Details

Subjects:

John III Sobieski, King of Poland, 1629-1696.
Turco-Polish Wars, 1683-1699.
Austro-Turkish War, 1683-1699.
International relations.
France -- Foreign relations -- Poland.
Poland -- Foreign relations -- France.
Poland -- Foreign relations -- Hungary.
Poland -- History -- John III Sobieski, 1674-1696.
Poland.
History.
Turkey -- History -- Mehmed IV, 1648-1687.
Turkey.
France -- Foreign relations -- Hungary.
Holy Roman Empire -- History -- Leopold I, 1658-1705.
Holy Roman Empire -- Foreign relations -- Poland.
Vienna (Austria) -- History -- Siege, 1683.
France.
Hungary.

Form/Genre:

Codices.
Histories.
Manuscripts, Italian.
Manuscripts, European.

Language:

Italian.

Summary:

Manuscript containing three historical documents related to the Turco-Polish and Austro-Turkish wars, with a focus on the events of 1682-1683. The first document, originally written in Latin by a Polish soldier, is a historical essay which aims to describe the various misdeeds committed by the French army in Poland when they were fighting against the Hungarian rebels and the Ottoman soldiers. The essay, written in the first person and in a colloquial tone, sometimes using some of the linguistic devices that characterize private correspondence, also includes a defense of the position of Poland, described as a courageous country of soldiers that fought honorably under King John III Sobieski, without having to resort to the dishonest tactics employed by the French. The Polish are also portrayed as the only real allies of the Habsburg court, as the French intervention during the Siege of Vienna was slow and ineffective. The second document is a copy of the speech pronounced by the Polish ambassador at the Holy Roman court, Zieroveschi(?), in the presence of John III Sobieski in 1682. Zieroveschi expressed disdain for a rumor he heard at the court of Leopold I, spread by the ambassador Du Ternay Boucaut (referred to as Du Ternaji Bucò in the manuscript), that Poland was supporting the Turks. The third document contains information on the evidence, collected by Zieroveschi, that supported his stance taken in the aforementioned speech. In succession, there are copies of five short letters exchanged between the ambassador of the Holy Roman emperor, Du Ternay Boucaut and Pietro Taibel(?) and the head of the rebels Techeli(?), discussing various moments of the conflict, in particular the siege of Filech(?), probably located in Hungary.

Contents:

1. f.1r-13r: La mina sventata o gli artifici della Francia in pace et in guerra e loro cospirazioni con li Turchi e con li ribelli d'Ungheria scoperte (1682).
2. f.13v-14v: Discorso del residente cesareo Zieroveschi preannunciato in pubblica audienza , in presenza del serenissimo re di Polonia, presenti tutti li ministri del re cristianissimo e gli altri principi (1682).
3. f.15r-17v: Memoriale del sopraddetto residente cesareo Zieroveschi presentato a sua maestà e letto in pubblica audienza (1682).
4. f.17v-21r: [Miscellaneous letters]

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title from caption title (f. 1r).
Foliation: Paper, 22; 1-21, [22], contemporary foliation in ink, modern foliation in ink, upper right recto.
Layout: Written in 24 long lines. Catchwords, lower right verso.
Script: Written in a cursive script.
Watermark: Unidentified watermark containing a small eagle with the initials F T underneath.
Binding: Paper cover.
Origin: Written in Italy, in 1683 (f. 1r).

Penn Provenance:

Sold by La Medicea (Florence), 1968.

Cited in:

Described in Zacour, Norman P. and Hirsch, Rudolf. Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Libraries of the University of Pennsylvania to 1800: Supplement A (2), The Library Chronicle 36, (1970), no. 1, p. 25 (Ms. Lea 431).

Cited as:

UPenn Ms. Codex 1523

OCLC:

355763453