste of Ulanów in Small-Poland, Bar (1550-1552) and Trembovla (1552-1561) in Podolie, one of the first organizers of the Cossacks.

Bernard Pretfitch begins his military career as a private in the troops of the defense of the borders. Its engagement is noted in the registers since 1531 and he became officer in 1535. The pasha of the Turkish area of the Black Sea complains with king de Pologne about the intrigues about this already active defense. Bernard Pretfitch is affected in the fortress of Bar, built in 1540, of which he became the lord of the manor. The most famous battle of the staroste will be the victory of Vinnitsa in 1541 during which the winner continued overcome until the Black Sea. As Tatars partly managed despite everything to escape to him, taking on board the prisoners to sell them like slaves, he was avenged by devastating the tatares fields around Otchakov without however managing to take the Turkish fortress.

As a staroste of the borders of Poland, Bernard Prittwicz had as an essential mission of protecting Podolie from forwardings tatares which devastated practically each year the area. With the incomes of the starostie, he managed to maintain a regular troop to defend the province against the attacks tatares. The resources of the statostie being insufficient, it engaged many Cossacks who were often remunerated by plundering the grounds known sultan, providing them weapons and clothing sometimes. The pay of a Cossack was in any event twice less low than that of an archer with horse. The others starostes of the borders Fiodor Sanguszko, staroste of Bratslav and Vinnitsa on the Boug, and Dimitri Wiśniowiecki, staroste of Kaniv and Tcherkassy on the Dniepr made some in the same way.

The legend affirms that Bernard Pretfitch battled with 70 recoveries against the Tatars, always victoriously. Its name passed in saying: “After Mr. Pretfitch, the border is released from Tatars. ”

Sources

Marek Plewczyński, Zołnierz jazdy obrony potoczniej za panowania Zygmunta Augusta , (the soldier of the cavalry of the defense of the borders under the reign of Zygmunt August) PWN 1985

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