Jan Onufry Zagłoba is a fictional character in the Trilogy by Henryk Sienkiewicz. Together with other characters of The Trilogy, Zagłoba engages in various adventures, fighting for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and seeking adventures and glory. Zagłoba is seen as one of Sienkiewicz most popular and significant characters. While he has often been compared to Shakespearean character of Falstaff, he also goes through extensive character development, becoming a jovial and cunning hero.

Biography

After meeting another character of the Trilogy, Jan Skrzetuski, Zagłoba, until now living a meaningless life of a lesser noble, trying to survive by exploiting the good faith of others, becomes drawn into the company of hero-like personas, and slowly changes, to become worthy of their trust and friendship. Together with them, Zagłoba engages in various adventures, fighting for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and seeking adventures and glory. During a feast, in a rather drunken state, he was the first to call prince Janusz Radziwiłł a traitor. Eventually he becomes a widely known person, treated with respect by powerful magnates and offering counsel to the king. He was balding and half-blind, known for his love of drinking and story-telling (usually glorifying his own exploits), tendency to poke fun at everyone and everything, later also renowned as a cunning tactician.

His coat of arms is Wczele or Zagłoba.