Listy Marcina Szyszkowskiego do Tomasza Zamoyskiego – źródła do spraw kozackich i tatarsko-tureckich
Marcin Szyszkowski’s Letters to Tomasz Zamoyski – Cossack and Tartar-and-Turkish Cases (1623-1626)

Summary/Abstract: The first half of twenty years of 17th Century is a period of gradual normalization of Polish and Turkish relations after the Great War of 1620-1621. Challenging the issue of Zaporowscy Cossacks and their looting expeditions in the Black Sea effectively was regarded as the pre-condition of success for this normalization process. The Republic of Poland tried to achieve both targets by means of the mission of Priest Krzysztof Zbaraski to Stambul in the years of 1622-1623, and the commission, as well as the subsequent military encounter with the Cossacks in 1625. Members of political elites were also sometimes directly involved in achieving those targets. This article presents three letters from Cracow Bishop Marcin Szyszkowski to the Governor of Kiev Tomasz Zamoyski. The letters being kept in custody of Zamoyski Archive affiliated to the Central State Historical Archives in Warsaw. Those letters were written in the years of 1623-1626 and referred to political issues. Apart from the factual content, they allow to learn about the attitude of Senator Marcin Szyszkowski, being the clergyman, to the said political and military events. They also expose personal relations between magnates and politicians. Therefore the letters incorporate themselves into the research on military and political history as well as the philosophy of life and the position of people of the Church as far as public life is concerned in the Republic of Poland of 17th Century.

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