Summary
V. Pylypenko. Confront the Face of the Enemy. Polish Antiturkish Literature mid XVI – mid XVII cent.
Europe in XV – XVII c. lived under a constant threat of war against the Ottoman Empire. At first European monarchies didn’t take into consideration a newly created state. Though after conquering Constantinople in 1453 the Turks turned from the local to a global political player and started to threaten the established political and economic rules of the Old World. As a result there appeared antiturkish literature in almost every European country. Polish Kingdom (after Union of Lublin 1569 – Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) used to have quite long common border with the Ottoman Empire and its vassals so felt this threat especially acutely. Antiturkish literature in Poland was widely spread and was called “turcika».
The authors of antiturkish publicist works tried to answer the questions: how to resist the Turkish invasion, how to prepare to war, who will be the confederate, how to reform the army etc.
Appeared in social and political discourse of Polish state in mid XV c., antiturkish works changed into a separate kind of literature before the mid XVI c.
To my mind the founder of this literature is Stanisław Orzechowski.
The authors of “turcika» tried to answer the actual questions. One of them was the reform of Pospolite ruszenie. Some writers suggested refusing from ruszenie as it was not effective in the struggle with the Tatars and Turks. Therefor they offered to create a permanent mercenary army which should be settled on Ukrainian-Tatar border.
One way of opposition against Turkish-Tatar threat was administrative reform of Ukrainian lands. The writers suggested creating new administrative units on southern-eastern borders of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. These should be called regiments, order of chivalry, Niżnia Polska, and Cossack principality. The main task of people living on these administrative units should be border defense. But for the reform of territory the reform of army was suggested. Intellectuals understood that the present army was not effective. To enhance combat performance discipline should be brought, qualified leaders appointed, drill conducted regularly.
One of the ways to raise the morale of the Polish nobility was considered in establishment of a school for noble knight youth. It should be located on Ukrainian lands and service in such school should have been obligatory for sons of the nobles.
The writers thought it was a good opportunity for young men to get a necessary experience and they will be able to protect their state.
Some Polish intellectuals suggested using Cossacks for border defense more active because Cossacks’ existence was thought as negative. To writers’ mind Cossacks might be used both on the land and at sea. It was offered that Cossacks take part in total war against the Turks together with other European countries.
Possible war with Istanbul was under discussion. The writers suggested different variants of all European antiturkish coalition and plans of its activities, ways of offensive on the Ottoman Empire.
But for problems of Polish and Turkish relationship the order in the Ottoman Empire, its culture and traditions was touched upon in “turcika». The Turks and the Tatars were usually described in a negative way. Though such attitude was inequitable. The authors deliberately tried to vilify the Turks and the Tatars as they were enemies.
In spite of “turcika’s» popularity and a constant threat of war with the Ottoman Empire neither the king, nor the gentry followed intellectuals’ advice. Anti-Turkish literature experienced its peak of popularity in times of Polish-Ottoman War 1620-1621 and waned gradually. And with the introduction of the National Liberation War of the Ukrainian people 1648-1657’s this literature generally receded.
Translated by Olena Rosstalna.