Oddziaływanie elit państwowych na sejmiki województwa mazowieckiego w dobie panowania Jana III (1674–1696). Próba charakterystyki

Abstract

The sejmiks of the Mazovian province played an important role on the political map of the Commonwealth for several reasons, despite the fact that the region itself was not one of the richest, and the local representatives among the most influential. The capital city of Warsaw prompted representatives of the state elite to frequent the city’s territory, which resulted in the establishment of more residences there and the enlistment of Mazovians to create a base, including political ones, in the region. During the reign of John III, this process continued, especially during periods when there was a particularly intense political struggle between the court camp and its opponents. Some high-ranking officials tried to link their dignities more closely to Mazovia in order to exert greater influence on the center of state power. These included Stanislaw Herakliusz Lubomirski, who staffed his office with Mazovians, or Stefan Wierzbowski, who moved the seat of the bishopric of Poznan to Warsaw. The state elite acted as patrons of the Mazovians to senatorial and land offices, seeking thereby to exert influence on local political life. Nevertheless, the great magnate families did not dominate the Mazovian province under John III, either politically or economically. All the time, representatives of local families, such as the Krasinskis, Bielinskis, Szczuks, Oborskis and Lasocki, were a serious force in Mazovia. The most important politicians of the reign of John III, and those competing with the court for actual power in the state, such as Krzysztof Zygmunt Pac, Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski and Benedykt Paweł Sapieha, certainly tried to influence the most important sejmiks in Mazovia, held in Czersk and Warsaw, but with varying success. At the others, the dominance of the court was not seriously threatened. Translated by Stefan Kubiak