Poland's Last King and English Culture: Stanislaw August Poniatowski, 1732-1798

ISBN-13: 9780198207016 / Angielski / Twarda / 1998 / 400 str.

Dr Richard Butterwick

Opis

The attempt by Stanislaw August Poniatowski (1764-95) "to create anew the Polish world" was one of the most audacious enterprises of reform undertaken by any enlightened monarch in the eighteenth century. Inspired by his love of England, the king's efforts helped bring about a flourishing of Polish culture and a constitution admired across Europe. They also provoked the revenge of Russia and the partitioning of the state. With new perspectives on the successes and limitations of the Polish Enlightenment, this book presents a dynamic interpretation of European culture in the eighteenth century.

Recenzje

the first major work of scholarship to explore in depth, and on the basis of extensive archival research in Poland and England, the king's Anglophilia ... Butterwick tackles this task with eminent success; he writes elegantly and with a confidence born out of a thorough knowledge of his subject ... There is much here for the comparative historian. The book enriches our understanding of eighteenth-century Anglophilia and provides a new perspective on England's place in the enlightenment. In short, it is an impressive and stimulating achievement.