Jan Andrzej Morsztyn
Jan Andrzej Morsztyn (born July 24, 1621 in Wiśnicz , † January 8, 1693 in Paris ) was a Polish poet, member of the landed gentry and politician of Poland-Lithuania .
He was the Starost of Zawichost , Tymbark and Kowal and other localities. From 1647 to 1658 he was bread champion of Sandomierz , from 1656 royal secretary, from 1658 to 1668 clerk of the crown and Vice Treasurer from 1668. Over his career at the Polish court, he is best known as a poet of the Baroque and one of the most important representatives of Mannerism in known in Polish literature.
Life
Morsztyn was born near Kraków into a wealthy Calvinist aristocratic family (Leliwa coat of arms). He studied at the University of Leiden and toured Italy and France with his brother. After his return to Poland he went into the service of the Lubomirski magnate family and was introduced to the court by them. He was a member of the Sejms in 1648, 1650, 1653, 1658 and 1659 and was active in numerous commissions of these Sejms - for example in the areas of finance, law and foreign affairs. Morsztyn took part in diplomatic missions to Hungary (1653), Sweden (1655) and Austria (1656).
He was appointed royal secretary in 1656 and two years later he was appointed trainee lawyer to the crown. In 1660 he was involved in a proposal to reform the Sejm. Finally, in 1668, he took over the post of Vice Treasurer. During these years he was active in other diplomatic missions and was also involved in the negotiations on the Treaty of Oliva .
He fought the " Swedish Flood " and the Khmelnytskyi Uprising and gained considerable wealth over the course of his life. Politically, he represented the pro-French faction, supported the French candidate for the throne François Louis de Bourbon, prince de Conti in the election of 1668 and was also a supporter of French politics in Poland. This was also expressed by obtaining French citizenship and drawing pensions from France.
When King John III. Sobieski distanced himself from France and allied with Austria, Morsztyn was accused of high treason, so that he emigrated to France in 1683, assumed the title of Comte de Châteauvillain and spent his last years as secretary to the French king. The Sejm of 1686 stripped him of all offices and titles and banned him from the country.
family
In 1659 he married the Scot Catherine Gordon de Huntly (1635-1691), the youngest daughter of George Gordon, 2nd Marquess of Huntly , and his wife Lady Anne Campbell. She moved to Poland with her brother, Colonel Lord Henry Gordon de Huntly, who served the king there for several years. He later returned to Scotland , where he died in Strathbogie.
Catherine (Katarzyna) was the lady-in-waiting at the court of the queen, Luisa Maria Gonzaga . They had a son and three daughters. All of their children - with the exception of one daughter who became a nun - married members of the European aristocracy. The couple's great-grandson, Stanisław August Poniatowski , later became the last king of Poland.
literature
Jan Andrzej Morsztyn was a leading exponent of literary baroque Poland. His works were characterized by an extravagant language in the style of Italian mannerism. He wrote most of his works before becoming vice treasurer in 1668. Morsztyn viewed his literary work - as a courtier who could also resort to intrigue - as a kind of personal entertainment and preferred to circulate his manuscripts in his circles than to endanger his career by actual publication. For this reason, most of his works were first printed and made available to the public in the 19th century.
As a master of poetry, he wrote the volumes of poetry Kanikuła (Dog Days, 1647) and Lutnia (The Lute, 1661). His main concern in poetry was not so much "worldly happiness" per se as its inherent contradictions. In particular, the paradoxes of love are highlighted in Morsztyn's poems as a wide range of overt imaginations in which there is as much frivolity as metaphysical fear.
Political undertones can also be found in his work, such as in Pospolite ruszenie (mass levy ) or Pieśń w obozie pod Żwańcem (song in the camp near Żwaniec), in which the Szlachta's unwillingness to deal with political dangers (such as the threat posed by the Tatars and Cossacks ) to respond. In contrast to his cousin Zbiginiew Morsztyn, only a few of his poems can be classified in the field of religious poetry. Pokuta w kwartanie is an exception . He also worked as a translator (for Torquato Tasso , Giambattista Marino and Pierre Corneille ). His translation of Corneilles Le Cid is still a standard version in Poland today.
See also
literature
- Polski Słownik Biograficzny , vol. 22. Wroclaw 1976
- Jacek Jędruch: Constitutions, Elections and Legislatures of Poland 1493-1993 . Hippocrene Books, 1998, ISBN 0-7818-0637-2 , pp. 147-148
Web links
- Poems selection (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ John M. Bates: Censorship in Poland: From the Beginnings to the Enlightenment . ( Memento of the original from May 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. March 4, 1999
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Morsztyn, Jan Andrzej |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Polish poet, landed gentry and politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 24, 1621 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wiśnicz |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 8, 1693 |
| Place of death | Paris |