After the death of John III and the unsuccessful attempt to keep the crown in the Sobieski family, Maria Kazimiera Sobieska decided to leave the Republic. She turned her gaze towards Rome, where the Pope continued to honour the memory of her spouse, the invincible conqueror of the infidels and liberator of all of Christian Europe - John III. In the Eternal City, the Queen could still count on respectful treatment, a peaceful and dignified stay for a person of her stature. The approaching jubilee year of 1700, however, provided an official reason to leave the Republic.

From Antonio Bassani's account 'Viaggio a Roma Della Sua Reale M.tà di Maria Casimira, Regina di Polonia, vedova dell'invittissimo Giovanni' (Roma 1700), we learn that the Queen's journey to Rome began on 2 October 1698. From Warsaw, Maria Kazimiera reached Kraków. Here, she listened fondly to an aria sung with extraordinary delicacy by the Countess Malakowska, and then presented to the Krakow hosts the skills of her musico della Camera - Giuseppe Luparini, a virtuoso singer-songwriter travelling in her large entourage to Rome. After his virtuoso display, the guests were still entertained by a selection of Marysieńka's beautiful maidens of honour.

From Krakow, the Queen's route led 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 the Tyrol, then arrived in Verona via Trento, where, on the evening of 8 January, she was honoured with 'una bell'Opera in musica', the prologue of which celebrated her husband's qualities, which, according to Bassani, caused great emotion in the queen. During this performance, however, a small accident occurred. When the image of John III appeared to the numerous guests gathered to the sounds of praise for the invincible Sarmatian, part of the decorations and costume elements of the singers playing the parts of the heavenly deities caught fire. Once the flames had been extinguished and the audience calmed down, the comedy was still presented to universal acclaim. The attractions prepared put the Queen in excellent humour, both because of the 'sweetness of the voices and instruments, and because of the other charming circumstances'. The following days in Verona, as in the previous centres, passed for Maria Kazimiera in receiving and paying visits, listening to compliments to herself and her late husband, as well as praying and visiting the city. On 9 January, after seeing the wonders of the city, including the Anfiteatro dell'Arena, a magnificent ball was organised for the Queen, attended by almost two hundred ladies and even more distinguished cavaliers. "The queen asked her ladies of honour and the cavaliers from Poland to present some dances alla Rutena, which came out quite exquisitely, but not as much as expected, since the instruments never allowed one to understand the melodies of the 'balletti' played: only when the Veronese ladies and cavaliers danced did [they] make themselves heard as nice and sweet, which failed, as has already been said, [when danced] by persons of a different nationality". This is the first passage in Bassani's account showing that the queen reciprocated the aristocrats hosting her with a presentation of Polish dances and music. This example also illustrates how significant were the differences in the understanding of music by dancers representing different nationalities. The Queen would experience many more such moments of cultural amazement during the subsequent stops on her Roman journey, but above all during her first months in the Eternal City.

Around 19 January, Marysieńka arrived in Venice. Here she wished to meet the Capuchin Marc d'Aviano, one of the heroes of the relief of Vienna. At the Serenissima, as in other Italian cities, she was received with all the honours worthy of her person. She was invited to the Senate, where she was presented with 150 crystal bowls containing wax, sugar, candles, jam, fruit and wine, among other things. She also participated in church and private ceremonies, meeting ambassadors, local aristocracy, envoys of the Pope. She also visited Venetian opera theatres, famous throughout Europe. As early as 19 January, the ladies, maidens and others of her court went to the Teatro di S. Luca. The work most likely to be heard at the time was a 'dramma per musica' entitled 'Il duello d'amore e di vendetta' with music attributed today to Marc'Antonio Ziani to a libretto by Francesco Silvani. 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 single arias have survived from Silvani-Ziani's opera to this day. On 21 January, the Queen graced the Teatro SS.Giovanni e Paolo with her presence, watching an opera whose title, unfortunately, we do not know today, and on 22 January she went to Venice's most exquisite theatre, the Teatro S. Giovanni Grisostomo. Giovanni Grisostomo, where Carlo Francesco Pollarolo's opera Lucio Vero, based on a libretto by Apostolo Zeno, was being performed. In all, Bassani reported that as many as five operas played in Venice at the time, not counting the many wonderful, extraordinary productions alluded to the Queen in an allusive way. It seems that Maria Kazimiera particularly liked the repertoire performed at the Teatro di S. Cassiano. On the other hand, the younger sons of Alexander and Konstantin Sobieski, accompanying the queen on her journey, were seen on 30 January at the Teatro di S. Giovanni Grisostomo at the opera 'Il colore fa la regina' to a libretto by Matteo Noris, with music, again attributed to Pollarolo, who was very popular in Venice at the time.

In total, the Queen spent some twenty days in the city on the lagoon. At the beginning of February, she had already entered the borders of the Church State. From Ferrara, which received her with a ball, she went to Bologna. There, a hundred carriages with the city's most illustrious citizens were waiting to welcome her, and they organised a 'varij divertimenti' for her. Marysieńka was happy to stay in Bologna longer than she intended. During one of the balls, at which a huge orchestra played, she again organised a 'ballo alla Polaccha' performed by her ladies of honour. Unfortunately, due to a number of unspecified obligations, the queen had to give up seeing the opera prepared for her in Count Silvio Montecuccioli's private theatre. Maria Kazimiera spent the Carnival period in Bologna, however, saddened by the news of the death in Munich of her grandson, the first-born son of her daughter Theresa Kunegunda and her husband, the Elector of Bavaria Maximilian II Emmanuel. From Bologna, the Queen's route led via Faenza (on the occasion of the Queen's sojourn in the city, 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, Rimini, where the Countesses Cima and Martinelli, both endowed with beautiful voices, performed vocal compositions especially for her by Marc Bianchelli, the 'maestro di musica' in that city, today, unfortunately, little known. From Rimini, via Fano, Senigallia, Ancona, Maria Kazimiera reached Loreto on 16 March, where she stopped to admire the sanctuary there. Her stay in this town was recorded in an account published by Luca Antonio Chracas, and was therefore also known beyond the borders of the Church State. Three days later the Queen continued her journey to Rome via Macerata, Tolentino, Foligno, Spoleto, Narni. On 23 March 1699, after a journey of more than six months, she arrived at the gates of Rome. Originally, at the queen's request, the entry into the city was to take place incognito. Marysieńka cited the long, tiring journey as her argument. In the end, however, the Pope decreed a truly triumphant welcome for Sobieska, comparable only to the entry of her predecessor Christina of Sweden. After spending the night in the palace of Baron Giovanni Battista Scarlatti, Maria Kazimiera moved with her entourage to the palace in the Piazza dei SS. Apostoli of Duke Livio Odescalchi, who was related to Pope Innocent XI, another hero of the Battle of Vienna. The beauty of Rome, the grandeur of the audience with the pope, the splendour of the palace offered to her by Odescalchi, and the lively interest of the Romans in her person infused Marysieńka and the court accompanying her with undisguised delight and filled her heart with hope of regaining the position she had lost after her husband's death. But she also experienced many moments of emotion 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 beautifully decorated private palaces where she stayed, her evenings were enriched by chamber music performed by local artists and amateur musicians. Balls lasting late into the night were also organised. It seems that all the honours directed towards her made her feel a new surge of strength to once again take up the fight to consolidate the Sobieski family's importance in Europe.

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

Courtesy of the Museum of the Palace of King John III in Wilanów