Papal diplomats sent reports from Kraków and Warsaw to the Vatican, providing updates on the wars fought by Polish forces in the 17th century. An upcoming lecture on November 15 at the Polish Academy of Sciences Research Station in Rome will reveal what these letters tell us about Polish history.

Relations between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Holy See in the first half of the 17th century were heavily influenced by ongoing wars. Papal diplomats, or nuncios, operated in this turbulent reality, sending information about the wars and related events back to the Vatican.

Today, these reports are a priceless historical resource that sheds new light on Poland’s military history from that era. Nuncios traveled to the frontlines, gathered intelligence, and reported to the Holy See. The geopolitical situation in the Commonwealth also impacted their activities, and details of wars, battles, and troop movements are frequently found in the letters these diplomats sent from Kraków and Warsaw to Rome.

The event on November 15, organized by the Polish Academy of Sciences Research Station in Rome, will explore this topic and other aspects of 17th-century relations between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Holy See.

The lecture, starting at 6 p.m. at the PAN Research Station headquarters in Rome at Vicolo Doria 2, is titled „Papal Diplomats in War and on War: Apostolic Correspondence as a Source for Research on Polish Military History in the First Half of the 17th Century.”

Dr. Paweł Duda, a historian specializing in the period, will be the guest speaker. Dr. Duda is a researcher at the Institute of History at the University of Silesia in Katowice, where he teaches bachelor’s courses in history, historical tourism, and Central European history.

He is also leading a research project titled „The Military Efforts of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Under the Vasa Dynasty Through the Eyes of Papal Diplomats,” funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. A member of the Lanckoroński Foundation, Dr. Duda has authored numerous scholarly articles, educational materials, source publications, and the monograph „The Cross and the Saber: Foreign Policy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in Papal Diplomacy” (Katowice, 2019). His research focuses on diplomatic relations between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Holy See in the early 17th century.

The event at the PAN Research Station in Rome promises to be an exceptional opportunity to gain in-depth insights into Polish history’s so-called „age of wars” and its connections with the Vatican. The organizers invite all who are interested in Polish history to attend and expand their knowledge.

PAN Roma

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