Adam Świętołdycz Kisiel (Cyrillic: Адам Святольдич Кисіль, 1580[1] or 1600[2]-1653) was the Voivode of Kiev (1649-1653)[3] and castellan or voivode of Czernihów (1639-1646). He was the last Orthodox senator of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Kisiel has become better known for his mediation during the Khmelnytsky Uprising.
Kisiel was born in a village of Nyzkynychi in Volyn (today's Ivanychi Raion, Volyn Oblast) into an old Polonized Ukrainian noble family. His father was Grzegorz Kisiel[4] (Hryhoriy Hnivoshovych Kisiel-Nyzkynycki) and mother - Tereza Ivanycka. Presumably one of his early ancestors was Lazar Brayevych around 1456, the owner of Norynsk near Ovruch and Ivnytsya near Zhytomyr. Lazar Brayevych was also a subject of the Kievan Prince Semen Olelkovych. The Volhynian branch, however, was founded by a certain Olekhn Kisiel who was married to some Nemyarychivna from Kiev. Supposedly Olekhn Kisiel received his estates in Volyn for his service to Švitrigaila also sometime in the mid 15th century. The great grandfather of Adam Kisiel Tykhno Mykytovych was a castle judge of Volodymyr and perished during the Livonian wars.
Kisiel was baptized into the Eastern Orthodox faith and educated in Zamojski Academy in spirit of humanism and tolerance. Kisiel persuaded king Władysław IV Vasa to reinstate the Orthodox hierarchy and he acted as an intermediary between the Royal Court, General Sejm, and Cossacks.[5]
He was a mediator in the 1637 Pawluk Uprising. Afterwords he was responsible for the conscription of 5,000 Registered Cossacks. Kisiel was also appointed as the Voivode of Braclaw in 1647.
During the Khmelnytsky Uprising he was one of the most prominent members of the negotiations and pro-Cossack factions among the szlachta. In the very beginning of the Uprising he sent an Eastern Orthodox monk, Petroni Łaska, to try to calm down the Cossacks and begin negotiations. The Sejm resolution of 22 July 1648 chose him, Aleksander Sielski, podkomorzy poznański, Franicszek Dubrawski, podkomorzy przemyski and Teodor Obuchowicz, podkomorzy mozyrski, to negotiate with Khmelnytsky. The negotiations ended in failure by February 1649.
Brother of Mikołaj Kisiel (ok. 1605-1651), a polkovnyk of the Cossacks. Adam Kisiel was married to Anastasia, a daughter of a Kievan nobleman Filon Hulkovych. The couple never had any children.
| Preceded by Janusz Tyszkiewicz Łohojski |
Voivode of Kiev 1649–1653 |
Succeeded by Stanisław "Rewera" Potocki |