Wyzwalanie z jasyru – w świetle XVII-wiecznych pamiętników i diariuszy
Release from the Tatar-Turkish Captivity in the Light of 17th Century Memoirs and Diaries

Summary/Abstract: Struggles with the Tatars who plundered Poland were a real problem for the authorities of the Old Polish Republic. This issue proves to be well mirrored in old-Polish memoirs. Many memoir writers (Jan Florian Drobysz Tuszyński, Stanisław Druszkiewicz, Mikołaj Jemiołowski, Joachim Jerlicz, Samuel Maskiewicz, Jan Zbigniew Ossoliński, Kazimierz Sarnecki) described the subject of Turkish captivity as severe for the Polish nation as regards the political, economic, demographic, and national pride. Among the numerous observations linked to Turkish and Tatar captivity, the diarists uttered remarks on the liberation from slavery. They listed the following solutions to effectuate it, namely military actions to openly confront the oppressor, a buyup (by relatives, strangers, or as an act of charity), prisoner swaps, or release based on treaties concluded immediately after the fight. Besides, envoys sent to the Sublime Porte actively participated in prisoner deliverance.

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