79 The Social and Political Circumstances in Poland In the 17th century, the Commonwealth of Poland was either troubled by various wars or suffering from invasions. There were also foreign military campaigns as well as internal struggles, invasions, unrest, and disturbances. To name just the most important ones: wars with Russia in 1609 and 1654-67; wars with Sweden in 1600-1611, 1617-1629, and 1655-1660; and the war with Rakoczy in Transylvania (1657). There was also George Lubomirski’s rebellion in 166566, the Bohdan Khmelnicky uprising of 1648, the Cossacks’ rebellion of 1651; as well as victories and defeats in the struggle against the Turks (1620-1621, 1671-1676, and 1683). All this brought devastation, death, and the destruction of towns, cities, and settlements. Plains and arable lands burned, while houses and churches vanished. Father S. M. Sydry wrote: “These tragedies were aggravated by natural disasters: fl oods, unusual freezing conditions, and rains that destroyed the sowings or the harvests from fi elds already poorly cultivated because of the incessant unrest. This led to famine, the spreading of plagues and epidemics. Often one could see entire settlements completely abandoned.”13 This description does not exaggerate. It is enough to take into account the statistics on the frequency of epidemics in those times, which were called pestilence or bubonic plagues. In the 17th century there were many epidemics: 16011605, 1607-1613, 1617-1618, 1620, 1622-1625, 1627-1632, 1634, 1637-1639, 1641, 1645, 1648, 1650-1663, 1665, 1667, 1672-1679, 1693, 1699.14 Life-threatening circumstances caused by wars, natural disasters, and plagues were undoubtedly very disturbing. Thousands of people died a violent death, being often completely unprepared to stand before God in eternity. This thought was probably moving the hearts of the sensitive faithful to help the others to preserve their faith and hope instead of falling into fear and uncertainty. Thus, Fr. Papczyński had no trouble understanding the situations of those who died a sudden death during plagues or military actions. According to Fr. Casimir Wyszyński’s notes († 1755), Fr. Stanislaus accompanied King John III Sobieski on his campaign against the Turks in the Ukraine (1675).15 The conviction of the Marians of the second half of the 17th century about the existence of an “agreement” to bring assistance to “the multitude of people slain in wars,” which Fr. Papczyński concluded with King Sobieski and Stanislaus Jabłonowski, the 13 S. M. Sydry MIC, Czcigodny Sługa Boży o. Stanisław od Jezusa i Maryi Papczyński i jego dzieło w świetle dokumentów, Warsaw 1937, p. 103. 14 F. Giedrojć, Mór w Polsce w wiekach ubiegłych. Zarys historyczny, Warsaw, 1899, p. 53-58. 15 S. M. Sydry MIC, Czcigodny Sługa Boży…, pp. 165-177; cf. T. Rogalewski MIC, Stanislaus Papczyński…, 227; see: K. J. Krzyżanowski MIC, O powrót do idei przewodniej Zgromadzenia Marianów, “Immaculata” (1969) no. 51, p. 28.
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