Kasztelanka na wydaniu : małżeńskie perypetie Elżbiety z Branickich Sapieżyny

Abstract

The article introduces the circumstances surrounding the beginnings and ends of marriages of Elżbieta Branicka coat of arms Korczak (1732/33–1800) with two members of the Sapieha family – Jan Józef Kalasanty, the voivode of Smolensk, and Jan, the voivode of Mścisław. The work includes a discussion and elaboration of scarce pieces of information concerning the time of her birth and the period preceding her first marriage. It also presents an analysis of the original assignment of Teatrum myśli… (1780) by Wenanty Tyszkowski, which focuses on a lady‘s glorious portrait in her maiden age. The main part of the article is opened by the presentation of the state of knowledge about the castellan’s daughter marriages. It is followed by a critical reading of unknown or superficially exploited sources revealing the backstage of these relationships: press reports on wedding ceremonies and the death of her second husband, the Latin decree of the church court in the case of annulment of the first marriage, a draft of an insurance script, in which the bride’s parents determined the amount and conditions for paying her dowry, fragments of Marcin Matuszewicz’s memories and letters from spouses addressed to Jan Klemens Branicki, Grand Crown Hetman. The context for new findings are conclusions and suggestions of researchers of the 18th century magnates of Poland and Lithuania.