Kiszka's father Piotr Strumiłło died in 1486 and he inherited his positions. Kiszka started his political career as a
stolnik (royal pantler) and
starosta of
Lida in 1488. His further career was related to the favor of
Alexander Jagiellon who became Grand Duke in 1492 and marriage to the daughter of
Petras Jonaitis Mantigirdaitis and the last heiress of the influential Mantigirdai family. During his first years, Grand Duke Alexander appointed 11 Grand Duke's marshals, among them Kiszka, which signified his desire to build an inner circle.
Diplomatic career Kiszka was sent on his first diplomatic mission in the spring of 1490. He presented a protest to
Ivan III of Russia who harbored and protected Princes
Vorotynsky and
Belsky who had defected from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. During the reign of Alexander, Kiszka served as a diplomatic envoy to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and Kingdom of Poland almost annually. The first of
Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars ended in 1494 and resulted in substantial territorial losses for Lithuania. Alexander's marriage to
Helena of Moscow, daughter of Ivan III of Russia, gave Moscow further pretexts to interfere in Lithuanian affairs. During that tense time, Kiszka was a member of delegations dealing with Russian matters in 1494, 1495, 1498, and 1500. In early 1494, Kiszka received Russian envoys who came to Poland to negotiate the marriage between Alexander and Helena. In early 1495, together with other members of the
Lithuanian Council of Lords, he met and greeted Helena on her way to
Vilnius. In 1498, hostilities with Russia resumed – Russian army attacked
Mtsensk and other locations. In June 1498, Kiszka accompanied by traveled to Moscow in an unsuccessful attempt to broker peace. The full Muscovite–Lithuanian War broke out in 1500 and Kiszka once again attempted to negotiate peace in March 1500. Kiszka was also sent to diplomatic missions to Poland in 1492, 1495, and 1496. In August 1492, he represented Grand Duke Alexander at the
Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland where Alexander's brother
John I Albert was elected as King. In 1501, Kiszka supported the proposed
Union of Mielnik which would have united Poland and Lithuania into a single state. The union was inspired by the continuing
Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars, particularly the defeat in the
Battle of Vedrosha, and Lithuanian desire to secure Polish military support against Russia. Kiszka also attended Sejms in
Radom (1505) and
Lublin (1506). After the death of Alexander, Lithuanian nobles elected his brother
Sigismund as Grand Duke of Lithuania in September 1506. Together with Bishop
Wojciech Radziwiłł and voivode
Jan Zabrzeziński, Kiszka attended the
Polish Sejm in
Piotrków Trybunalski that elected Sigismund as King of Poland in December 1506. In general, Kiszka was a strong proponent of a closer
union between Poland and Lithuania.
Military career Kiszka's first military experience was during the
Polish–Ottoman War (1485–1503). In 1497, King
John I Albert organized
an invasion of
Moldavia. Lithuanians refused to join the campaign but Grand Duke Alexander sent a small force of volunteers and hired men commanded by Kiszka. The Polish forces were ambushed and defeated in the
Battle of the Cosmin Forest. In 1499, Kiszka became regent of
Smolensk and ordered improvements to
Smolensk Kremlin. When the Muscovite–Lithuanian War resumed in 1500, Kiszka commanded a 500-men regiment in the
Battle of Vedrosha. Lithuanians, commanded by
Konstanty Ostrogski, suffered a great defeat, and many Lithuanian nobles, including Kiszka's brother-in-law, were killed. Kiszka then devoted his attention to preparing Smolensk for a Russian assault. For his successful command of the defense during almost the three-month
Siege of Smolensk in 1502 he was promoted to the Grand Hetman. A six-year truce with Moscow was concluded in early 1503 and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania lost about a third of its territory. Kiszka became entangled in a political conflict with royal favorite
Michael Glinski and was temporarily removed from the
Lithuanian Council of Lords in 1505. In August 1505, Kiszka scored a victory against the invading
Crimean Khanate near
Haradok. As Grand Hetman, he was supposed to command the
Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army in the
Battle of Kletsk against the Crimean Khanate in August 1506 but was unable due to poor health. In summer 1507,
Konstanty Ostrogski escaped from the Muscovites and was reinstated as the Grand Hetman. To compensate, Kiszka was appointed as
starosta of
Grodno in 1508. When the war with Moscow resumed in 1507, Kiszka organized the defense of
Polotsk. During the
Glinski rebellion, he defended
Minsk and helped to drive out Glinski's forces. His last military commands were near
Orsha (18 July 1508) and
Vyazma. For his loyal service, Kizska was appointed as
Grand Marshal of Lithuania after the death of
Mikalojus Kęsgaila in 1512. ==Family==