Józef Bartłomiej Zimorowic

Józef Bartłomiej Zimorowic was a Polish poet and historian of the Baroque era, most famous for his pastoral poems Sielanki nowe ruskie, first published in Kraków in 1663. He was born into a Lwów Armenian family, his father was of a stonemason, Stanisŀaw Ozimek, and educated at the cathedral school in the city. He began to work for the city chancellery and in 1624 changed his surname to Zimorowic in order to advance his career by distancing himself from his artisanal background. He married Katarzyna Duchnicówna, the daughter of a rich goldsmith. In 1640, he took over the running of the city chancellery, became a councillor and was several times mayor of Lwów, which allowed him to take part in the election of King Jan Kazimierz in 1648.