The political and diplomatic activity of Virginio Orsini, Cardinal Protector of the Kingdom in the time of John Casimir Vasa, last king of the Vasa Dinasty in Poland

Abstract

In June 1669, Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki’s election as the new sovereign of Poland marked the end of a complex interregnum initiated by the abdication of John II Casimir Vasa in September 1668. This period of political instability for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had attracted the attention of major powers, including France, the Empire, Muscovy, and the Holy See, which viewed Poland as a bulwark of Christianity. This article uses sources from the Capitoline and Vatican archives to examine the figure and role of Cardinal Virginio Orsini, Protector of the Kingdom of Poland, during this interregnum period. It explores Orsini's position, interests, and connections to the French court, positioning him at the heart of intricate political and diplomatic negotiations among Warsaw, Rome, and Paris, all aimed at securing the new king's reaffirmation of his Protectorate.