Krzysztof Opalinski
Encyclopedia
Krzysztof Opaliński was a Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
noble (szlachcic), politician and writer (satirist). Voivode of Poznań
, starosta
kowelski, śremski, osiecki, międzyłęski.
. Married Teresa Czarnkowska on 28 May 1634, had two sons: Piotr Opaliński and Jan Karol Opaliński
and four daughters.
Together with brother Łukasz Opaliński studied in the Lubrański Academy
in Poznań
(1620–1625), and later abroad at Louvain
(1626–1629), Orléans
(1629) and Padua
(1630). After returning to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
with the position of starosta śremski he became active on the political scene. In February of 1632, he was elected a deputy at the election sejm which elected Władysław IV Vasa
. In 1637, after his father's death, he became the voivode of Poznań. He opposed most of Władysław military proposals (from increasing the army to the war against Ottomans), although he supported his idea of sea tariffs. In 1645 he led a diplomatic mission
to Paris, where he was a proxy of king Władysław during his marriage to Ludwika Maria Gonzaga
, whom she escorted back to Poland afterwards.
In 1647 he bought Sieraków
from his brother Łukasz and moved there. In 1650 he opened the first modern school in Poland (in Sieraków), using the didactic materials prepared by Jan Amos Komenski (Komenský, Comenius). A Catholic himself, he was critical of the zealotry of the Society of Jesus
and supported religious tolerance. He was a patron of writers, scientists and a bibliophile.
Political rival of starost Bogusław Leszczyński in the Wielkopolska province.
When in 1648 Poland elected a new king, the Swede
Jan Kazimierz Vasa, Opaliński joined the opposition against Jan Kazimierz. The king had few friends among the Polish szlachta (nobility)
, as he openly sympathized with Austria and showed disregard and contempt for Polish culture (Sarmatism
). Due to this, thinking that Jan II Kazimierz was a weak King, or a Jesuit-King, or for any other reasons, many encouraged King Charles X Gustav of Sweden
to claim the Polish Crown. During the Swedish invasion (The Deluge
) Krzysztof Opaliński and Bogusław Leszczyński tasked with defence of Greater Poland (Wielkopolska), dissatisfied with policies of Jan Kazimierz, decided to surrender together with their pospolite ruszenie
of Great Poland to Charles Gustav at Ujście
on 25 July 1655. Many other voivodes of other voivodships followed their suit, especially Janusz Radziwiłł in Lithuania (although Krzysztof brother, Łukasz Opaliński, remained loyal to the Polish king). Almost the entire country was overrun by the Swedes, before the Jasna Góra resistance and the Tyszowce Confederation
which turned the tide against the Swedes.
Died in 1655 at Włoszakowice at the age of 44. Buried next to his father in the catacombs at church at Sieraków
.
. The satires, modelled on the Satires of Juvenal, written in unrhymed syllabic verse, are his most famous work. In them he denounced the oppression of peasants (increasing serfdom
) and corruption of Golden Freedoms, visible in the increasing anarchy which was to be found in political life. He also wrote on witchcraft
in one the satires, one of the few contemporary voices to correctly identify some of the motives behind the witchcraft persecution and to denounce them. He wrote comedies and tragedies for his school, however they have not survived. His letters to his brother Łukasz are collected in Listy Kszysztofa Opalińskiego do brata Łukasza 1641-1653 (first edition in 1957).
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
noble (szlachcic), politician and writer (satirist). Voivode of Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, starosta
Starosta
Starost is a title for an official or unofficial position of leadership that has been used in various contexts through most of Slavic history. It can be translated as "elder"...
kowelski, śremski, osiecki, międzyłęski.
Biography
Son of Piotr OpalińskiPiotr Opalinski
Piotr Opaliński , of Łodzia Coat of Arms, was a Polish-Lithuanian noble . Kasztelan poznański since 1620, wojewoda poznański since 1622, starosta pobiedzki i śremski ....
. Married Teresa Czarnkowska on 28 May 1634, had two sons: Piotr Opaliński and Jan Karol Opaliński
Jan Karol Opalinski
Jan Karol Opalinski was a Polish starost and kasztelan of Poznań. He was the son of Krzysztof Opaliński and Teresa Konstancya Czarnkowska. In December 1678, he married Zofia Anna Czarnkowska and was the father of Katarzyna Opalińska. Katarzyna went on to marry Stanisław Leszczyński, the King...
and four daughters.
