Szymon Starowolski

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Szymon Starowolski (15851-16502) (Simon Starowolski, Simonis Starovolsci) was a writer, scholar, and historian in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was born and died near Kraków. Through not among the most famous of the Polish writers of his era, he is nonetheless considered an important scholar of his times.

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[edit] Biography

Szymon Starowolski and king Charles X Gustav before the grave of Władysław Łokietek in Warsaw during The Deluge. Starowolski was requested to show the cathedral to the king. When he pointed to the tomb of Łokietek who, he said, thrice an exile, had returned thrice, Charles Gustav remarked that "John Casimir would never return". "Serenissime Rex", Starowolski replied, "Fortuna variabilis, Deus immutabilis". He died some months later, before John Casimir's triumphant return. Painting by Jan Matejko.
Szymon Starowolski and king Charles X Gustav before the grave of Władysław Łokietek in Warsaw during The Deluge. Starowolski was requested to show the cathedral to the king. When he pointed to the tomb of Łokietek who, he said, thrice an exile, had returned thrice, Charles Gustav remarked that "John Casimir would never return". "Serenissime Rex", Starowolski replied, "Fortuna variabilis, Deus immutabilis". He died some months later, before John Casimir's triumphant return. Painting by Jan Matejko.

Szymon Starowolski was born into an impoverished Lithuanian noble family. As a young person he visited the courts of many magnates, including the famous chancellor Jan Zamoyski (at the age of 17) and bishop Jakub Zadzik. After his studies, he travelled in the service of the Ostrogski family through Western Europe (Germany, France, Holland), where he studied at the University of Louvain. After his return, from 1612 to 1619 Starowolski studied and taught at the Cracow Academy (Jagiellonian University), and then in the Cistercian monastery in Wąchock. He became secretary to the famous Polish military commander, hetman Jan Karol Chodkiewicz, whom he accompanied during the battle of Chocim (1621). Later he served as the tutor of many young nobles, among them of Aleksander Koniecpolski, son of another hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski. Connected with many other courts of powerful magnates, he often travelled abroad. In 1639 he was ordained a Catholic priest, and subsequently became a canon of the Jesuit order, and worked as a preacher, cantor and canon in Kraków and Tarnów. During the Swedish invasion of Poland (The Deluge), he performed the functions of a bishop in place of Piotr Gembicki.

[edit] Works

He is famous for his many writings (in Polish and Latin) in the areas of history, geography, law, strategy, theology, literature and politics. History was his greatest passion. He became an expert on the Ottoman Empire, which he considered both a great threat to Poland and a fascinating neighbour. In his Latin works, addressed to foreign readers, he defended the good name of Poland, while in his Polish treaties he called for a thorough reform of the Commonwealth. He spoke about the need to reform, stressing the fact that every person is responsible for their actions, and the higher position means not only more privileges but more responsibility. He wrote more than seventy books.

Critics of his works point out that he was not a supporter of religious tolerance. He praised the repression of the Hussites. He warned that the Protestants and the Catholic Church never will reach a long lasting, peaceful agreement. He called the Statutes of Warsaw a "pact with death and hell" claiming that Franciszek Krasinski, the lone Catholic bishop who signed them, did so under the "the threat of sword". He refers to the apostates from the Catholic religion as "sons of the devil" who should be punished according to the Edict of Wielun for "betraying the state", others should be considered "infidels" and not Christians and should be classified with Jews and Moslems. He claims that the Church never will recognize the Statutes and maintains that the Edict of Wielun of 1424 is still valid and in effect. He justifies closing of the Protestant schools (in 1638 and in 1640), Protestant centres and printing presses (in 1638 the press in Raków) as a "duty of good pastors", an act of the King and the republic. source

While he advocated the better treatment of peasants (serfs), he wrote that according to God's will there are three social classes: nobility (the rulers), priests (guardian of morality) and peasants (labourers).

[edit] Bibliography

  • Lament of the dying Mother, Poland, over her undutiful sons - published soon before his death, an important works in the area of political science.
  • Reformacja obyczajów polskich (Reform of Polish customs) - on how Poland should look like according to the God's plan
  • Scriptorum Polonicorum Hecatontas seu Centum illustrium Poloniae scriptorium elogia et vitae - a short biography of Polish authors, with the titles of their works
  • Wojownicy sarmaccy, czyli pochwały mężów słynących męstwem wojennym w pamięci naszej lub naszych pradziadów - biographies of famous Polish warriors and kings
  • The Perfect Knight - the ideal Christian soldier who selflessly serves his country, defends the faith, and strives for moral uprightness
  • Setnik pisarzy polskich (A Hundred Polish Writers), 1625,
  • O slawnych mowcach Sarmacji ("De claris orationibus oracoribus Sarmatiae", On the Famous Speakers of Sarmatia), 1628.
  • The Lord's Sanctuary and The Ark of the Testament - sermons
  • Biography of Copernicus (E. Hilfstein, Starowolski's biographies of Copernicus, Studia Copernicana, 1980, ISBN 8304003368 [1])
  • Monumenta Sarmatorum - about ancient art, collecting information about old tombstones (digital copy)
  • Various treaties on moral issues, aiming to reform Polish society

[edit] Quotes

  • "I wanted to reveal how valued all ancient relics should be, the source of our knowledge about the past, ignorance of which brings shame, and knowledge of which should bring praise". (Pragnąłem odsłonić to, w jakiej cenie powinny być u nas wszelkiego rodzaju pamiątki przeszłości, źródło naszej wiedzy o dziejach, których nieznajomość o ile przynosi wstyd, o tyle przyswojenie sobie zasługuje na pochwałę.) Monumenta Sarmatorum viam universare carnis ingressorum
  • "The state should look into this, as other nations do: see to it that nobles do not take the lives of their subjects at will, or burden them with unjust toil - as if they were dumb cattle!"
  • "Fortuna mutabilis, Deus mirabilis" (or "fortuna variabilis, Deus immutabilis") - to Swedish King Charles X Gustav, when his forces temporarily occupied Polish capital of Warsaw
  • "What the world treasures, God considers trash" ("Co świat drogo szacuje, to Bóg ma za śmieci") - Arka testamentów zamykającej w sobie kazania niedzielne
  • "Nature according to God's will created some people to follow, and some to lead" (Natura z woli Bożej jedne ludzie do posłuszeństwa, a drugie do rozkazowania stworzyła)
  • "If God had let him live longer, the Poles would have no need to envy the Italians their Palestrina, Lappi, and Vedana" - in the biography of Wacław z Szamotuł
  • "Nicolaus Copernicus, Torunii in Prussia natus; patre Nicolao Copernico: matre vero, quae erat germana sonor Lucae a Watzelrod Toruniensis, Episcopi Varmiensis, praeclare de Repub. Polonorum meriti in causa Cruciferorum", in Scriptorum Polonicorum, 1627 [2][3]

[edit] Notes

  1. Other possible date of birth: 1588
  2. And death: 1656

[edit] External links

[edit] See also