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In the Shadow of a Mild Revolution: Polish Women's Political Attitudes during the Great Sejm (1788−1792)
Author(s) -
Wiśniewska Dorota
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
gender and history
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.153
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1468-0424
pISSN - 0953-5233
DOI - 10.1111/1468-0424.12509
Subject(s) - lithuanian , commonwealth , politics , period (music) , elite , shadow (psychology) , reign , economic history , history , law , sociology , political science , gender studies , aesthetics , psychology , art , philosophy , linguistics , psychotherapist
The Great Sejm (1788−1792) is perceived as a turning point in Stanisław August Poniatowski's reign and as one of the most important Sejms in the history of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Studies devoted to this period concentrate in particular on parliamentary debates and deputies’ actions, as they were leading actors in this so‐called Polish mild revolution. However, an interesting line of inquiry is to ask about women's experiences, as they were also aware of the importance of these events. This paper presents conclusions arising out of analysis of women's correspondence from the Archiwum Roskie (Roskie Archives): the legacy of the Lithuanian and Polish aristocratic Sapieha, Branicki and Potocki families that is maintained at the Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych (Central Archives of Historical Records) in Warsaw. First, the article describes the group of correspondents and the source material extracted for examination. Second, it focuses on women's approaches towards the Sejm, its deputies and its attempts to reform the Republic. Lastly, it tries to explain the factors influencing women's attitudes. The study's results allow us to gain a better understanding of elite women's political culture in the late eighteenth‐century Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.