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The 18th century was marked by several internal contradictions among Parisian monasteries, which at some point came to a head. Doctrinal conflicts affected monks who sought maintain rigor in their devotional practices; these monks found support among the Jansenist clergy. However, such positions led to repressive measures imposed by the monarchy. Aside from internal splits, successive financial crises left various monasteries without the wherewithal to celebrate funeral masses. Moreover, the enlightened monarchy sought to suppress the least numerous orders and to close understaffed monasteries. Several monasteries, in particular those demonstrating financial sagacity, prospered either through developing rental property in urban areas or revaluating leases on extensive agricultural estates. In general, however, collection of donations and fees for requiem masses dwindled towards the end of the 1780s. Thus a number of factors conspired to weaken the monasteries; a combination of internal and external factors ultimately led to the demise of the religious orders in Revolutionary France.
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The functioning of deanery libraries in Wielkopolska in the 19th century was of crucial importance to the fate of books from dissolved monasteries. The Prussian authorities decided that monastery book collections would first be divided among Berlin libraries (Royal Library, University Library) and secondary school libraries, and would then be taken over by libraries of deaneries, which began to be opened in 1835. In most cases books from former monasteries formed the core of deanery collections. Despite the initially positive reactions of the Wielkopolska clergy to the idea of establishing libraries, it turned out subsequently that the book collections were neglected, were decaying and the priests were not using them. Such a state of affairs was predicted by Rev Kazimierz Lerski in his opinion about the plan to set up deanery libraries. In addition, drawing on his own observations from dissolved monasteries, he came to the conclusion that books from former monasteries would be saved from destruction only if they were all to be collected in one place. The author of the paper discusses the arguments cited by Rev Lerski against deanery libraries and presents the fate of deanery book collections, paying particular attention to information about books from former monasteries.
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During the Spanish Civil War and the Francoist dictatorship that followed, women were shielded from the public eye. Their predetermined social role was that of submissive and devoted wives to their husbands as well as homemakers and childcare providers. There are few artistic works that suggest otherwise. However, during the Civil War and after, many women were in fact politically active. They occupied important positions in the resistance and were present along with the men in the trenches. Spanish graphic novels have managed to create many works of fiction based on the Civil War, mainly drawing on (auto)biographical accounts. There are so many significant works dealing with the war and Francoist repression that they represent a genre of their own. Nevertheless, the authors of these works, as well as their main protagonists, are usually men. This is true despite the fact that after the war, during the four decades of the Franco dictatorship, many women suffered from political persecution. The aim of this article is to analyze the role of women outside the domestic space as it appears in selected graphic narratives set in the period of Franco’s regime. Given the extent of the regime’s repression, these works are frequently set in the prisons around Spain where female prisoners were incarcerated and tortured. The narratives we analyze are based on real testimonies from real victims. Their individual experiences are joined together in a collective whose voice has long been silenced until recently.
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The article, drawing on the primary sources and scientific and popular science publications, presents and examines the life path of an extraordinary personality – Aloyzas Valušis – a scout, an officer of the army of the Republic of Lithuania, a cavalryman, a colonel of the General Staff, and a personal adjutant of the President Antanas Smetona. The aim of the study is to overview the life of Valušis, as well as the reasons and circumstances that shaped him as a high-ranking officer and Lithuania’s representative in the diplomatic service in the position of military attaché. The article discusses the family of Valušis, his youth, service in the Lithuanian army, experiences in the diplomatic service, his social activities and fate as an emigrant. The main stages of Valušis life, which formed a colourful portrait of this personality, are depicted.
