The Exile of the Bishops and of the Wilno Chapter in the Years 1656-1662

Abstract

Those historians who research the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania admit that one of the major events in that area was the war against Russia in the years 1654-1667, although this problem has not been yet thoroughly studied. The Moscow troops went up-country demonstrating horrible cruelty and leaving the country behind them completely destroyed. When the enemy were approaching, the bishop of Wilno J. Tyszkiewicz and the cathedral chapter, having secured the treasury and the archives, decided to leave the capital. Their wanderings lasted almost seven years. However, during the whole war they took an active part in the current events happening in Poland that was then “flooded” by the Swedish army. The work of Canon, and from 1661 Bishop J. Białłozor was especially conspicuous. A similar role was also played by other canons, A. Sapieha being one of them. The source basis for this article is the manuscript kept in the Diocesan Museum in Włocławek, whose title is Materiału historycznego do dziejów rocznych czyli kroniki litewsko-katolickiego Kościoła, a szczególniej wileńskiej diecezji z akt kapituły katedralnej oraz konsystorza wileńskiego rozmaitych dokumentów oryginalnych przez ks. Mamerta z Fulsztyna Herbuta ... zebranego.