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Jozef Wojtowicz was the illegitimate son of Stanisław Koniecpolski's brother Przedbór, who died in 1611. Information about his life is not readily available.
Jozef Wojtowicz in 1632[]
Jozef Wojtowicz visited Grantville and Magdeburg as a spy for his uncle, Stanisław Koniecpolski. Like many of his 17th century contemporaries, he found Grantville very exotic, even though he also realized that its residents were just people going about their business.
The months that Jozef had spent in Grantville had also made clear to him that the more subtle differences in social customs were linked to the ability to produce the technical marvels that the Americans saw as ordinary. He realized that that American technology presumed a level of intellect and education even in so-called “unskilled” laborers that no Polish or Lithuanian or Ruthenian serf could possibly match; and that it had to be more than simple instruction in specific tasks. Also, especially after his time in Magdeburg, he realized that mobility of labor was also required, as the needed skills kept changing.
Overall, he concluded that if the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania was to have any chance at all of surviving its historical doom - the Commonwealth had ceased to exist in the 18th century in the original timeline - which was clear and explicit even in Grantville's sketchy historical records of the future of eastern Europe, then serfdom had to be destroyed. However, Wojtowicz also knew that an outside force which destroyed serfdom might also destroy the Commonwealth.
Wojtowicz returned to Poznan, and reunited with Łukasz Opaliński and Stanisław Koniecpolski. Wojtowicz came to convince the latter to not side with Saxony and Brandenburg against the USE, as this could give Gustavus Adolphus an excuse to invade Poland. Wojtowicz told Koniecpolski what he knew about the Americans and their alliance with Gustavus. He mentioned that while, based on events in the original timeline, the Americans tended to have favorable attitudes toward Poles as a people, they wouldn't jeopardize their relationship with Gustavus based on "romanticism". He also said that, whatever Americans might think of Poles as a people, they, or at least their leadership, had no favorable sentiments toward the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth as it existed. He mentioned a speech by Michael Stearns, in which Stearns named chattel slavery in the New World and the second serfdom in eastern Europe as great evils which must be destroyed -- and that Stearns was still supported by a large majority of Americans.
However, Koniecpolski pointed out that the decision would be made by the King and Sejm, not by him, and that King Wladyslaw was inclined to intervene in the conflict.
In September of 1635, Wojtowicz went to Wismar, on the Baltic coast. There, he tricked a rather dull-witted radio operator into giving him copies of the daily weather forecasts, which he then transmitted to Poland on his own radio. This lasted until October, when the operator, Sgt. Trevor Morton, was caught by military police from Wismar's Navy base. After that, he went to Schwerin, the capital of Mecklenburg, where he tried to stay undercover as a mediocre poet named Mateusz Zielinski. This worked for a few days, until he was introduced to someone who could introduce him to someone who knew Krzysztof Opaliński -- who Jozef had known since he was a small child. He knew he had to leave Schwerin immediately, and went to Dresden.
He found that Dresden was effectively controlled by its Committee of Correspondence, which was preparing for the arrival of Johan Banér. He came to the attention of Polish members of the CoC, who were concerned that he might be a spy for the Swedes. He managed to get past this, while hiding that he was a spy for his uncle. However, they did conclude that he was probably szlachta, and had probably had some military training. This brought him to the attention of Gretchen Richter, and he had to keep his real connections hidden while not overtly lying to her. He did play a role in the defense of Dresden when Banér tried to attack across the frozen Elbe. During the Battle of Ostra, he led the sortie which seized Banér's inner siege lines.
By 1636, Jozef's allegiances and loyalty to the Polish King waver enough that he committed treason. Convincing Lukasz to help him in his plan to liberate Lower Silesia from the thug Heinrich Holk, the two Polish Hussars found themselves working for Gretchen Ritcher
With the help of the USE Air Force and local forces employed by George Kreese, Gretchen kills Holk and brings Lower Silesia under German control with her as its new leader.
Due to the sheer treasonous actions he committed and realizing how corrupt his nation had become, Jozef did not tell the truth of his actions over the radio to his uncle.
References[]
- ↑ 1635: The Eastern Front, ch. 35 refers to him being three years older than Krzysztof Opaliński.
- ↑ 1635: The Eastern Front, ch. 4