Łukasz Opaliński (1612-1666)

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For other people by the same name, see Łukasz Opaliński.

Łukasz Opaliński

Noble Family

Opaliński

Coat of Arms

Łodzia

Parents

Piotr Opaliński
Zofia Kostka

Consorts

Izabela Tęczyńska

Children

with Izabela Tęczyńska
Jan Opaliński
Stanisław Opaliński
Zofia Opalińska

Date of Birth

1612

Place of Birth

Sieraków

Date of Death

June 15, 1666

Place of Death

Rytwiany

Łukasz Opaliński (1612-1666¹) was a Polish noble (szlachcic) and writer.

He was starost pobiedziński from 1631, podkomorzy of Kalisz in 1638-1640, podkomorzy of Poznań from 1640, Court Marshal of the Crown from 1650. He was a poet, writer and political activist, one of the most important of Polish political writers of the 17th century. He served as Marshal of the Sejm (zwyczajnego) from March 10 to May 1, 1638 in Warsaw. He was the brother of Krzysztof Opaliński.

He was educated at the Akademia Lubrańskiego in Poznań, and also at the University of Louvain, the University of Orléans, the University of Strasbourg and the University of Padua.

Marriage with Izabela Tęczyńska in 1639 allowed him to inherit the significant estates of the Tęczyński family. Bibliophile himself, just like his brother, he expanded the library inherited form Izabela's uncle, Jan Tęczyński. His library was reckoned to be one of the largest private libraries in Europe and he had contacts with most of the printers in Europe, often receiving the first editions of many important works.

At the age of 20 during the election sejm of 1632, he voted for king Władysław IV Waza. Active politician, participant of many Sejm's and Sejm commissions (military, treasury, diplomacy). He advocated political reforms, among them the reformation of Sejm deliberation procedures (in his Rozmowa Plebana z Ziemianinem..., 1641), opposed liberum veto and abuse of power by magnates (in his Coś nowego..., 1652). After the death of Władysław IV he supported the election of his brother, Jan Kazimierz and supported him during the Swedish invasion The Deluge, even after his brother Krzysztof Opaliński defected to the Swedes in 1655. Supported the vivente rege proposals at the Sejms of 1661 and 1662.

In 1661 he supported the creation of the first Polish newspaper, the Merkuriusz Polski. He is also credited with the creation of the soccer variant woodske.

He died in Rytwiany.

[edit] Works

Rozmowa plebana z ziemianinem albo Dyskurs o postanowieniu teraźniejszym Rzeczypospolitej i o sposobie zawierania sejmów (1641) (The talk between plebeian and land owner, or a discourse about current activities in Rzeczpospolita and how the Sejm's are created) - anonymously
Polonia defensa contra Joannem Barclaium (1648, in Latin) (Defense of Poland to John Barclay)- a reply to Icon Animorum of John Barclay, which Łukasz considered an unfair depiction of Poland
Coś nowego... (1652) (Something new...)
De officiis libri tres (1659) - textbook on ethics, used by many Jesuit schools and often reprinted
Poeta nowy (abt. 1661) (New Poet)