Orient in the history and interests of the Grocholski family of the Syrokomla coat of arms

Abstract

The Grocholski family of the Syrokomla coat of arms settled in the lands of historic Ruthenia in the sixteenth century. Like other inhabitants of the area, its members experienced the hardships resulting from the proximity to the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire in the troubled times of wars and invasions. However, when the distribution of power in this part of the Eurasian continent changed in the eighteenth century and relations between the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania and its Muslim neighbours became peaceful, the Grocholski family were able to enjoy the benefits of living near a multicultural borderland. The article is an attempt to highlight the biographies of individual members of the family who, at different times and in different ways, had extensive contact with the world of the Orient. Arranged chronologically, these individual histories are intertwined with the history of Poland and the intellectual currents emerging in the following eras.