Mikołaj Struś (1577–1627) (Korczak coat of arms) was a Colonel of the Polish Army, a starosta and commandant of the Polish-Lithuanian garrison in the occupied Moscow Kremlin. He was the last known member of the Strus family of Komarow-Osada. His father was Jakub Strus, and mother was Barbara Potocka.
In the autumn 1609, Strus joined the Siege of Smolensk (1609–11), leading a unit of 150 Hussars, 50 Cossacks and 100 infantry. On 4 July 1610 he fought in the Battle of Klushino, after which he rushed with Aleksander Zborowski and Mikolaj Scibor Marchocki to King Zygmunt III Waza, presenting to him captured flags of the enemy (July 17). In the spring of 1612, together with 1000 infantry and 3000 cavalry, Strus joined forces of Lithuanian Hetman Jan Karol Chodkiewicz, which was sent to reinforce Commonwealth garrison of the Moscow Kremlin.
On 27 June 1612 Strus was named commandant of the garrison, and in September of the same year, under Russian pressure, he agreed for negotiations. On 7 November 1612 the Polish-Lithuanian garrison of the Kremlin capitulated: the Russians broke the conditions of the capitulation, and murdered some Polish soldiers. Strus himself was captured and imprisoned in the Chudov Monastery, where he stayed for seven years, despite numerous efforts of Polish authorities. He was released on 10 June 1619, half a year after the Truce of Deulino, and immediately rejoined the Commonwealth army, fighting in the Battle of Cecora (19 September 1620). In this battle, he commanded a unit of 2000 men, and was listed among main leaders of the Polish troops. While fighting, Strus was wounded and captured by Crimean Tatars, who took him with them to Crimea. On 21 July 1621 the szlachta appealed to King Zygmunt III Waza to initiate negotiations to release Strus. The Tatars released him probably in early 1622: following this adventure, Strus withdrew from military service, and died in 1627.
Mikolaj Strus owned the towns of Probuzna and Strusow, located near Trembowla (today part of Ukraine), and the villages of Touste and Hrynkowce in Halych Land.
Sources
Polski Slownik Biograficzny. Warszawa - Kraków: Polska Akademia Nauk, 2006.
Kazimierz Pulaski: Kronika polskich rodów szlacheckich Podola, Wolynia i Ukrainy. Brody: Ksiegarnia Feliksa Westa, 1911.