Beyond the Standards of the Epoch – The Phenomenon of Elżbieta Sieniawska Née Lubomirska and Anna Katarzyna Radziwiłł née Sanguszko based on Selected Aspects of Their Economic Activities in Times of Political Unrest in the Saxon Era

Abstract

Abstract At the turn of the eighteenth century, the political and economic situation in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was difficult and unstable. This period was brimming with military conflicts, the most important of which was the Great Northern War, and contributed to devastation and impoverishment in many areas of the country. The post-war damage in cities and villages could be felt among civilians for many years. While women did not take part in military operations directly, they were interested in the reports from the war front, they caught up on political news, and sometimes personally experienced the toll of the war since Saxon, Swedish, and Russian troops, which were marching across the country, plundered their lands and homes, instilling fear and terror among the residents. And yet there was something that played an important role in the fight against the destructive enemy – a possibility to gain influential patrons and use their authority as a “shield” protecting one’s property from the troops and aggressive neighbours. Respect for some people from the ruling spheres or local elites as well as fear for their revenge built a barricade of sorts, strong enough to protect their clients from adverse actions of the destroyer.