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The article presents the current state of research on a fragment of the history of the Polish military – the history of the army, i.e. land army units of the Polish Armed Forces existing in the years 1940–1947 in the West and subordinated to the legal authorities of the Republic of Poland in London, as well as prospects for the development of this research. The author focused primarily on non-serial publications which have appeared since 1945 until today. Discussing the state of research, he presented the achievements of both emigration and national historiography. In the latter, he distinguished two periods: before and after 1990. He also discussed the achievements of Western historiography in this field. The author concentrated on the most important trends in historiography so far and on the predominant trends in editing sources, memoirs, biographies and monographs, which he grouped thematically. Author also mentioned the most important archives, both Polish and foreign, in which sources necessary for the reconstruction of the history of the military of the Polish Armed Forces can be found. As far as scientific journals are concerned, the author just mentioned a few of the most important ones published in exile and two leading historical and military ones published in Poland. He also pointed to the most important Polish and foreign archives, which contain sources necessary for the reconstruction of the history of the Polish Armed Forces. The author also characterized briefly the potential of the particular scientific circles that conduct professional research on the history of the Polish Armed Forces. Discussing the prospects for the development of this research, he pointed out the suggested directions and topics that remain undiscovered. He stressed that there are still many areas awaiting scientific exploration. Casting light on the results of the investigations, including new findings, opens up the possibility of writing many articles, including source papers, because many aspects of the functioning of the Polish Armed Forces are still unexplored. It is also a field for many monographs and syntheses.
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The presented biographical collective study concerns the officers of the Historical Bureau/Military Historical Bureau (BH/WBH). It contains biographical notes on officers serving in BH/WBH in 1922–1939, preceded by a preliminary collective portrait of the officers. The biographical notes were prepared taking into account especially their age, civil education, knowledge of foreign languages, the course of military service, work in headquarters or such entities as military museums or educational institutions. The author’s intention was to concisely present both the dynamic development of the office and the professional level of officers assigned to it.
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During the Great War, the German and Austro-Hungarian Armies defeated the Russian forces and the Tsar’s empire collapsed. The Bolsheviks’ regime was not eager to sign a peace treaty on the Middle Power’s conditions. This denial started an offensive, which led Germans and Austro-Hungarians deep into the Russian territory. Their forces, however, were of poor quality, and they were only intended to provide cover for the transport of supplies into their countries as all battleworthy units and soldiers had already been on the Western Front. The Revolution in Germany and the Armistice on the Western Front caused great chaos among the soldiers of the Ober-Ost. Their primary concern was to go home as soon as possible. The German Army on the Eastern Front was in disarray, which gave rise to the formation of soldiers’ councils, intensifying the chaos even more. Things started to improve as late as in January 1919.
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The aim of the article is to present the evolution of the visions of forming future military authorities of reborn Poland in the part of Congress Poland controlled by the Germans. In 1916–1918, several proposals concerning this issue were formulated in Polish and German military circles. The majority of them were never realized, but they constituted an element of the road to revival of the chief Polish military authorities in November 1918. The paper presents German plans concerning this matter, possible and called-for models, as well as real actions of the German side. On this background, the Polish projects were analyzed, which shall allow to better understand their actual significance and the possibility of their realization right up until Poland actually regained independence in this field.
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In the second half of June 1918, right after introducing the 1st Polish Rifle Regiment into battlefield, several desertions to the enemy’s side occured. The command of the regiment’s attempt at clarifying the situation caused that the meaningless incident transformed into a serious conflict, dangerous for the cohesion of the Polish army created in France since August 1917 and also having wider political implications. This event alarmed the Polish National Committee – the institution established in August 1917, representing the Polish cause in the West. PNC questioned the steps taken by the military authorities; in view of the significance of the problem Roman Dmowski, president of the organization, himself took on the task of examining and clarifying the problem. The Central Military Archives contain a thorough, 22-page report that is the result of this action. A broader background of the events was constituted by the problems of organizational and political nature, causing that the accession to the emerging army turned out to be a disappointment for many volunteers – as well as the defeats of the allied armies in spring 1918. Moreover, the whole incident is interesting in the context of relations between civil authorities and the army: their different priorities, hierarchy of needs, and also sensitivity.
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This article analyses the current state of the biographical method in the historical and social sciences and aims to contribute to its conceptualization in historical methodology. The study of the peculiarities of the biographical method is based on attempts to distinguish it from its counterparts – prosopography, modal or group biography, and the method of life histories. The stages in biographical research and its requirements as part of historical methodology are outlined. The article raises the question of the theoretical definition of the scientific field of biography as a part of historical knowledge.
