Educational travels of the elite of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to German Reich in the first half of 17th century. The Case of selected representatives of the Sapieha family

ENFrom the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, trips to foreign countries were one of the most popular ways to broaden intellectual horizons, gain knowledge of the world and receive a good education. The magnates sent their sons on these very expensive expeditions to provide them with good preparation for a political career, and so were the representatives of the wealthiest families of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, including the Sapieha family. The voivode of Vilnius, Lew, paid particular attention to the education of his children. His sons were educated at the most important universities, primarily in the German Reich, and participated in classes led by outstanding scholars of that period. It is worth noting that Sapieha also took care of the education of his relatives: the children of the deceased voivode of Vitebsk, Mikołaj, and the Chamberlain of Orsza, Hrehory Iwanowicz, whom he supervised. It is also noteworthy that representatives of the Sapieha Kodeń line also tried to provide the best education for their children, and despite not having as many financial resources and political influence as the voivode of Vilnius, they sent their sons to study abroad too. Keywords: educational travels, education, Sapieha, Grand Duchy of Lithuania.