The second half of the 17th century was a period of noticeable changes in the nature of the Polish nobility's contacts with foreigners. Maria Kazimiera d'Arquien 1 voto Zamoyska 2 voto Sobieska sought to return to the concept of the women's court previously pursued by Queen Louise Marie. The queen thus began to reintegrate French court society, enlisting several ladies from her homeland of France to join the fraucère. It should be borne in mind that Marie Kazimiera d'Arquien Sobieska herself maintained an undiminished love for what was associated with French culture. The selection of court artists, musicians or even the clothes she chose, showed her attachment to native aesthetics and cultural patterns.

The peculiarities of the Sobieski court's functioning meant that international contacts also took on a new dynamic. One of the manifestations of this process was the policy implemented in the Sobieski's closest surroundings of marriages between representatives of the Polish magnates and wealthy nobility and foreigners. Particularly interesting seem to be those unions whose conclusion was directly controlled by the French queen, as part of a well-thought-out political strategy. Maria Kazimiera perfectly understood the importance of a skilfully conducted matrimonial policy, thanks to which it was possible to gain some influence in the magnate circles. The queen's court became a kind of centre of social life, and information about the ladies belonging to Marysieńka's frauche intrigued the noble social circles. French ladies particularly attracted the interest of those magnate houses whose representatives hoped to conclude a favourable marriage within the royal circle.

One of the ladies promoted by Maria Kazimiera was "Madmoiselle de la Riviere", or rather Teresa Dorothea de la Riviere d'Arschot - heiress of the Spanish Grandessa, French by birth. Under the Queen's watchful eye, around 1693 she was married to Franciszek Jan Załuski (d. 1735), later Voivode of Chernihiv. The choice of the diplomatically savvy Załuski for a maiden belonging to Maria Kazimiera's fraucère seemed an excellent strategy. Franciszek Jan had already proved himself in the service of Jan III Sobieski, becoming known as a trusted man and loyal to the ruler. Załuski was not a particularly wealthy person, nor did he hold a high political position. Also in favour of Załuski were his excellent connections - his cousin was none other than Andrzej Chryzostom Załuski (d. 1711), chancellor to Queen Maria Kazimiera and a trusted man of King Jan III Sobieski. After their marriage, both spouses remained in the service of the Sobieski court. They were entrusted with the mission of looking after the king's youngest daughter, Teresa Kunegunda (d. 1730), when she was married to the Elector of Bavaria in 1694. For many years, Dorothea de la Riviere d'Arschot Załuska was Załuski's support as he attended political meetings of the highest order. It is worth mentioning that Chryzostom Henryk Załuski (d. 1732), starosta of Lublin, son of Franciszek Jan and Dorota de la Riviere d'Arschot, adopted the custom of titling himself 'Załuski de Rivière'. This titulature was also adopted by his heirs, who retained the title de Rivière for successive generations.

Załuski was not the only magnate whose marriage was arranged with the support of the Sobieski family. Caring for her position in the court circle, Maria Kazimiera decided to go further and also use her closest relatives in her policy of building a party loyal to the sovereign. Marriage to a representative of the Polish nobility was intended to be mutually beneficial - Maria Kazimiera's relatives would enter into collations with distinguished and politically active noble families, while the queen herself would thus create a loyal circle of support for royal interests. This is how the marriage of the Queen's sister, Marie Anne de la Grange d'Arquien (d. 1733), who arrived in the Republic in 1676, was arranged. At least several candidates for the marriage were considered. Considered were the candidature of the Voivode of Vilnius, Michał Kazimierz Pac (d. 1682), and Stanisław Kazimierz Radziwiłł (d. 1690), the Grand Constable of Lithuania. Finally, in 1678, it was decided to arrange a marriage with the twice-widowed Jan Wielopolski (d. 1688), Sub-Chancellor of the Crown (his first marriage - to Angelika Febronia Koniecpolska, d. 1664 - did not bring Wielopolski any particular benefits, but his second marriage - to Konstancja Krystyna Komorowska, d. 1675 - enabled him to gain lucrative landed estates). By deciding to marry the Queen's sister, the wealthy Wielopolski was already counting primarily on political influence. The King himself informed of the marriage by letter, reporting that 'Wielopolski, the Sub-Chancellor of the Crown, Wielopolski, the Virgin Margravess d'Arquien, the Queen's most illustrious wife [Maria Kazimiera d' Arquien], our native "Margravess d' Arquien".Arquien] our native 'connubiali nexu in sociam sobie vitae et thori' takes, and the solemnity of the wedding deed will be celebrated in Lviv on the 12th of June" (AGAD, AZ, no. 2804, King Jan III Sobieski to Władysław Denhoff, 10 May 1678, p. 1). The effort paid off - soon after his marriage to Maria Anna, Wielopolski received the office of Grand Crown Chancellor (in 1679). The Queen's sister continued to take an active part in the life of the Sobieski court and was present at the most important events in the lives of the family members. Wielopolski was active in strengthening relations with France and supported Sobieski politically. Unfortunately, the hopes placed in Wielopolski to strengthen the circle loyal to the King proved deceptive. In 1685, misunderstandings arose between the Chancellor and the King over Wielopolski's ambiguous actions during his diplomatic mission in France. The Chancellor did not remain loyal to the court, which he demonstrated by speaking out against the ailing Jan III Sobieski and supporting efforts to elect a new king. In order to avoid suffering the consequences for her husband's disloyalty, Marie Anna d'Arquien Wielopolska allegedly took part in covering up evidence of Wielopolski's actions against Sobieski. As a result, relations between the sisters deteriorated considerably.