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This paper examines one of Krzysztof Penderecki's emblematic early sonoristic compositions “Fluorescences” (1961 – 1962) from the perspective of the interplay of the perceptual factors auditory and visual. The specific parameters of the sonoristic structure (timbral and articulatory, textural-sonic, dynamic, temporal) are investigated as the main catalysts for the activation of vivid and sensually impressive colour-light and spatial associations. The correlation of visual and auditory perception in the context of the synesthetic system of connections is of research interest not only for its conceptual significance for Penderecki's sonoristic stylistics, but also for its positioning of the coomplex area of multisensory perception as one of the central ones in the musical art of the second half of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
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The article deals with the important phenomena of modern musical art of the XX – XXI centuries in the field of notography – “graphic” and “time notation” types of notation, the creator of which is considered to be the representative of the American avant-garde – Earl Brown. The example of the “Folio” cycle demonstrates the peculiarities of “time notation”, where the iconic representations of durations are indeterminate and conventional. On the other hand, the graphic score of the play “December 1952” occupies a special place in the cycle, which combines two opposite approaches, in connection with which the problem of how to translate a spatial object into a temporal plane, which can lead to different results, is outlined. Through the prism of analyzing the works of Brown's followers in the use of “graphic” and “time notation” types of notation, the author notes the interrelation of notational solutions. In conclusion, a complex of issues concerning musical graphics is covered, from understanding the author's intention to its realization and peculiarities of perception.
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In October 1920 the military actions of the Polish–Soviet War came to an end. The exhausted Polish army faced demobilization and reorganization. The Air Force also had to adapt to service in the time of peace. Major pilot Stanisław Jasiński expressed interesting ideas concerning the peace organization of the Polish army already at the end of 1920. He saw the necessity of quantitive and qualitative expansion of the Polish Air Force. He believed that there should be at least 24 squadrons in the Polish Army. He also called for setting up 10 additional squadrons for fighting cavalry. In his deliberations, Jasiński did not omit technical and personnel issues. He considered it essential to bring from France and Italy the planes that had been bought there earlier, as well as to purchase additional fighter planes. Moreover, he put forward training over 400 officers and non-commissioned officers to become pilots, battlefield observers and air gunners. What is more, he saw the necessity of moving 1500 soldiers to air service schools. Jasiński’s interesting ideas were never implemented, however. Even the minimum plan was not carried out.
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The Border Protection Corps (1924–1939) was a special military formation created to protect the border and ensure safety in the Eastern borderlands of the Second Polish Republic. The BPC soldiers protected borders with the USSR, Lithuania, Latvia, and since 1927 also sections of borders with Romania and Germany, as well as with Hungary in 1939. In March 1927, the BPC Military Police Battalion was established within the structures of the unit. Platoons were created at every brigade or regiment, and a military police post – at every battalion. The main task of the MP was military and police service for the units and soldiers in the area protected by the BPC, as well as in the area where the units where quartered – so as to keep order and discipline. In the unit’s area there were garrisons of the BPC as well as mixed garrisons where Polish Army and even Navy units were also stationed. In August 1927, in the area controlled by the post at the 17th Battalion of BPC in Dawidgródek, incidents involving seamen of the Pińsk Flotilla took place. Reports of the BPC military police kept in the Archives of the Border Guards in Szczecin became the basis of the article devoted to the discipline level of the seamen of the flotilla and their wrangles with the BPC military police.
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The paper discusses two unpublished drawings presenting the camps of the Lithuanian army during the Khmelnytsky Uprising. They come from the collection of notes and drawings preserved in the National Historical Archives of Belarus in Minsk. This collection, undoubtedly connected with the Radziwiłł family of Birże, has been published several times in Belorussian and in Russian until now, but has not been studied thoroughly enough yet. Previous researchers of the Minsk collection of drawings did not notice i.a. the plans of the military camps, discussed in the article.
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