Lumen 2018

221 At the Crossroads The Cossacks under the leadership of Doroszenko placed them- selves under Turkey’s protection. In 1672, Turkey declared war on Poland, but Poland was unable to defend itself due to internal quar- rels. Two sessions of the Diet were broken off that year and the French camp with Primate Prazmowski and Hetman Sobieski at the head demanded the king’s abdication, which posed a threat of civil war in the country. The masses of common folk mobilized for the war entered into a confederation at Golab to support the king. The army set up its own confederation at Szczebrzeszyn in support of Hetman Sobieski. During these quarrels, the Turks, led by Sultan Mohamed IV, captured Kamieniec Podolski, a key stronghold at the border, and were moving towards Lvov. It was necessary to begin peace negotiations with them as soon as possible. John Sobieski’s successes, which he had won during that war in clashes with many Tartar units, were not significant enough, and Poland had to accept the terms of the infamous treaty signed with Turkey in Buczacz on October 18, 1672. At that time, Poland gave up Podolia, the palati- nate of Braclaw, and a southern part of the Kiev region into the hands of the Ottoman Emperor. Poland was also forced to pay a tribute to the sultan in the amount of 22 thousand gold ducats annually. And thus, the grand Republic of Poland became a vassal of the Sublime Ottoman Porte. 275 This was a result of the nobility defending their privileges, and continued weakening of the monarch’s power and authority. These were the fruits borne by the rivalry between oppos- ing parties, by clashes between leaders’ personal ambitions, and by the traditional Polish litigiousness. We know how Fr. Stanislaus Pa- pczynski fought with these tendencies, so dangerous to Poland, in his patriotic speeches. NOTES 1. Navikevicius, 80-81. 2. G. Gianfrocca, Giuseppe Calasanzio, in: Dizionario deglo instituti di perfezione I-VIII, Roma, 1974-1978, 1343-1351.