For a long time, Maria Kazimiera's close relatives, the sisters Joanna Maria (d. 1744) and Maria Catherine (d. 1721) de Béthune, also belonged to the circle of people close to her. Both were daughters of the Queen's second sister, Louise Marie, and François Gaston de Béthune (d. 1692), whom she married in 1669. Thanks to contacts made at their aunt's court, both maidens quickly gained admirers among bachelors from various noble houses of the Republic. The first of the de Béthune sisters, Marie Catherine, married, in 1690, the would-be husband of Ludwika Karolina née Radziwiłł, the Grand Marshal of Lithuania Stanisław Kazimierz Radziwiłł (d. 1690). During her marriage to Radziwiłł, the Frenchwoman was to be led to the altar by Prince Jakub Sobieski himself. Intended by its initiators, this union was to play a significant role in building up the Sobieski party. Marrying Radziwiłł, Marie Catherine de Béthune received a very large dowry, bequest of which amounted to as much as 700,000 Polish zlotys and "separately in jewels 60,000". The marital happiness did not last long - Stanisław Kazimierz Radziwiłł died just a few months after marrying the Frenchwoman. According to the declarations made when arranging the property aspects of the marriage, Marie Catherine de Béthune was to be guaranteed a very good financial position in the Republic. However, it soon became apparent that it was not in the interests of the magnate's natural successors to fulfil the lucrative prenuptial legacies. Even Maria Kazimiera's assistance did not curb the Radziwiłłs' drive, who made it considerably more difficult for the widow to enforce her due rights. Moreover, the Radziwills began efforts to deprive Marie Catherine de Béthune of her vast wealth, and their accusations reached both the Queen herself and Marie Catherine's mother, Marie Louise de Béthune. The case therefore had to rest with the Sobieski court.

However, the widow soon gained a new ally, ready to sue for her rights. This was her second spouse, Aleksander Paweł Sapieha (d. 1734), later Grand Marshal of Lithuania, whom the Frenchwoman had hastily married back in 1691. The union was one of the stages of assembling a party favourable to France. The Sapiehs, thus won over to the anti-Habsburg camp, were to opt for political solutions favourable to France. The Sobieski placed great hopes in Alexander Paul. One can conclude that initially the magnate did not disappoint them - after the wedding he participated, among other things, in Sobieski's expedition to Moldavia and remained faithfully in the king's closest circle for a long time. Much less successful, however, was the marriage itself; Sapieha engaged in numerous romances, preferring the charms of court life to building a relationship with his wife. Gradually, his relations with the court also deteriorated. Towards the end of John III's life, the Sapiehs openly spoke out against the king. In 1701, while already outside the Rzeczpospolita, the Queen's widow wrote: "I will serve the Sapiehs so that they know that I am not capable of vengeance, nor of boasting, and that my heart does as it deserves to be treated differently from them. [...] Never has the marchioness [Marie Catherine de Béthune Sapie¿yna] or the marshal [Aleksander Pawe³ Sapieha] written a word to me since their disfavour, although I have written to them several times and sent prayers'.

The chance to move to the Commonwealth thanks to Queen Marie Casimire's intercession was also taken by the second of the de Béthune sisters, Joanna Maria, who in 1693 became the wife of the later Voivode of Ruthenia, Jan Stanisław Jabłonowski (d. 1731). Unfortunately, the long-standing connections with the Sobieski family did not translate into lasting loyalty for Jabłonowski. After the death of Jan III Sobieski - despite his initial support for the interests of Maria Kazimiera and her son Jakub Ludwik - he eventually, like his father Stanisław, supported the election of Frederick August, Elector of Saxony, elected king of Poland as August II. Despite the political misunderstandings, Joanna Maria remained in contact with Maria Kazimiera even after the fateful election.

All of the above-mentioned endeavours by Maria Kazimiera were intended to bring current political benefits, but were also dictated by long-term thinking about securing the succession to the throne. The queen hoped that, thanks to these connections, she would be able to build a party around her that could help her push through her son's candidacy for the Polish king - already as the successor to Jan III Sobieski. These hopes turned out to be illusory, and political affairs after the king's death turned out in a way far from the Sobieski family's expectations.

The text comes from PASAŻ WIEDZY , where you can find more reliable texts on Old Polish history and culture

Courtesy of the King John III Palace Museum in Wilanów