Polish 16th-century War-Time Propaganda in Action: The Case of Atlas Księstwa Połockiego (1580)

The paper’s objective is to demonstrate: a) Stanisław Pachołowiecki’s Atlas Księstwa Połockiego (Rome 1580) as the first part of a major propaganda action conducted by the royal chancellery; b) the course of its publication; c) who was engaged in its production. At fi rst, the author reminds that Atlas was made during the Livonian War. The main commissioners were King Stephen Báthory and Chancellor Jan Zamoyski. The next part presents the chief propagandistic text created by the Polish chancellery, Edictum regium de supplicationibus, printed in Polatsk in early September 1579. It is an account of the circumstances of the capture of the city by Stephen Báthory’s army. The author reviews the text’s distribution and translation into English among other languages. It turns out that Edictum, issued several times in 1579, provides the most signifi cant context for the Atlas. The author argues e.g. that the Atlas was to be a commentary for the edict. Next, the process of the publication of maps is explained. The author discusses the circumstances in which the decision to publish them was made, as well as the criteria for selecting cartographic material and the fi nal redaction. He then indicates who was responsible for delivering the text to Rome, when it happened, who was engaged in its publication, and when it was published. The comparison of the dates of the Atlas’s shipment to Rome and publication of other texts enables the author to hypothesise about a coherent propaganda action. He shows that its aim was, above all, to win foreign public opinion. In result, several diff erent types of texts were created: a historical narrative (Edictum – two diff erent Polish editions), a collection of maps (Atlas), a Latin panegyric speech by A. Patrycy Nidecki and a Latin and a Polish odes by J. Kochanowski. The last part of the paper presents the connections between various persons forming the human network directly or indirectly related to the publication of the Atlas and the Polish propaganda action.

The paper’s objective is to demonstrate: a) Stanisław Pachołowiecki’s Atlas Księstwa Połockiego (Rome 1580) as the first part of a major propaganda action conducted by the royal chancellery; b) the course of its publication; c) who was engaged in its production. At fi rst, the author reminds that Atlas was made during the Livonian War. The main commissioners were King Stephen Báthory and Chancellor Jan Zamoyski. The next part presents the chief propagandistic text created by the Polish chancellery, Edictum regium de supplicationibus, printed in Polatsk in early September 1579. It is an account of the circumstances of the capture of the city by Stephen Báthory’s army. The author reviews the text’s distribution and translation into English among other languages. It turns out that Edictum, issued several times in 1579, provides the most signifi cant context for the Atlas. The author argues e.g. that the Atlas was to be a commentary for the edict. Next, the process of the publication of maps is explained. The author discusses the circumstances in which the decision to publish them was made, as well as the criteria for selecting cartographic material and the fi nal redaction. He then indicates who was responsible for delivering the text to Rome, when it happened, who was engaged in its publication, and when it was published. The comparison of the dates of the Atlas’s shipment to Rome and publication of other texts enables the author to hypothesise about a coherent propaganda action. He shows that its aim was, above all, to win foreign public opinion. In result, several diff erent types of texts were created: a historical narrative (Edictum – two diff erent Polish editions), a collection of maps (Atlas), a Latin panegyric speech by A. Patrycy Nidecki and a Latin and a Polish odes by J. Kochanowski. The last part of the paper presents the connections between various persons forming the human network directly or indirectly related to the publication of the Atlas and the Polish propaganda action.