Article about the Collaboration of Court Officials with Katarzyna Kossakowska née Potocka

“Trusting Me with the Interests of the Late Lord and Lady Benefactors Has Been Proven…”. The Collaboration of Court Officials with Katarzyna Kossakowska née Potocka (1722–1803), the Wifeof the Castellan of Kamień- is the newest article by dr hab. Urszula Kicińska, published in Przegląd Nauk Historycznych (eng. Review of Historical Sciences).

 

In old Poland, when one of the spouses died, the surviving parent took over not only the care of the orphaned children, but also of their property, mak-ing every effort to prevent it from squandering. As the consequence of the almost simultaneous death in February 1768 of the married couple Marianna neé Kąt-ska, and Eustachy Potocki, the care of their children had to be assigned to the relatives or trusted associates of the late Lithuanian artillery general. Eventually, the responsibility for the upbringing of the young Potockis fell upon KatarzynaKossakowska née Potocka (d. 1803), their aunt and Eustachy’s younger sister. Kos-sakowska was married to the castellan of Kamień. She carried out this duty between 1768–1772 and throughout this period she was also a legal leaseholder of the Potockis’ property. This meant that the guardianship of the Potockis’ children was directly connected to Kossakowska’s taking over the management of the property and preventing it from dissipating. This discourse is based on letters addressed to Katarzyna Kossakowska written by property administrators, stewards, and plenipotentiaries who had been subjects of the late parents. After their death, all of their staff, together with the leased property, ended up under Kossakowska’s management. Almost immediately, the staff began striving forher acceptance and trust to keep their positions, regularly reporting to the new benefactress on the economic condition of the lands and estates. The content ofthe studied correspondence allows us to witness the relations between the sub-jects and their benefactress and determine the economic and social background of the functioning of the Potockis’ estates under Kossakowska’s watchful eye.

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