Aleksander Józef Lisowski HNG (c. 1580 – October 11, 1616) was a Polish–Lithuanian noble (szlachcic), commander of a mercenary group that after his death adopted the name "Lisowczycy." His coat of arms was Jeż (Hedgehog). Early years He came from a moderately wealthy noble family originating from Lisewo in the Chełmno Voivodeship of the Kingdom of Poland. The Lisowskis moved to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the mid-16th century. First references of Aleksander Józef Lisowski put him in 1601 involved with the Moldavian Magnate Wars, first as a supporter of Mihai Viteazul, later as a supporter of Great Chancellor of the Crown Jan Zamoyski. Rising into notoriety Revolt against Sigismund III In 1604, during the early stages of the Polish–Swedish War, the Sejm of Commonwealth failed to gather money to pay its soldiers fighting in Livonia against the Swedes. Aleksander Józef Lisowski became one of the leaders of the resulting konfederacja – a mutinied part of the army, that decided to gather their wages by pillaging local civilians, not caring whether they pledged allegiance to Poland-Lithuania or Sweden. Although this annoyed the Great Hetman of Lithuania Jan Karol Chodkiewicz, and resulted in the banicja sentence on Lisowski, little was done to stop the mutinied forces. Soon Lisowski with his followers joined the Zebrzydowski rebellion, a larger rebellion against King Sigismund III Vasa. Military career Eventually, after the rokosz forces were defeated in the Battle of Guzow, Lisowski's fortunes turned low and he became persona non grata in most of the Commonwealth and sought refugee with a powerful magnate family of Radziwiłłs. It was the Muscovy's Time of Troubles and Lisowski could not pass the opportunity to try to make a profit out of this, as many other local magnates and szlachta already did, meddling in the Muscovy affairs. Soon afterwards he decided to support a pretender to the Muscovy's throne, False Dmitriy II. Lisowski was initially stationed near Kleck. By the end of 1607, he moved to Starodub with a unit of 200 Cossacks. Polish–Muscovite War In the Spring of 1608, together with Aleksander Kleczkowski, leading his forces – a band of few hundred ragtag soldiers of fortune: Don Cossacks, Ruthenians, Tatars, Germans, Swedes, Poles, Lithuanians and who knows who else, he was sent to Ryazan lands to incite uprising against Vasiliy Shuisky. He had several hundreds Don Cossacks at his command, and more local ones who joined him