“Nieszczęśliwym przewodnikiem jest serce, gdzie pewną a nieodmienną otuchę bierze”. About the love affairs of Prince Janusz Aleksander Sanguszko in 1731-1775

Abstract

The work deals with the rarely discussed topic of the relationship between Janusz Aleksander Sanguszko and his servant Kazimierz Chyliński. It shows the history of their relationship against the background of Old Polish customs that clearly stigmatize homosexual behaviour. The relationship between the prince and the secretary was characterized by a mismatch in status, property, education and influence. With time, Kazimierz Chyliński managed to gain prestige, which allowed him to control the economic management, the course of particular sejmiks, mediate in contacts between magnates, be a protector of smaller nobility and exert influence on the decisions of the ordinate. This relationship , as the author proves, caused the fall of the nobleman. The jealousy of the local nobility and the prince's servants, a plot conceived by Paweł Karol Sanguszko, contributed to the fall of the once-powerful secretary. Moreover, the work focuses on the marriage of the ordinate with Konstancja née Denhoff. Konstancja, a young woman never married before, very quickly experienced sadness and tears due to her husband's love interests. After the marriage annulment trial, Konstancja moved to Gdańsk. Her second marriage to Józef Rogaliński was also unhappy and caused financial problems.