With Fire and Sword

With Fire and Sword is a novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz, first published in 1884. It is the opening volume of The Trilogy, Sienkiewicz’s celebrated historical series depicting the turbulent history of 17th-century Poland–Lithuania.

Set against the backdrop of the Khmelnytsky Uprising, the novel plunges the reader into a world of civil war, shifting loyalties, and violent upheaval on the eastern frontiers of the Commonwealth, where Cossack rebellion and noble resistance collide with devastating consequences. The story follows Jan Skrzetuski, a loyal Polish officer, whose personal fate becomes entwined with the larger conflict tearing the land apart.

Alongside him are vividly drawn figures such as the formidable soldier Longinus Podbipięta, the cunning and dangerous Yurko Bohun, and the courageous noblewoman Helena Kurcewiczówna, whose abduction and pursuit provide one of the novel’s central dramatic threads. As battles rage across Ukraine’s steppes, sieges are laid, alliances are broken, and honour is tested under extreme pressure.

Sienkiewicz balances large-scale historical events with intimate human drama, portraying both the heroism and brutality of war. The novel offers richly detailed descriptions of cavalry charges, fortress defenses, and the harsh realities of frontier life, while also exploring themes of duty, patriotism, faith, and endurance.

Though firmly rooted in Polish national history, With Fire and Sword speaks to universal struggles between order and chaos, loyalty and betrayal, making it a cornerstone of classic historical fiction. This translation by Jeremiah Curtin was first published in 1898.