Mykhailo Krychevsky

Mykhailo Krychevsky or Stanisław Krzyczewski or Krzeczowski (died 3 August 1649) was a Polish noble, military officer and Cossack commander.

He was born Stanisław Krzeczowski or Krzyczewski (sources vary) to a Roman Catholic family of nobility (szlachta), polonized around the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries in the Brest Litovsk Voivodeship. His year of birth is unknown, but in mid-1640s he likely served in the Commonwealth army for 10 to 20 years. Hence it can be conjectured that he was close to 30 years old if not older at this time. Thus he was likely born no later than mid-1610s, and possibly earlier.

Little is known about his early life. Polish historian, Wacław Lipiński, in his 1912 biography of Krychevsky, speculated that with the rank of rotmistrz he fought in the Polish-Swedish wars (1627–1629) under hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski, where he led a chorągiew (unit) of Polish hussars. However more recent Polish studies dispute this, noting that the rotmistrz, known in some sources only by his surname Krzeczowski and in others as Mikołaj Krzyczewski, was probably another person.

It is much more likely that Krychevsky was present in the sejm of 1632 which elected Władysław IV Waza the king of Poland. He also probably helped quell the Cossack Pavlyuk Uprising in 1637, fighting in a Cossack chorągiew loyal to the King, under prince Zachariasz Czetwertyński and was wounded in that campaign. In 1643 Hetman Koniecpolski, who considered him a valuable commander, gave him the rank of polkovnyk (colonel) and made him the leader of a registered Cossacks unit (pułk) based in Chyhyryn. He replaced the previous commander of that unit, Jan Zakrzewski, who was removed after fraud or mistreatment of those under his command. As a polkovnyk Krychevsky was known for his favorable attitude towards the Cossacks.

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