Following the death of John III and a failed attempt to keep the crown within the Sobieski family, Maria Kazimiera Sobieska decided to leave the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. She set her sights on Rome, where the Pope continued to honour the memory of her husband, the invincible vanquisher of the infidels and liberator of the whole of Christian Europe – John III. In the Eternal City, the queen could still count on being treated with respect and on a peaceful and dignified stay befitting her rank. The approaching Jubilee Year of 1700, however, provided an official reason for leaving the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

From Antonio Bassani’s account, *Viaggio a Roma Della Sua Reale M.tà di Maria Casimira, Regina di Polonia, vedova dell’invittissimo Giovanni* (Rome 1700), we learn that the journey to Rome began on 2 October 1698. The first stage of the Queen’s journey took place within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. From Warsaw, Maria Kazimiera travelled to Kraków. There, she listened with great pleasure to an aria sung with extraordinary delicacy by Countess Malakowska, and then showcased to her Kraków hosts the talents of her ‘musico della Camera’ — Giuseppe Luparini, a virtuoso castrato singer travelling with her in her large entourage to Rome. Following his virtuoso performance, the guests were further entertained by a selection of Marysieńka’s beautiful ladies-in-waiting.

From Kraków, the Queen’s itinerary took her through Silesia and Moravia. Sobieska arrived in Vienna on 25 November and stayed there for several days. On 3 January 1699 she was already in Tyrol; she then travelled via Trento to Verona, where, on the evening of 8 January, she was honoured with ‘una bell’Opera in musica’, the prologue of which extolled her husband’s virtues, which – as Bassani reported – deeply moved the queen. However, a minor incident occurred during the performance. When, to the sounds extolling the invincible Sarmatian, an image of John III appeared before the large gathering of guests, part of the set caught fire, as did elements of the costumes worn by the singers portraying the heavenly deities. Once the flames had been extinguished and the audience calmed, a comedy was performed, which met with widespread approval. The prepared attractions put the Queen in an excellent mood, both because of ‘the sweetness of the voices and instruments, and because of other charming circumstances’. The following days in Verona, as in the previous cities she had visited, were spent by Maria Kazimiera receiving and paying visits, listening to compliments addressed to herself and her late husband, as well as praying and sightseeing. On 9 January, after viewing the city’s wonders, including the Anfiteatro dell’Arena, a magnificent ball was organised for the Queen, attended by nearly two hundred ladies and an even greater number of distinguished gentlemen. ‘The Queen asked her ladies-in-waiting and the gentlemen from Poland to perform several dances alla Rutena, which turned out rather gracefully, though not quite as expected, because the instruments never allowed one to make out the melodies of the ‘balletti’ being played: it was only when the ladies and gentlemen from Verona danced that [the music] could be heard as pleasant and sweet, which, as has already been said, was not the case [when those] of a different nationality danced.” This is the first passage in Bassani’s account to show that the queen reciprocated the hospitality of the aristocrats hosting her by presenting Polish dances and music. This example also illustrates how significant the differences were in the understanding of music among dancers representing different nationalities. The queen would experience many more such moments of cultural amazement during the subsequent stops on her journey to Rome, but above all during the first months of her stay in the Eternal City.

Around 19 January, Marysieńka arrived in Venice. Here she wished to meet the Capuchin friar Marco d’Aviano, one of the heroes of the Battle of Vienna. In the Serenissima, as in other Italian cities, she was received with all the honours befitting her status. She was invited to the Senate, where she was presented with 150 crystal bowls containing, amongst other things, wax, sugar, candles, jams, fruit and wine. She also took part in church and private ceremonies, meeting with ambassadors, the local aristocracy and papal envoys. She also visited Venice’s opera theatres, famous throughout Europe. As early as 19 January, the ladies, young ladies and other members of her court went to the Teatro di S. Luca. The work most likely performed on that occasion was a ‘dramma per musica’ entitled ‘Il duello d’amore e di vendetta’, with music now attributed to Marc’Antonio Ziani and a libretto by Francesco Silvano. That evening, the Queen decided to rest, but the very next evening, accompanied by the Apostolic Nuncio and her court, she went to the same theatre. Unfortunately, only a few arias from the Silvan-Ziani opera have survived to this day. On 21 January, the queen graced the Teatro SS. Giovanni e Paolo with her presence, attending an opera whose title, unfortunately, is unknown to us today, and on 22 January she went to the most refined theatre in Venice – the Teatro S. Giovanni Grisostomo, where Carlo Francesco Pollarolo’s opera *Lucio Vero*, based on a libretto by Apostolo Zeno, was being performed. In total, Bassani reported that as many as five operas performed in Venice at that time – not counting the many splendid, extraordinary productions – alluded to the Queen in some way. It seems that Maria Kazimiera was particularly taken with the repertoire performed at the Teatro di S. Cassiano. The queen’s younger sons, Aleksander and Konstanty Sobieski, who were accompanying her on her journey, were seen on 30 January at the Teatro di S. Giovanni Grisostomo, at the opera *Il colore fa la regina* with a libretto by Matteo Noris, set to music once again attributed to Pollarolo, who was very popular in Venice at the time.

