Rozważania o prawie i jego nauczaniu w korespondencji Hugona Kołłątaja z Tadeuszem Czackim
Opinions about the Law and its Teaching in the Correspondence of Hugo Kołłątaj and Tadeusz Czacki

Summary/Abstract: Author is presenting the opinions about the law and its teaching in Poland in late 18th and early 19th century expressed by two significant characters of the Polish social and intellectual life – Hugo Kołłątaj and Tadeusz Czacki. The fundamental core of his paper are opinions expressed by Kołłątaj and Czacki in their epistolary correspondence which was written between 1803 and 1805. A cause of their correspondence was to transform the Krzemieniec’s Secondary School into an Academy. Both scholars, but most notably Kołłątaj, suggested the methods of the division of the law and its systematization. They also pointed out which branches of law shall be predominantly taught during the legal studies. They were writing about the importance of the law of nature, law of nations, as well as the methods of teaching Polish civil and criminal law. In the final part of his paper, author is presenting Kołłątaj’s and Czacki’s opinions about the role of Roman law in the process of the evolution of old Polish law. He is also presenting their opinions on the role of Roman law in the intellectual formation of the future lawyers. Both Czacki and Kołłątaj were not supporters of the idea of the presence of Roman law in the legal curriculum. Nevertheless, Roman law was included in the Krzemieniec’s legal curriculum as a separate subject. In the conclusion, author pointed out that the Kołłątaj was the one, who was more learned in law. His opinions about the law were much more distinct. It was a natural consequence of his legal education. Czacki, instead, knew law thanks to his self-studies, reading of the distinguished legal works and examination of the Roman law sources.

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