Kazimierz Jan Sapieha jako wzorzec osobowy magnata w świetle "Żyć Sapiehów" autorstwa Kazimierza Kognowickiego

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Bajorai; Bajorija; Biografijos; Giminės; Giminės istorija; Kazimieras Kognovickis; Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė (LDK; Grand Duchy of Lithuania; GDL); 18 amžius; Mentalitetas; Sapiegos (Sapiega family); Biographies; Families; Family history; Kazimierz Kognowicki; Mentality; Nobility; Noblemen; The Great Duchy of Lithuania; The Lithuanian XVIII c. history.

ENKazimierz Kognowicki, who was staying at the Sapieha court at the end of the 18th century, decided to compile the history of their family and dedicated 6 volumes to his representatives, which he titled „Życia Sapiehów i listy od monarchów, książąt i różnych panujących do tychże pisane”. One of the volumes describes the life of the Great Lithuanian Hetman Jan Kazimierz Sapieha. In addition to biographical assumptions, this source mainly testifies to the personal pattern of a nobleman or magnate who functioned in the mentality of society. Biographies of this type were created mainly to glorify the magnate and his family. In addition, they significantly affected the state of knowledge, perceptions, awareness and attitudes of readers through the content transmitted. Kognowicki presented the hero of his work as the ideal of a nobleman – coming from an outstanding family, properly educated, caring for duties towards the church and faith, freedom of the nobility, a just and reasonable hetman, on the other hand a brave and, if necessary, shedding blood on the battlefield, and finally a good deputy, speaker and senator. Perhaps a particular emphasis on the features associated with concern for the good of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was directly related to the situation in which the Polish Crown and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania found themselves during the creation of the „Życia Sapiehów”. However, Kognowicki intentionally omitted information that did not correspond to his ideal nobleman’s pattern or described it in a manner inconsistent with reality. The Jesuit also interprets the events described in the work or presents their significance for society in a different light. Despite this, it should be noted that all volumes of „Życia Sapiehów...” is an interesting source for research on the mentality of ancient society and is a rich material for analyzing the prose of the Age of Enlightenment. [From the publication]