Together with brother Łukasz Opaliński studied in the Lubrański Academy
Lubranski Academy
The Lubrański Academy was a university college that was established in 1518 in Poznań by Bishop Jan Lubrański. It was the first school with university aspirations in Poznań .-History:The Academy's first rector was the Poznań humanist Tomasz Bederman...
in Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
(1620–1625), and later abroad at Louvain
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
(1626–1629), Orléans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
(1629) and Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
(1630). After returning to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
with the position of starosta śremski he became active on the political scene. In February of 1632, he was elected a deputy at the election sejm which elected Władysław IV Vasa
Władysław IV Vasa
Władysław IV Vasa was a Polish and Swedish prince from the House of Vasa. He reigned as King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 8 November 1632 to his death in 1648....
. In 1637, after his father's death, he became the voivode of Poznań. He opposed most of Władysław military proposals (from increasing the army to the war against Ottomans), although he supported his idea of sea tariffs. In 1645 he led a diplomatic mission
Diplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one state or an international inter-governmental organisation present in another state to represent the sending state/organisation in the receiving state...
to Paris, where he was a proxy of king Władysław during his marriage to Ludwika Maria Gonzaga
Ludwika Maria Gonzaga
Marie Louise Gonzaga was queen consort to two Polish kings: Władysław IV Vasa, and John II Casimir Vasa...
, whom she escorted back to Poland afterwards.
In 1647 he bought Sieraków
Sieraków
Sieraków is a town in western Poland with 6,022 inhabitants . Located by the Warta River, it has been situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship , previously in Poznań Voivodeship ....
from his brother Łukasz and moved there. In 1650 he opened the first modern school in Poland (in Sieraków), using the didactic materials prepared by Jan Amos Komenski (Komenský, Comenius). A Catholic himself, he was critical of the zealotry of the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
and supported religious tolerance. He was a patron of writers, scientists and a bibliophile.
Political rival of starost Bogusław Leszczyński in the Wielkopolska province.
When in 1648 Poland elected a new king, the Swede
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Jan Kazimierz Vasa, Opaliński joined the opposition against Jan Kazimierz. The king had few friends among the Polish szlachta (nobility)
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
, as he openly sympathized with Austria and showed disregard and contempt for Polish culture (Sarmatism
Sarmatism
"Sarmatism" is a term designating the dominant lifestyle, culture and ideology of the szlachta of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Together with "Golden Liberty," it formed a central aspect of the Commonwealth's culture...
). Due to this, thinking that Jan II Kazimierz was a weak King, or a Jesuit-King, or for any other reasons, many encouraged King Charles X Gustav of Sweden
Charles X Gustav of Sweden
Charles X Gustav also Carl Gustav, was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. After his father's death he also succeeded him as Pfalzgraf. He was married to Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, who...
to claim the Polish Crown. During the Swedish invasion (The Deluge
The Deluge (Polish history)
The term Deluge denotes a series of mid-17th century campaigns in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In a wider sense it applies to the period between the Khmelnytsky Uprising of 1648 and the Truce of Andrusovo in 1667, thus comprising the Polish–Lithuanian theaters of the Russo-Polish and...
) Krzysztof Opaliński and Bogusław Leszczyński tasked with defence of Greater Poland (Wielkopolska), dissatisfied with policies of Jan Kazimierz, decided to surrender together with their pospolite ruszenie
Pospolite ruszenie
Pospolite ruszenie , is an anachronistic term describing the mobilisation of armed forces, especially during the period of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The tradition of wartime mobilisation of part of the population existed from before the 13th century to the 19th century...
of Great Poland to Charles Gustav at Ujście
Ujscie
Ujście is a town in Piła County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 3,888 inhabitants ....
on 25 July 1655. Many other voivodes of other voivodships followed their suit, especially Janusz Radziwiłł in Lithuania (although Krzysztof brother, Łukasz Opaliński, remained loyal to the Polish king). Almost the entire country was overrun by the Swedes, before the Jasna Góra resistance and the Tyszowce Confederation
Tyszowce Confederation
The Tyszowce Confederation was set up by the Polish army under the command of Great Crown Hetman Stanisław Rewera Potocki and Field Crown Hetman Stanisław Lanckoroński 29 December 1655 in Tyszowce, east of Zamość. It was the turning point of the war of Poland with Sweden during The Deluge...
which turned the tide against the Swedes.
