Stanisław Orzechowski

Stanisław Orzechowski (1513–1566) was a Polish-Ruthenian political writer. The son of a Catholic father and a Ruthenian Orthodox mother, he was a strict Roman Catholic for much of his life but at one stage, probably the 1540s, he appeared to have turned to Protestantism, which he later detracted from. He was highly critical of Protestant reformer Francesco Stancaro and authored a critique of him in around 1550, by which time he had turned his back on the Protestants. He is considered to be an early champion of Polish nationalism and in his writings often defended the Golden Liberty and privileges of the Polish nobility.