In total, the queen spent around twenty days in the lagoon city. By early February, she had already entered the Papal States. From Ferrara, where she was welcomed with a ball, she travelled to Bologna. There, a hundred carriages awaited her, filled with the city’s most distinguished citizens, who had organised ‘varij divertimenti’ for her. Marysieńka was happy to stay in Bologna longer than she had intended. During one of the balls, at which a huge orchestra was playing, she once again organised a ‘ballo alla Polaccha’ performed by her ladies-in-waiting. Unfortunately, due to a number of unspecified duties, the queen had to forgo attending the opera staged for her at Count Silvio Montecuccioli’s private theatre. Maria Kazimiera spent the carnival season in Bologna, though she was saddened by the news of the death in Munich of her grandson, the first-born son of her daughter Teresa Kunegunda and her husband, the Elector of Bavaria, Maximilian II Emanuel. From Bologna, the Queen’s itinerary took her via Faenza (on the occasion of the Queen’s visit to the town, an ode was published entitled ‘La Maestà pellegrina ossequiosa e pia al solium di Pietro in Vaticano al felicissimo Arrio della Sacra e Reale Maestà Maria Casimira, reina di Polonia in Roma […]’, Faenza 1699), Cesena, and Rimini, where Countesses Cima and Martinelli, both blessed with beautiful voices, performed vocal compositions by Marco Bianchelli – the ‘maestro di musica’ of that city, who is, unfortunately, little known today – especially for her. From Rimini, via Fano, Senigallia and Ancona, Maria Kazimiera arrived in Loreto on 16 March, where she stopped to admire the local sanctuary. Her stay in that town was recorded in an account published by Luca Antonio Chracas, and as a result, it was also known beyond the borders of the Papal States. Three days later, the queen set off on the next leg of her journey to Rome via Macerata, Tolentino, Foligno, Spoleto and Narni. On 23 March 1699, after a journey lasting more than half a year, she reached the gates of Rome. Originally, at the queen’s request, her entry into the city was to take place incognito. Marysieńka cited her long, exhausting journey as the reason for this. Ultimately, however, the Pope ordered a truly triumphant welcome for Sobieska, comparable only to the entry of her predecessor, Christina of Sweden. After spending the night at the palace of Baron Giovanni Battista Scarlatti, Maria Kazimiera moved with her retinue to the palace on Piazza dei SS. Apostoli, which had been prepared for her arrival over a long period. The beauty of Rome, the grandeur of the audience with the Pope, the splendour of the palace bestowed upon her by Odescalchi, as well as the Romans’ keen interest in her person, filled Marysieńka and her accompanying court with undisguised delight and filled her heart with hope of regaining the position she had lost following her husband’s death. But she also experienced many moving moments throughout the journey. For wherever Maria Kazimiera went, she was received with the highest honours. She entered towns to the sound of military instruments (‘stromenti militari’), fireworks displays and beautifully illuminated buildings and streets; and in the private, exquisitely decorated palaces where she stayed, her evenings were enlivened by chamber music performed by local artists and aristocrats who were amateur musicians. Balls lasting until the small hours were also organised. It seems that all the honours bestowed upon her gave her a new surge of strength to once again take up the fight to cement the Sobieski family’s standing in Europe.

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

Provided courtesy of the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów