Doświadzenia przyszłego starosty człuchowskiego i kanclerza Wielkiego Litewskiego Karola Stanisława Radziwiłła z młodzieńczej peregrynacji po Europie (1684-1687)

ENAccording to the 17th century pedagogical practice and the customs of the noble Radziwill family, emphasis was put on the role of foreign educational travel for young males of the family who were later to take important court, military and church positions. Such was the aim of the European peregrination started at the beginning of 1684 by Karol Stanislaw Radziwill (1669-1719), who later became Great Chancellor of Lithuania (1698), and his brother Jerzy Jozef, who was one year older than Karol and died in 1689. The foreign travel of two young Radziwills, sons of Deputy Chancellor of Lithuania Michal Kazimierz and Katarzyna from the Sobieski family, sister of Polish King Jan III, was the prolongation and complement of their education received in Poland. The journey was to be a logical continuation of education in Lublin's Jesuit College and perhaps in the Academy of Cracow. The basic source to examine the proceedings of the journey and to get to know the impressions of its participants is a diary written by Karol Stanislaw. The first stage of the educational travel was Prague, where they listened to lectures in philosophy at the university. Soon afterwards they made for Italy. They spent much more time in Italy - almost half a year - studying in the knight academy in Turin. At the end of 1684 the Radziwills went through a pass of the Western Alps to France. In Paris they spent one year and a half studying at the university and taking private classes.The stay in Paris was interrupted twice by longer trips the aim of which was diplomatic. Thanks to this, the diary constitutes a valuable source of information about the Polish foreign policy of the period. The first trip (spring 1685) officially was undertaken to congratulate James II, who had just taken the English throne. In fact, it was an unsuccessful attempt of Jan III Sobieski to get English subsidies to lead a war with Turkey. After visiting the Netherlands, they returned to Paris. At the turn of the years 1685 and 1686 the brothers went to the Iberian Peninsula. Their aim was matrimonial - they were to seek the hand of the Portuguese infant for Crown Prince Jakub Ludwik Sobieski, who was prepared by his father to take the Polish throne. The diplomatic mission was fruitless and was reduced only to exploring Spain and Portugal. After the return to Paris in spring 1686 and a half-a year- stay in the city, the Radziwills started the return journey to Poland via Italy. Having visited the main Italian towns they arrived in Viena (June 1687), where the diary records break off. Finally, they reached the residence in Biafa in Podlasie on 12 November 1687. The report from an almost-four-year travel around Europe constitutes an incredibly interesting document of Old Polish writing, particularly as far as impressions are concerned. The storyline, however, is much poorer, except a detailed description of the way. Travel impressions of young Karol Radziwill place him among other representatives of the Polish magnates of the second half of the 17th century. [...].