Samuel Zborowski (died 1584) was a Polish military commander and a notable member of the szlachta (Polish nobility). He is best remembered for having been executed by supporters of the Polish king Stefan Batory and chancellor Jan Zamoyski; an event which caused much uproar among the contemporary Polish nobility. Biography Son of Marcin Zborowski and brother to Andrzej, Jan, Krzysztof and Piotr, Samuel was an heir of a significant fortune within Poland. His family was notable for its wealth and influence at the royal court of Poland, his father was a castellan of Kraków and his brother Jan was a personal secretary of the king Sigismund II of Poland and one of the most influential people of the epoch. Zborowski rose to the power of a Royal rotmistrz at the court of Sigismund II. The title, quite prestigious at the time, was seen as a base for further titles and powers. After Sigismund's death and the election of Henry III de Valois as the next King of Poland, a tournament was held at the Wawel Castle in honour of the new monarch on 23 February 1574. Zborowski had the honour of throwing his gauntlet as the first knight, yet his proposal of a fight was not responded by any respectable nobleman. Instead, the gauntlet was taken up by certain Karwat, one of non-noble soldiers of the castellan of Wojnice Jan Tęczyński. After Karwat defeated Zborowski's servant in a duel, Zborowski felt this as a serious offence and attacked Tęczyński himself, in the presence of a new monarch. Castellan of Przemyśl Andrzej Wapowski tried to calm down the fighters, but was hit with Zborowski's mace and was badly hurt. Wapowski refused to rest and instead started a campaign against Zborowski; his wound got infected and he died a week later. Although a murder committed during a Sejm (Polish parliament) or in presence of a monarch was punishable by death, the new king did not want to start conflicts with the mighty family of Zborowski and sentenced him to banishment, without infamy. Zborowski fled Poland even before the verdict was presented and joined the court of Stefan Batory, then the Prince of Transylvania. After several months Henry III renounced his kingship of Poland in favour of the kingship of France. Three years afterwards Batory was elected his successor. Zborowski returned to Poland, expecting that his brothers, some of the most notable supporters