Died in 1655 at Włoszakowice at the age of 44. Buried next to his father in the catacombs at church at Sieraków
Sieraków
Sieraków is a town in western Poland with 6,022 inhabitants . Located by the Warta River, it has been situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship , previously in Poznań Voivodeship ....
.
Works
The author of a popular work, often reprinted in this century calledSatyry, albo Przestrogi do naprawy rządu i obyczajów w Polszcze należące (Satires, or Warnings Related to the Reform of Government and Customs in Poland) published in 1650, in the aftermath of the Chmielnicki Uprising that spelled the end of the Golden Age of the CommonwealthPolish Golden Age
The Polish Golden Age refers to the times from 15th century Jagiellon Poland to the death of the last of the Jagiellons, Sigismund August in 1569, or mid-17th century, when in 1648 the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was ravaged by the Khmelnytsky Uprising and The Deluge and the Golden Age...
. The satires, modelled on the Satires of Juvenal, written in unrhymed syllabic verse, are his most famous work. In them he denounced the oppression of peasants (increasing serfdom
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
) and corruption of Golden Freedoms, visible in the increasing anarchy which was to be found in political life. He also wrote on witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
in one the satires, one of the few contemporary voices to correctly identify some of the motives behind the witchcraft persecution and to denounce them. He wrote comedies and tragedies for his school, however they have not survived. His letters to his brother Łukasz are collected in Listy Kszysztofa Opalińskiego do brata Łukasza 1641-1653 (first edition in 1957).
Quotes
- "Nierządem Polska stoi" - nieźle ktoś powiedział;
- Lecz drugi odpowiedział, że nierządem zginie.
- Pan Bóg nas ma jak błaznów. I to prawdy blisko,
- Że między ludźmi Polak jest Boże igrzysko.
- "Satyra VI. Na ogołocone ściany w obronę"
- "Anarchy supports Poland" - well somebody said;
- But other replied, that with anarchy it will fall.
- God thinks we are clowns, and that's close to truth,
- that among people Pole's the God's PlaygroundGod's PlaygroundGod's Playground is a book written in 1979 by Norman Davies, covering the history of Poland.Davies was inspired to the title by Jan Kochanowski's 1580s Boże igrzysko ....
.- "Satire VI. For empty walls in defense"
- Rozumiem, że Bóg Polski za nico nie karze
- Więcej, jak za poddanych srogą opresyją
- I gorzej niż niewolą. Jakoby chłop nie był
- Bliźnim nie tylko twoim, ale i człowiekiem.
- ...
- Zamykam, jakom zaczął, że Bóg Polskę karze
- Najwięcej za poddanych, ba, i karać będzie,
- Jeżeli się, Polaku, nie obaczysz kiedy.
- "Satyra III. Na ciężary i opresyją chłopską w Polszcze"
- I believe God punishes Poland for nothing
- But for the cruel oppression of her subjects
- Which is worse than serfdom. It's as if the peasant
- Were not your fellow man or a human being.
- ...
- I close as I began; God punishes Poland
- Most for her subjects, indeed, he'll keep punishing
- If you, Pole, will not ever come to your senses.
- "Satire III. On Burdens and Oppressions of Peasants in Poland"
Further reading
- Kate WilsonKate WilsonKate Wilson may refer to:*Kate Wilson-Smith*Kate Wilson in Hydrophobia...
, The Politics of Toleration Among the Szlachta of Great Poland: Rafał Leszczyński (1579–1636) and Krzysztof Opaliński (1609–55), SlovoSlovoSlovo is a British electronic band started by guitarist Dave Randall. The group's first album "nommo" was released in 2002 and their second and latest album, Todo Cambia, was released on September 17, 2007....
14/2002