„Szlachcic na zagrodzie równy wojewodzie”? Mikołaj Kiszka i sejmiki podlaskie (1569–1587)

Abstract

Mikolaj Kiszka, the first Podlasie voivode to hold office after the annexation to the Crown, although he could not compare in power or wealth with the Radziwills or Chodkiewiczes, he counted among the magnates. In 1569–1587 he was an important figure in the local political jigsaw in Podlasie, striving to maintain his influence on the land and general sejmiks of his province, which, incidentally, he himself initiated on many occasions. He played a special role during the so-called “long interregnum” (1572–1576), when he demonstrated not only his initiative and responsibility for the fate of Podlasie, but also his determination to activate the nobility under the threat of Lithuanian revisionism. Despite the huge shortcomings of the sources, particularly acute with regard to correspondence, one can be tempted to draw some conclusions about his position in Podlasie. Nothing indicates that he had a strong, consciously built political base in the province, as local noble leaders retained considerable independence or had ties with other potentates. Relations between the voivode and heirs from indigent local families, who resided in Podlasie in large numbers, were not harmonious. He expressed his disappointment with the attitude of the petty brotherhood in a peroration addressed to the deputies of the sejmik of the Bielsk region in 1579, when he postulated that they should send only specially selected representatives to the conventions, rather than participate in them in groups. It seems that the main obstacle to Kiszka achieving his goal of politically dominating Podlasie was his personal character traits, especially his inability to win the sympathy and support of other people and his lack of dexterity in political action. [Translated by Stefan Kubiak]