Zawisza Czarny

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This article is about the medieval knight. For the ship, see Zawisza Czarny (ship). For others, see Zawisza.

Zawisza Czarny z Garbowa (Zawisza the Black of Garbów, also known as The Black Knight; c. 1379 in Stary Garbów, Poland – 1428 in Golubac, Serbia), Sulima Coat of Arms, was a famous Polish mediæval knight and diplomat.

Zawisza Czarny was a famous Polish knight, winner of many tournaments, a symbol of a knight and a model of all knightly virtues. His father was Biernat from Garbów, mother is unknown. His nickname certainly comes from his appearance and not like later believed from a black armor, which is currently located in the armory of Jasna Góra Monastery. He was apparently dark haired and had a dark complexion.

The family village, Garbów, is in the vicinity of Sandomierz. The masters of Garbów used the coat of arms Sulima. It was a black eagle with the yellow background and underneath three stones on a red field.

In 1410 he took part in the battle of Grunwald against the Teutonic Order, after the battle he proposed a peace treaty between the Polish King Jagiełło and the Hungarian King Sigismund of Luxembourg (the 1411 treaty of Lubowla). In 1412 he accompanied King Jagiełło to the monarchs’ meeting in Buda (presently part of Budapest, Hungary) where he participated also in a big tournament.

Zawisza between 1410 and 1420 married Barbara Rozen daughter of Piotr Rozen, of Gryf Coat of Arms. Piotr Rozen built a castle in Roznów and gave it as dowry to Zawisza. In 1414 Zawisza led the Polish delegation to the sobor in Constance.

In 1416 he went with Sigismund the King of Germany and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire to Aragon where he participated in a tournament in Perpignan. He defeated there the famous knight John of Aragon. In 1417 he became the subprefect (starosta) of Kruszwica. In 1419 he went to Sigismund again, as a deputy of King Jagiełło, to ask for the hand of Ofka, the widow of Sigismund’s brother Wenceslaus King of Bohemia. He stayed with Sigismund who was fighting the Husites. After Sigismund’s defeat at Kutná Hora, Zawisza was captured by the Czechs but released soon for a high ransom. In 1420 he became the subprefect (starosta) of Spisz.

In 1423 on occasion of the coronation of Sonka, Jagiełło’s fourth wife, Zawisza gives a feast in Kraków for the Kings of Rome, Poland and Denmark (Eric) and for the Masovian and Silesian princes as well as for Louis of Bavaria and others.

He left probably with King Sigismund to fight the Turks and in 1428 during the Battle of Golubac on the Danube (Serbia) he was captured by the Turks and probably murdered. After his death he was praised by the great 15th-century Polish historian, Jan Długosz, by the poet and Canon of Gniezno Jakub Świnka, and by King Sigismund of Luxembourg.

Zawisza became for many Poles one of the most popular folks heroes thank to his exceptional bravery and proverbial reliability and loyalty. Famous is the Polish saying: "Polegaj jak na Zawiszy" (Rely on him like on Zawisza). This motto also became part of the Polish Scouts oath.

Several Polish football (and other sports) clubs were named after him (for example, Zawisza Bydgoszcz).