Diplomacy and Papal Politics during the “Unfortunate” Reign of Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki.

Abstract

After a complex interregnum, on 19 June 1669, Michał Korybut Wiśniowieski was elected the new king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Although the election was unanimous, a political rift soon emerged with a party opposing the new ruler. The internal conflict favoured the Ottomans, who invaded Ukraine. The Infidels conquered the Kamieniec Podolski fortress and forced the Warsaw court to sign a shameful treaty in Buchach in October 1672.This tragic news soon reached Rome, alarming the Holy See, which had always followed with great interest the events of that distant kingdom, known to be the last bulwark of Christianity. The article intends to retrace the dramatic phases experienced by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the reign of Wiśniowiecki, in the light of the political and diplomatic actions carried out by Pope Clement X Altieri to support this Antemurale Christianitatis.